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Grand Master Cutter! No seriously who are they?

Justin_Cutter

Brilliant_Rock
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Jul 20, 2011
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543
Hello Friends,

I am in the middle of doing some research for a friend of mine.... and no that is not the classic "I am actually talking about myself and don't want anyone to know gag." Seriously it is for a friend.

I need to know the heavy hitters of the gem cutting world. My friend has a very large piece of sapphire rough that he wants to have cut to produce one or two master stones. He is hoping the rough may yield a 50ct Master Stone.

Rough Info
Weight: 133 ct
Size: 33.85 x 26.14 x 14.24
Tone: Medium to Medium Dark Blue
Value: $190,000 Uncut
Best Cut: Cushion or Oval

This is a large investment for him and he wants to be sure a very experienced cutter shapes it.
If you know of any cutters with experience cutting a stone of this size please let me know. I am doing my own research but any recommendations would be much appreciated. Also any input on the fee for a cut like this would also be helpful.
Sincerely,
Justin
 

Treenbean

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Feb 25, 2010
Messages
798
Jeff White
Meg Berry
The Wobitos
Roger Dery
The Munsteiners
I'm sure I am leaving out a lot of people but they have all done big expensive gems.
 

Michael_E

Brilliant_Rock
Trade
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1,290
I've no recommendations, but I'd sure like to see some pictures of this rough. Does your friend have any pictures that you can post?
 

Treenbean

Brilliant_Rock
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Feb 25, 2010
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798
(threat jack) Michael E that ring in your avatar is to die for!!!
 

Justin_Cutter

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Jul 20, 2011
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543
Treenbean,
Your all over it! Thanks for the input. I agree Michael E's avatar is amazing!

Michael_E,
I have asked my friend for permission to post pics. He may consent but no promises. :))
~Justin
 

Barrett

Ideal_Rock
Joined
May 26, 2009
Messages
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Stephen Kotlowski is real real real real good and has cut some very expensive stones.
Who is the asian guy lives in Atlanta and is always on JTV or one of those gem shows...I hear he is good!
John Dyer is a master
I would recommend Roger Dery. He has cut some very pricey stones and is very very good.
Lisa Elser is very meticulous I hear. She would be a very good candidate.
Gabi Tolkowsky is maybe your best cutter in the world but he is on the diamond side
 

Barrett

Ideal_Rock
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May 26, 2009
Messages
2,218
How about our own Zeolite!! He cuts some STONES.
 

T L

Super_Ideal_Rock
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24,801
Jerry Newman is underrated because he hasn't gone after awards, but he is an engineer by trade, and a fantastic lapidary. He cut a tourmaline for me in the most beautiful and complex facet pattern I own. He also can figure out how to attack a gem by telling you exactly how much carat weight will be lost in the process.
 

thbmok

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jul 30, 2010
Messages
891
Of the names mentioned in this thread, I have seen Jeff White's and Steven Kotlowski's work in person. I don't know how relevant this is for sapphires, but the aquamarines that they cut are both stunning. The finish and polish done by both are among the best I have seen and pretty comparable, but I prefer Jeff's cut due to better tilt performance. Steven's cut shows a more noticeable tilt window with less tilt compared with Jeff's cut. To be fair, Steven's cut was done 20 years ago according to Technofacet and his work may have improved.

I have posted the pictures before, but I also have videos that better show tilt performance. :naughty:

JW Aqua 5.75 ct, 10.3 mm, ~90% depth
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/jeff-white-aquamarine-in-brian-gavin-pendant.168071/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/jeff-white-aquamarine-in-brian-gavin-pendant.168071/[/URL]
http://youtu.be/7A1B_xtPSBI

TF Aqua by SK 5.96 ct, 10.9x9mm, ~70% depth
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/what-do-you-think-of-this-aquamarine.162683/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/what-do-you-think-of-this-aquamarine.162683/[/URL]
http://youtu.be/iMkbXDzO02I

The black/grey areas are reflections of my camera. Hope this is helpful.
 

briolette

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Sep 15, 2007
Messages
417
What about Gene Flannigan from Precision Gems? He's helped me in the past when I've had design problems with my stones and he really has a good understanding of color/light performance. Perfect meet points.

Donna and John Rhoads @ D&J Rare gems do a great job.

And of course my favorite has to be Andrew Gulij at Gemfix. He's earned tons of awards and I am always happy with his stones (my avatar is one of them). All around great cutter and designer.
 

minousbijoux

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
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Messages
12,688
Justin: Of those mentioned (and you have a lot of good names there), you'll need to find out how many actually are willing to cut your rough. As I recall, many of them only cut the rough they source. OTOH, 190 cts doesn't come along too often. There is another website similar to this one, only its more geared towards professionals in the trade. I don't believe I'm allowed to say the name, but I'm sure you know which one I'm referring to...
 

