“Lapidary” refers to the art of cutting gemstones other than diamond. The process involves grinding/shaping and polishing to enhance their natural properties and making them suitable for mounting in jewelry. Rough material is either cut into rounded “cabochons” or faceted to produce the classic brilliant-cut diamonds or other faceted gems like emeralds, sapphires or rubies. The equipment required for each of these operations is quite different.
My experience is primarily with cutting opal, which is a fascinating material that, in its rarest state, rivals the most precious gems in terms of value-per-carat weight. Many years ago my father and I built our own custom-made machines for cutting and polishing cabochons, and these became the basis for learning about cutting opal.
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