IMO putting a backing on a cab, particularly turqouise, is a bad
idea. You can stabilise it's height in a setting without adding
some foreign material (other than crushed turquoise) that may
create a problem for the person that may do a repair job later in
the piece's life. Just use the real thing and adjust your design.
I don't know anyone that would even consider using a turquoise
doublet. it's a far cry from opal and comparing the two are like
comparing apples and firewood..
What bothers me about this is that some people sound so holy about
their opinions in relationship to their practices in relationship to
what others do.
Forget about intrinsic or perceived value and relate to gem
materialsas a material for expression of a concept or expression of
creativity and I think we can take off the being right hat.
Backing turquoise has been around in my world since the 1960’s. It
was a standard practice to protect turquoise before stabilization.
If you have an issue with the practice, don’t buy it! What is
preferred, stabilized, dyed turquoise that is not backed, or natural
untreated turquoise that is backed? Your answer is right, though it
might differ from mine, my answer is also right.
Raising a cab can be done for visual impact. There are people who
work in 22 kt and use inner bezel to raise height of stone. Is this a
misrepresentation as to the true carat weight of the gem? I do not
think so, raising the gem is to present the gem as if on a pedestal,
the metalwork used a a medium to enhance the gem without taking away
from the beauty of the gem. I have used doublet opals for many years
and there has been a few problems, but overall, I have many very
happy customer that have something of beauty that they could not
afford if I used solid opals. The reality is that if a solidopal is
used in a ring, I can count on, over time, the gem being chipped
cracked or just “disappearing” from the mounting, even when
disclosing to the customer the inherent fragility of opals, the
customer wants what the customers. I do the same disclosure with
pearls used in rings, same issue, depending on how rough the customer
is with the jewelry they wear.
I have material I paid $4000-5000 for one ounce for cutting
material. And Istill use and value high quality doublets. They
afford me an opportunity to make beautiful and affordable designs.
It is about using gems as materialfor expression. There are a lot of
people that make expensive costume jewelry, not make to last, just a
current fashion statement.
Hans Meevis makes gems that are lamented and then faceted. Am I
supposed to judge or criticize his form of artistic expression? I
envy his creativity, he expresses a freedom to not be limited by
conventional concepts.
The finest opal I have ever had the pleasure of owning was a crystal
based opal, with a magnificent blue green that rolled inside and the
colors were very intense. It was sold to me by an Australian opal
dealer. It was a doublet. With my knowledge as a cutter, the color
could not be seen to effect if it was not backed with the black
backing. The opal was sold to an art dealer who had a gallery in
Cherry Creek, the expensive shopping district in Denver, Co. It was
set in a heavy 18kt gold mounting.
As long as there is disclose as to what I am selling and make the
customer aware of issues or fragility about any gem material, I can
use any material to express my creativity and have my work accepted
or rejected by my customers. I think in the course of this tread
someone said they have never keystoned their work. I do not know what
that means, I do not know how they priced their materials or their
labor, but to me that concept is a self imposed limitation that is
not based on anything relation to business. Due to the economy, I
have had to raisemy prices based on what it costs me to stay in
business and I raised my prices, probably double what I used to
charge and I cannot have a concept about what I should do asopposed
to what I have to do to support myself and my staff. I am 66, if I
file for social security, it will pay about $700 a month. I chose
expressing myself creatively over the last 23 years instead of doing
what would have provided financial security, and I do not regret it
in any way, shape or form. Sometime opinions are just our brains way
of justifying something and has no real bearing on anything of
consequence. If I am working ethically and in my integrity, all I
have to do is inform my customer so they cannot get from
any knowledgeable source that is in conflict with the I
give them about any of the materials I give them. How I value my
work, the materials and the design does not necessarily correspond to
any intrinsic value of the materials.
That gives me freedom to express myself. The sum of the whole is
greater than the sum of the parts…
When I value my skill and ability to design, create, and make, some
of my customers value my skill and ability to to design, create, and
make.
Just my not so humble opinions. Helped in part by so many happy
customers, when you hear, “It’s perfect” so may times, there is
freedom to take risks, and there is great reward in that, for me.
Richard Hart G. G.
Denver, Co.