Barrett

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May 26, 2009
Messages
2,218
Just check out Stephen Kotlowski's facebook page. That will make you drool. He has cut some pretty expensive large stones
 

blithesome71

Shiny_Rock
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Mar 20, 2009
Messages
483
Barrett said:
Just check out Stephen Kotlowski's facebook page. That will make you drool. He has cut some pretty expensive large stones

Oh gawd, the huge vivid blue aquamarine is TDF! Reminds me of a yummy blue green tourmaline... & the beautiful Pezzotaite rough, wow! Drool-worthy ::)
 

zeolite

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Aug 13, 2008
Messages
619
Barrett|1324012187|3082705 said:
How about our own Zeolite!! He cuts some STONES.

Thank you, Jason. Glad you liked my tricolor tourmaline post.
 

iLander

Ideal_Rock
Joined
May 23, 2010
Messages
6,731
If I had a piece of rough, I would call Jerry. He did an amazing job on a tourmaline that I wanted, and he was fast, courteous, and competent. I had the stone set by ID Jewelry in NYC and they were very impressed by the stone.

Here's my thread;
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/finally-pix-of-setting-with-big-stone-cut-by-jerry.150537/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/finally-pix-of-setting-with-big-stone-cut-by-jerry.150537/[/URL]

He has also done some HUGE stones that he's cut for mine owners, there's a couple at the top here;
http://www.gemartservices.com/newstuff.htm

and some giants on this page as well; http://www.gemartservices.com/for-sale.html

Every time I contact him, he's busy cutting for various jewelers, but I think he would enjoy the challenge of cutting something cool. Send him some pics and he'll write back all the details that you need to know.

And TL is right, not everyone will cut someone else's rough.

I would also recommend Gene at Precision Gem, but I'm not sure he'll cut someone else's rough.
 

Justin_Cutter

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Messages
543
Thank you all so very much! This has proved to be very informative and I greatly appreciate it. This community is the best!
~Justin
 

Justin_Cutter

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Messages
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minousbijoux|1324145310|3083522 said:
Please come back and share photos when its been cut...

As long as the owner is ok with that I would be happy to do it!
~Justin
 

T L

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
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iLander|1324130316|3083375 said:
If I had a piece of rough, I would call Jerry. He did an amazing job on a tourmaline that I wanted, and he was fast, courteous, and competent. I had the stone set by ID Jewelry in NYC and they were very impressed by the stone.

Here's my thread;
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/finally-pix-of-setting-with-big-stone-cut-by-jerry.150537/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/finally-pix-of-setting-with-big-stone-cut-by-jerry.150537/[/URL]

He has also done some HUGE stones that he's cut for mine owners, there's a couple at the top here;
http://www.gemartservices.com/newstuff.htm

and some giants on this page as well; http://www.gemartservices.com/for-sale.html

Every time I contact him, he's busy cutting for various jewelers, but I think he would enjoy the challenge of cutting something cool. Send him some pics and he'll write back all the details that you need to know.

And TL is right, not everyone will cut someone else's rough.

I would also recommend Gene at Precision Gem, but I'm not sure he'll cut someone else's rough.

He won't last time I asked.

BTW, I forgot to mention that some lapidaries are much more talented in retaining weight than others. While some may be fantastic and make beautiful pieces of art with their work, they tend to need a lot of rough to do so. While someone else can figure out how to utilize that rough to make it look lovely, and keep around the most weight. Therefore, that is something to note of high importance.
 

Justin_Cutter

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Jul 20, 2011
Messages
543
TL,
You make a excellent point. Material lost is my friends primary concern!
~Justin
 

Barrett

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Messages
2,218
Hey Justin, seriously contact Stephen Kotlowski. You can find him on FB I know. He is a multiple AGTA award winner, he is a member of the American Society of Gemcutters and get this...his title is....."Supreme Master-Faceting"
You said Grand Master Cutter...well how is a "supreme Master cutter". He has had articles written about him. He has cut large stones worth tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars!! He is an older gentlemen and has been cutting for more years than I have been alive. This means patience and experience!
I linked this page to him already and he seen it. Check out his FB page and see all the awards, certificates, articles, and stones he has cut. I am not sure what the direct linking deal with Facebook and Pricescope is?
Ella is this okay?
Justin, it couldn't hurt to drop him a line and just talk and see if he fits your bill! He is truly a master cutter!
 

