The lapidary profession

The profession of lapidary, derived from the Latin word “lapis"meaning"rock ” is one of the oldest crafts in the world. For centuries, people have been carving and cutting stones to make jewelry, statues, ornaments and art objects.

What does the job of a lapidary consist of?

The lapidary is a craftsman who transforms rough stones into finely cut and polished gems. He works : 

• precious stones : diamond, sapphire, ruby and emerald.
• fine stones : amethysts, citrines, topazes, aquamarines, garnets, quartz, peridots, tanzanites, opals… 
• ornamental stones : turquoise, malachite, jade, onyx, carnelian, moonstone, sunstone… 

Depending on the function, it will perform two types of pruning:

• There cabochon size known since antiquity, gives the raw material a rounded surface, with a curved upper part and a flat lower part. It can be of various shapes: oval, round, square or even more original patterns.
• There faceted cut is mainly used for transparent to translucent stones (precious and fine stones); more complex because it consists of reflecting the light from the gem through a play of facets, with precise proportions and angles.

The process of stone cutting 

The lapidary begins his work by selecting the rough stone. He must be able to determine the best way to cut it to make a quality gem, and know how light reflects and refracts through it to enhance its brilliance. 

Once the stone is selected, the lapidary begins to cut it. In addition, there are many cutting techniques and as many different tools. The Jura technique (the most widespread) is based on the use of an evention (a device attached to the polishing or cutting wheels to correct the angles and shapes of the facets) and a case or cementing stick (a device that allows the stone to be held and divided).

The cutting process varies depending on the complexity of the piece and the size of the stone. It can be lengthy and take several hours to several days.
Once cut, the stone must be polished. In this step, the lapidary uses polishing tools such as a polishing wheel equipped with brushes with different bristles and pastes to smooth the surface of the stone, giving it a perfect shine and brilliance.

The lapidary: a rare and demanding profession 

Just like other professions related to jewelry, the lapidary profession, entirely artisanal, also requires particular attention to detail as well as great manual dexterity. In addition, the lapidary works with precious and expensive materials that therefore require great vigilance in their work, in order to make the cuts with extreme precision to avoid breaking the stone. 

Lapidaries can work independently or in manufacturing workshops. The lapidary often works in collaboration with jewelers, setters and gemologists. 

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Jewelry professions