No “lapidapterist” for me. I do metalsmithing and lapidary arts and
choose to be known as a “Metalsmith and Lapidary Artist”. (And as a
side note: lapidary is great fun!)
Jane Penman
La Conner, WA
Such a vain of humor I unleashed! Nice.
I enjoy my made-up word. I was hoping I could justify using it.
“Lapidarriere” made me laugh. and So did the bit about adapting
gems. Thanks All.
For the record, I am not from Britain. I am from the West Coast of
the USA, though 64% of my body comes, hereditarily, from there via
Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and England. Add Finland and Native
American/First People (My Great Grandmother was Full Blooded ? from
Canada that passed in White Society and the on her Tribe
is lost) and I am almost whole.
But in keeping with the Latin Origin of the English I will now, for
the first time, sign out of my post in the following way, and say
good bye to an era of upholding misperceived labels pertaining to my
craft.
TL Goodwin
Lapidarriere/Metalsmith
The Pacifik Image
No matter the title, if the person doing the cutting does a lousy
job, ruins the beauty of a stone, their name is not going to be a
good one.
Last year, I sent two stones to a cutter in British Columbia, who I
had met at a GIA Gem ID lab in 2007. One was a 33 ct light blue
topaz, gorgeous color but a little deep in the belly, making it hard
to set. The other a 4 ct emerald with a chip in the table. The topaz
came back looking gray, no longer the beautiful ice blue it once
was. The cutting had no sense of artistic sensitivity to it. The
topaz is cut in a precision way but it ruined the color. The emerald
looks like it was blocked out, stopped at that point and has no
faceting.
You can imagine the names I wanted to call that cutter after I never
got an apology nor an offer for an adjustment, not monetarily nor a
recut, just a “Tough toenails” response.
Cost me $300. My bad. I can’t do anything with these stones.
Hi Kevin,
I guess I was just recalling names such as gemologist, chiropodist,
dentist, etc, and I’d heard of lapidaries called lapidarists.
However, as Derek pointed out yesterday (although somewhat
abruptly), “After all you’ve got Notary for those who verify legal
matters, apothecary for one who distributes drugs, actuary for one
who assesses risk, pulmonary, incendiary dromedary. It all fits”, so
I stand well and truly corrected.
Helen
UK
You could always check out the OED as to why the word 'lapidary is used and how the word came about: its etymology.
Okay, I’ll bite. I have a copy of the compact OED. I’ll get out my
magnifying glass and read the entries.
Lapidary: (top of the page entry, it jumped right out at me!)
A.
- concerned with stones
- Of an inscription (engraved in stone)
B.
-
a. Busied about or concerned with stones
b. an artificier who cuts, polishes or engraves gems or precious
stones.…and more in that vein…
more: a connoisseur of; a treatise on stones; the actual equipment
used by the lapidary.
First usage: 1352
No references to lapidary to mean the “shop” or store, as it is
sometimes used today.
And even more interesting, the next word:
Lapitate:
to throw stones at, to pelt with stones, also: to stone to death
Lapitation:
the punishment of stoning to death.
The page has many more fascinating words beginning with lap and
related to stones, but it’s a bit of a task to hop up from my desk,
over to the book, get the magnifying class, read, memorize, back to
the computer…
So there we have it, Lapidary according to the OED.
(By the way, the book about the making of the OED, (below) is
fascinating.)
The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the
Making of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester
After thinking about my posting yesterday, please let me say that
the previous post of my tale of woe concerning my stones had nothing
to do with any Orchidians. I should have never given a locale for
the cutter and this cutter is not working as a full time
professional cutter as far as I know. This person does do good work
when working on original rough, which was the reason for my
entrusting my stones for the recuts, and I wanted to provide some
business for the cutter.
Not every transactions goes down perfectly. The back end could have
been handled differently and feelings could have been soothed a
little. But hey, that’s business and it is one cutter I would not
employ again. However, it was no one affiliated with this forum.
As an entomologist who enjoys etymology and who has studied both
lapidary and lepidoptera, I’ve been loving this thread! If I make a
sketch of a stone before I cut it, is that a lapidoodle? If I put it
on a doggie collar, can it be worn by a lapipoodle? And can I please,
please get a pair of shorts with “Lapiderriere” printed on the bum?
More lapidary, less lapitation!
Jessee Smith
www.silverspotstudio.com
Cincinnati, Ohio
If I put it on a doggie collar, can it be worn by a lapipoodle?
What if the dog is a labradoodle? Is it then a lapilabradoodleoodle?
Noel