It’s meditative. Faceting does for me what yoga, gardening, and swimming does for others. It is a perfect fit for how my mind works…I love when the jigsaw puzzle of facets I’ve imagined in my head come together before my eyes. The gem and I really do take a journey together.

I started in the colored gem business (a bit by accident!) in 1981, but I didn’t begin faceting gems until 2001. I realized I couldn’t in good conscience sell gems with poor faceting. I went on a journey to learn faceting and how to bring out the very best in every gem.

A typical day in the office doesn’t feel like work…it’s all about playing with gems! I pick the rough I want to facet that day and spend time examining it. I prefer variety, so I will probably facet several gem types in any given day. A half hour or so is spent pre-forming the rough to get rid of excess material and shape the gem. Then I get started! When I finish, I take the gem outside. Gems have a way of coming alive in sunlight, like they know they’re reconnected with nature.

Before I facet, I consider if the gem grew in a way that dictates what shape would best display its qualities and if it has characteristics that, stewarded well, would cause the gem to shine. I decide the shape before I start, but the rest of the design comes through the process of working on the gem. It shows more and more of its beauty the longer I spend with it, so we chart its future together as we go.

The gem itself. Every gem has its own story to tell. My art is to know beauty when I see it and unleash it, set it free, display it. I am a curator of nature’s art. When I analyze a gem its individual characteristics and idiosyncrasies really dictate the design. I’m fascinated with repurposing historical designs and classic lines, but I love the challenge of a non-standard outline.