Playing WITH LIGHT

Faceting to Make a Gemstone Sparkle

- MARK OROS

What makes a beautiful colored gemstone and why are some of them more inviting and fascinating than others? The short answer is the beauty of light. Most of us are familiar with the phrase, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” There is also a less famous quote by Franz Kafk a, “Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old.” These two statements put forth the idea that beauty is both personal and timeless.

THE IMPACT OF LIGHT 

Light is a major component of art and craft. Light is what reflects and allows us to see shape, color and the subtleties that the hand and eye created. However, the lapidary who facets (the process of turning the rough gem crystal material into a decorative gemstone) a stone has to consider light in another dimension. Light is an essential part of the medium and process, just like paint is essential to painting a portrait. through the gemstone making a window. Correct angle facets can also be cut to break up the returning light, creating scintillation. Now, the gem sparkles! The attention given to light is a major difference between mass-produced faceted colored gemstones and performance-faceted colored gemstones cut by lapidary artists.

LEARNING TO WORK WITH LIGHT

Gaining knowledge, as well as understanding and learning how to apply it to gemstone faceting is complex and takes time. Like playing an instrument or learning to dance, the key element to success is practice. Through practice, artists begin to see the results of their efforts and understand the effects of subtle changes and modifications. With this knowledge and experience, a lapidary can then start to develop new and better techniques to improve a jewel's performance.