What Is Lapidary Art?
Lapidary Art
Items on Display in a Lapidary
Museum
In simple terms, lapidary is an art that requires working
with stones. It is the cutting and polishing of stones to create beautiful
ornaments.
The roots of lapidary art can be traced back to prehistoric
times, since as early as human beings started fashioning tools and weapons out
of stones. Soon, people started using the same techniques to create items for
personal adornments. In fact, the earliest known lapidary work likely occurred
during the Stone Age. Yet, the earliest examples that were documented in
history and may be considered a form of art included the drilling of stone and
rocks, as the earliest roots of this dates to at least a million years ago.
As far as civilizations go, the Egyptians were probably some of the earliest people to develop the
method of cutting and carving stones for jewelry and personal adornments. Turquoise, lapis lazuli and amethyst were some of the most common
gemstones they used.
Furthermore, there has been evidence of well-developed forms
of lapidary arts in the Indian subcontinent since early-1st
millennium CE. Scriptures from Sanskrit have shown examples of gemstone carving
since the 10th century as well.
In fact, archaeologists
Jason Hawkes and Stephanie Wynne-Jones have found
evidence that suggests that there was an established trade of lapidary arts
between Africa and India in the 1st millennium,
as people is the Deccan region of India as well as those near the coast of
Africa had both innovated their own techniques of this art, and would actually
trade in exchange for other products.
Lapidary art also played a significant role in Mesoamerica. These gemstones were used
as status symbols back then and were even used as offerings and in burials.
Most of the times, shells, turquoise,
greenstones and jade were used
in this era.
The art has evolved over the centuries through different era
and cultures. And now the closest thing we have to it is Lapidary Art.
It is important to note, however, that only small and tiny
objects are included in lapidary arts. So, for instance, the statues of
Donatello or Mount Rushmore, even though carved out of stone, don’t qualify for
lapidary art.
There was a rise in the demand of lapidary arts back in the
mid-20th century. During this
time, collecting such art become a very common hobby in the United States. Not
only would these people try to get their hands on everything they could, they
would even enjoy cutting and polishing gemstones and spend their time mounting
them in prefabricated jewelry settings, or even in metalwork they created
themselves.
In fact, there is a famous lapidary art hobbyist from that
era, Joseph F. Lizzadro, who spent
majority of his life with these gemstones. He claimed that he found lapidary
art to be relaxing, yet it was exciting to collect because each stone is
unique. So much so that he even opened The
Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary back in 1962 to showcase his passion for the
art to the general public and encourage more people to engage in his hobby. Although
he passed away in 1972, just 10 years after the inauguration of this museum,
his legacy still lives on today. The
Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary is
still one of the biggest displays of this art in the world, and anyone who
believes they are passionate about lapidary art should definitely pay this
museum a visit at least once in their lifetime. A hobby that he gained interest
in while collecting stones in Upper Michigan, which was a usual family spot for
him, became a legacy that will likely live on for a long time.
A Woman Holding Different Gemstones
A lot of lapidary art clubs were formed around the country
and some of them still exist today. Although the trend of collecting these gems
has seen a huge drop in the past half a century, it still exists today.
One the best descriptions for lapidary art was perhaps
provided by June Culp Zeitner in the
preface of her book, Gem and Lapidary
Materials for Cutters, Collectors and Jewelers:
“Lapidary as an art is ageless, classless and
without national boundaries. It is unique in many ways. It has contributed to
social and religious beliefs and to customs, rites, superstitions and trade. Furthermore, the expert lapidary
does not necessarily have a college
degree, is not necessarily a professional cutter, and might even be
self-taught. He does not have to use
state-of-the-art machines.”
Generally speaking, the hobbyists of lapidary art enjoyed
creating two main types of stonework:
·
Cabochon
This is a type of gemstone that is cut with a curved or
domed top surface but has a flat or convex bottom. This technique is usually
used on opaque patterns, since the patterns and colors are best displayed in
cabochon cutting.
·
Faceted Stone
This is a gemstone that undergoes a series of cutting and
carving, and the end result of the stone has multiple flat polished surfaces.
This technique is primarily used on transparent or translucent stones, since
the reflection of the light passing through the stones is enhanced through
faceting. This causes the stone to sparkle with color and brilliance.
Three Stones
Basic Lapidary Arts
Although the techniques of lapidary art have evolved and are
still constantly evolving, there are four basic lapidary arts that have stood
the test of time; tumbling, cabbing, faceting and carving.
