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[Looking4] Good Lapidarist to the Trade

#1

We’re a retail jewelry store located in Northern California looking
for a reliable lapidarist to provide basic services such as:

  • Repair inlay (opal, turquoise, onyx, etc.)
  • Provide and custom cut odd shaped stones to fit customers’ jewelry
  • Recut and polish chipped and abraded stones

Really, pretty basic services. Good, and consistent work is an
obvious requirement, but I am also looking for a company that can:

  • Use common sense and treat my customers’ jewelry with care (eg.
    not ship

  • in a padded envelope only - an heirloom, platinum filigree ring
    that’s been in my customer’s family for 80+ years, causing nearly
    irreparable damage… mmm, am I still bitter?)

  • Good communication skills (eg. if you have a question, call and
    ask it, don’t wait for me to realize my job is long overdue only to
    call you and find out that an unasked question has put the job on
    hold for 2 weeks)

  • Don’t think it’s an acceptable business practice to invoice us at
    60% above the quoted price.

We have three goldsmiths at the bench, so it goes without saying
that we do a fair amount of repair work. It would be really nice to
build a relationship with someone… worth building a relationship
with! Here’s to hoping one of you Orchidians can help me out.

Cheers!
Jalia

Jalia LaNoue
Goldsmith
Spinelle Fine Jewelers
1232 First Street
Napa, CA 94559
www.spinelle.net
707-253-7789
jalia@spinelle.net

#2

What is a lapidarist?

If you are looking for someone that cuts stones, you should look for
a lapidary.

Sorry. I have been letting this mistake go for years and for some
odd reason, no one else has ever pointed it out.

#3

Jalia et al,

I don’t want to be advertising here, but I have done lapidary work
for over 30 years, understand timelines, like to stay in touch,
price ALL jobs once I can see them, stay within quotes, make timely
contact in case of unforeseen delays, have a price list and know how
to package jewelry. All packages are returned with the assumption
that they must survive a nuclear blast in transit, which in the case
of certain shippers, seems necessary these days. Oh, yeah, we like to
laugh a lot, too!

Wayne Emery
The Gemcutter
@Wayne_Emery1

#4

Thanks, Bruce. You’re right.

Lapidary is the art of fashioning stone.
A lapidary is one who fashions stones.
The place where such work is accomplished is also correctly called a
lapidary.

At least three correct meanings.

I is one of those.

But when a potential client asks, it is better for me to just
answer, no matter what they call me. As long as they don’t call me
late for dinner!

Smiles,

Wayne Emery
The Gemcutter

#5

Hi Jalia,

I’d offer to do it myself but I’m up in Canada which is a nuisance.
Let me therefore recommend Stan McCall. He’s in the SoCal area,
really good guy, does meticulous work, worked as a professional opal
cutter for a time, on his own for about three years now, and
specializes in opal inlay & the repair thereof. I believe he’s on
Orchid and may have contacted you directly already. I don’t have an
email but the last address I have is

Stan McCall - Lapidary Artist
6029 Orange Ave.
Cypress CA 90630
714 220 9282

Cheers,
Hans Durstling
Moncton, Canada
http://www.fogforestgallery.ca/bios/bio_durstling.html

(come say hello at the Alpha Supply booth in The Tucson Electric
Park Show)

#6

Since you have clarified, lapidary is also the place where the work
is done. Etymologically speaking lapis is the word for stone in
Latin.