Whenever I’m asked to repair a gemstone, I try to get the story behind why the gemstone was damaged. I admit that part of me just wants to know the “gory details” about the accident. But the professional gemcutter is looking for some insights into what it takes to damage a gem & how best … Read More
Author: P. Torraca
82ct Tanzanite Transformed
A couple months back, I bought a huge 82ct premium color tanzanite that had been badly heat damaged, likely from a (very inadvisable) steam-bath. Given the quality of color & size of the stone, whoever broke it took a big financial hit. The image above suggests it would be best to just divide the stone … Read More
Rose Cuts!
I was thrilled to find out some of my work and comments were featured in a recent article by Dianna Jarrett on Rapaport’s Jewelry Connoisseur website: https://jewelryconnoisseur.net/everythings-coming-up-rose-cuts Dianna does a great job giving an overview of the rose cut design from it’s historical roots to it’s current use in jewelry. It’s not a long read … Read More
Heat Shock in Tanzanite
Tanzanites and steam cleaners don’t play well together. Here is a high-end 6ct tanzanite I recut from a heavily worn square princess into a custom square radiant for a jeweler. The stone was mounted by the jeweler and proudly delivered to his client — who immediately noticed the large crack down the middle of the … Read More
Simplicity: Ice Flower Round
I’ve become fascinated with simple gemstone designs. There is something amazing about how just a few well placed facets create a complexity of reflection. That’s the challenge of my Simplicity Series of designs: defining an outline and eye-catching face-up with the fewest facets possible. For my Ice Flower design, I chose to stick with the … Read More
Charybdis Square
The two mythical sea monsters, Charybdis and Scyllia, opposed Odysseus as he tried to cross the Strait of Messina. Some scholars now believe Charybdis was actually a large whirlpool, a true monster for real life sailors. I’ve always like the idea of a sea monster (being an avowed landlubber), but found myself thinking about whirlpools … Read More
Malawi: Chicken Legs
This is my friend Chicken Legs. His given name is Peter, but he’s known for his poultry eating prowess, so his friends dubbed him Chicken Legs. We ran into CL while walking one of the Lilongwe souvenir markets; he was one of the many hopeful sellers aggressively vying for our attention & Kwacha (Malawi currency). … Read More
Malawi: Ntenje
Early in our May 2018 trip to Malawi, we were invited to visit a small farming & mining village in the Ntenje region, roughly an hour south of Lilongwe. The villagers had discovered rhodolite garnets in their fields and were actively mining in between farming seasons. From the highway, the village was no different from … Read More
The Stone Behind the Win
While traveling in Malawi last May, I had the opportunity to buy some gemstone rough. The great majority of stones offered were of little interest, but we were shown one parcel of superbly color aquamarine that made us all look twice. Aquamarine rough this color is not common and always in demand. As is usually … Read More
Malawi!
It’s my last day in the US before I slog through long layovers and lengthy flights on my way to Malawi. Malawi is a sliver of a country in Eastern Africa, just below Tanzania and above Mozambique. As part of the “Mozambique belt”, Malawi shares a similar geology to Kenya, Tanzania. Gem traders have long … Read More