We are excited to announce a new addition to our faceting team: Bjorn Sune Merisheki. His keen understanding of gemstones and his imaginative mind allows him to truly understand the connection between the gem, the design, and him – the artist! We’ve been following his progress for several years, starting with his enrollment at the Arusha Gemological Faceting School led by our friend, Mr. Peter Salla. You can read (and watch!) more about his beginnings here, in a newsletter from several years ago! Bjorn is the son of our dear friends, Pia and Sune, who own a Tanzanite mine.
He has since graduated and sought further training and impressed me with his thirst for knowledge and his approach to faceting that reminds me so much of my own! We are proud to be highlighting Bjorn’s gems among our collection and look forward to his bright future.
Roger
What is your favorite thing about faceting?
Faceting is my happy place. I’ve been given the power to create and faceting gems lets me create a legacy because I am changing the outcome of the rough gem and (hopefully) leaving it more beautiful than it was before. My favorite part of the process is polishing – the moment you finally have a little window into the finished gem and get a glimpse of how pretty it will be. The whole process is a retreat for me…when I start I know it will be amazing but I still have to go through the whole process with the gem, learning from it and guiding it.
How did you get your start in faceting colored gems?
I grew up in a gem-filled family and watched my dad be fascinated by the Tanzanite journey. He’s given 20 years of his life to mining Tanzanite. I mined with him for three years (and still do!) before I was introduced to gem faceting. I first visited a gem faceting training class with my good friend (and now mentor) Roger and I was drawn beyond explanation to the process in between a rough gemstone and the finished sparkly gem in jewelry. I enrolled in the next class.
THE MAN BEHIND THE GEMS
Next place I want a passport stamp from:
Israel (always been my #1 place)
If I could be a gemstone, I would be:
Tanzanite (what other answer could I give, right? I mine it, for goodness sake!)
Favorite design to facet:
Cushion (I’m a symmetrical kind of guy)
First gemstone faceted:
Portuguese Round Amethyst
Favorite Food:
Anything with cheese (am I right, Ginger?)
