Myanmar Arts
Lapidary
Methods used by gem cutters have hardly changed
in hundreds of years, but in Myanmar, the
development of the gem industry means there are now
more companies exporting expertly cut gems out of
the country. The lapidary (someone who is skilled in
cutting and polishing jewel and valuable stones) has
become all - important be - cause the quality - and
value - of a gem is determined by the cut. People
used to cut gems by hand, but now people use a gem
cutting machine. Many gem cutters keep their cutting
methods secret from other lapidaries.
There are two steps in gem cutting
First a rough cut is made before the second,
which is the final cut. People used to use sapphire
powder to polish the gems but now people use diamond
powder, which gives the diamonds more beautiful
color, and hopefully a high price.
Mr James Firmin, a leading gem trader from
London, agrees that gem cutting has become a more
refilled art. The cutters would use a lap (circular
polishing wheel) coated with diamond or sapphire
powder, if available, which would usually be turned
through the use of foot pedal. A primitive example
can still be seen in use in Sri Lanka today, in the
form of a stick attached to the wheel axis by a
rope.
On a modern machine, the stone is held by a 'dop'
(the part of the machine that holds the gem), which
is turned for accurate symmetry. The angle of
cutting is important to ensure the gem sparkles;
each mineral has its own specific angle. For
example, a diamond must be kept shallower then an
amethyst. Some stones - especially rubies and
sapphires - must be cut in the correct direction of
the crystal since the color changes With the
direction.
There are two styles of cutting: A 'cabochon' cut
is the oldest form of cutting in which the stone is
smoothly rounded; while the faceted cut, which
produces symmetrical plain surfaces on the gem, is a
popular method for cutting diamonds. The most common
cut is the brilliant. In addition to the round
brilliant, stones are cut in a variety of square,
triangular, diamond-shaped, and trapezoidal faceted
cuts. The use of such cuts is largely determined by
the original shape of the stone.
|