·
Tumbling
This is the simplest form of lapidary art, since it requires
minimal equipment. In fact, the only equipment you really need is a tumbler. It
is a revolving barrel which has abrasives. All you need to do is put a rough
gem into this tumbler. The abrasives, which get progressively finer, work
around the gem until it becomes polished.
The process of tumbling is very similar to what happens to a
rock in a stream or on the beach. The difference is that the tumbler is a lot
more precise, and the gem obtains a much higher level of polish in this
process.
If you want you or your family to get into gemstone carving,
then this is probably the most ideal way to go. It is relatively cheaper and
easier to learn. You can throw in the stones and rocks children like to pick up
from their vacations on the beaches or the mountains, and end up with beautiful
pieces of rocks, each unique.
You can also use this to make your own jewelry, if you are
into that. The possibilities are endless with a tumbler.
·
Cabbing
This slightly more complicated method is what produces the
Cabochon stones. As you already know, this technique is general used on opaque
stones.
A lot of the opaque stones you see in the jewelry market are
a result of cabbing. The value of the jewelry produced through this process can
differ widely, depending on what kind of stone or gem is used in it. This can
be especially true if you find a gem yourself and then cut it using this
technique, since that would definitely be a rare find.
Thus, if you’re looking for a hobby that can help you earn a
little extra money, then cabbing is a good way to go as well. However, the
machines used in this process can be reasonably more expensive than a tumbler,
and the process of learning this technique can take a lot more practice.
But if you are really passionate about it and are ready to
invest a little money and a lot of practice into it, then remember, this hobby
can become very addictive, very fast. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll
realize that it is worth all the time you spend on it.
·
Faceting
As you already know, this technique is used for transparent
or translucent stones. So, if you are imagining a diamond on that engagement
ring you cannot stop thinking about, you are thinking about faceting.
Which obviously means that, of all the forms of lapidary
arts, faceting has the greatest potential for profits. This also means that the
equipment you need to facet gems is the most expensive as well. So, whether you
want to start faceting for fun or you are serious about this business, you will
have to be ready to invest a lot of money. Unlike other forms of lapidary art,
you cannot get away with faceting by getting cheaper versions of the equipment.
The quality of your equipment, in the case of faceting, will directly affect
the quality of the gem you produce.
For people who seriously want to get into collecting or
investing in gems, faceting may be the most practical form of lapidary art to
learn. Since there are so many kinds of faceters, you do not need to have deep artistic
sense to get into this technique. In fact, a lot of different professions,
including machinists, engineers and people who excel at math can naturally pick
up on faceting due to the knowledge they already have. Where others would need
a little practice, it won’t take long for anyone to start engaging in it.
But you also have to remember that even though it is easily
possible for you to gain the skill of faceting without much experience, each
stone that you will come across will bring a unique set of challenges. So, in
this case, the process is ever involving, and you will always be learning
something new.
·
Carving
This is easily the most challenging form of lapidary art. In
fact, it is so rare to excel this art form, that there are very few experts who
have been recognized in this field. Unlike faceting, you need a very
distinctive sense of art to learn this technique. More so, you really need to
learn and understand the methods of lapidary art in order to learn carving. And
this isn’t something you can teach yourself either. You will need the help of
some professional to learn it, maybe even go through a proper course if you
want to become a pro at it.
There are a few different types of lapidary art. Probably
the most common and known form of carving is cameo.
In this technique, carvers usually take seashells or agates
and cut them into different types of artworks. However, they aren’t limited to
these materials, and may use any materials they like working with or whatever is
available as well. In fact, carving is often used while creating a cabochon as
well.
A lot of the times, these carvings aren’t meant to be used
in jewelry either. They are designed to be used as a simple piece of carving
used for decorative purposes.
A Pink Gemstone
Lapidary art is a beautiful technique. But unfortunately, it
is on the verge of becoming a forgotten art form. Which is why it is necessary
for people to take more interest in these, to preserve a beautiful technique of
art that has been gifted to us by our forefathers.
The good thing is that it is extremely easy to engage in
lapidary art and make it your own hobby. It is a great activity for families to
enjoy together, and you’ll always end up with some great looking souvenirs.
You can also introduce it to your friends, and spend time
learning something interesting.
All you must do is invest a little bit of money in the
machine. Afterwards, you can basically start learning the process with rocks
picked up in your garden.
There really is no downside to this great hobby!
Check out all the great links below for guides and tools to get started rockhounding and lapidary.
Join me on the Radical
Rocks Podcast, our Blog
or social media below, also see our affiliate links below that help
support our mission to keep Rockhounding and arts lapidary alive and thriving. Feel
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would like to see spotlighted in Radical Rocks, Blog, Podcast or Video’s.
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