Justin_Cutter

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jul 20, 2011
Messages
543
Barrett|1324227976|3084021 said:
Hey Justin, seriously contact Stephen Kotlowski. You can find him on FB I know. He is a multiple AGTA award winner, he is a member of the American Society of Gemcutters and get this...his title is....."Supreme Master-Faceting"
You said Grand Master Cutter...well how is a "supreme Master cutter". He has had articles written about him. He has cut large stones worth tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars!! He is an older gentlemen and has been cutting for more years than I have been alive. This means patience and experience!
I linked this page to him already and he seen it. Check out his FB page and see all the awards, certificates, articles, and stones he has cut. I am not sure what the direct linking deal with Facebook and Pricescope is?
Ella is this okay?
Justin, it couldn't hurt to drop him a line and just talk and see if he fits your bill! He is truly a master cutter!

Barrett,
Supreme Mater Cutter totally works for me! ;))

I definitely plan on contacting him! Thank you very much!
~Justin
 

lelser

Shiny_Rock
Trade
Joined
Jul 13, 2009
Messages
262
Justin_Cutter|1324231668|3084043 said:
Barrett|1324227976|3084021 said:
Hey Justin, seriously contact Stephen Kotlowski. You can find him on FB I know. He is a multiple AGTA award winner, he is a member of the American Society of Gemcutters and get this...his title is....."Supreme Master-Faceting"
You said Grand Master Cutter...well how is a "supreme Master cutter". He has had articles written about him. He has cut large stones worth tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars!! He is an older gentlemen and has been cutting for more years than I have been alive. This means patience and experience!
I linked this page to him already and he seen it. Check out his FB page and see all the awards, certificates, articles, and stones he has cut. I am not sure what the direct linking deal with Facebook and Pricescope is?
Ella is this okay?
Justin, it couldn't hurt to drop him a line and just talk and see if he fits your bill! He is truly a master cutter!

Barrett,
Supreme Mater Cutter totally works for me! ;))

I definitely plan on contacting him! Thank you very much!
~Justin

I don't get to recommend anyone, so I won't. I will say that if that rough crossed my desk, I'd call Stephen.

Cheers,

Lisa
www.lisaelser.com
 

Michael_E

Brilliant_Rock
Trade
Joined
Nov 19, 2003
Messages
1,290
Justin_Cutter|1324231668|3084043 said:
Supreme Mater Cutter totally works for me! ;))

I don't know, with a stone that expensive and fine you may need a Supreme Ultra Mega Master Cutter. :lol:

Have you talked your friend into sharing some pictures of this stone? Have you seen the stone? How did they get their mitts on this stone? How was a value arrived at? Usually those sorts of stones never gets close to someone outside of the trade and those in the trade invariably already have favored cutters for this sort of thing, so it seems odd that someone with little experience would make such a large investment without some groundwork in place first. Geez, I sure hope that they didn't get it off E-Bay. :-o The suspense is killing me, any timeline for some images?
 

Justin_Cutter

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jul 20, 2011
Messages
543
Michael_E|1324275970|3084400 said:
Justin_Cutter|1324231668|3084043 said:
Supreme Mater Cutter totally works for me! ;))

I don't know, with a stone that expensive and fine you may need a Supreme Ultra Mega Master Cutter. :lol:

Have you talked your friend into sharing some pictures of this stone? Have you seen the stone? How did they get their mitts on this stone? How was a value arrived at? Usually those sorts of stones never gets close to someone outside of the trade and those in the trade invariably already have favored cutters for this sort of thing, so it seems odd that someone with little experience would make such a large investment without some groundwork in place first. Geez, I sure hope that they didn't get it off E-Bay. :-o The suspense is killing me, any timeline for some images?

Michael_E,
Many questions you ask... Lets see if I can answer. I was trying to keep this ambiguous for a reason but I understand why you would ask these questions. :))

Ok, yes I have talked with him and he is considering letting me post pictures. Yes I have seen it and I have pictures. I am by no means a rough guru but I think it looks very nice. If it was up to myself I would love to show you pics!

I am hesitant to give specifics on location because he has only given me permission to show pictures to gem cutters that might be interested in cutting it. He told me this was for his safety. Perhaps if the wrong people in his town knew that he had such a sapphire it could get dangerous for him? I will tell you that he does not live in America or Europe.

He acquired such a piece of rough over 10 years ago directly from the mine. He may sell this stone once finished or he may keep it for his personal collection. His family has been in the gem business in his country for 30+ Years. He does know many gem cutters from his country but they mostly do native cuts. He wants to make sure someone with experience in high quality large stones cuts it.
As for the determined value of the rough. I believe he took the price he paid for it 10 years ago and every year added value for inflation.
Hope this helps a little.
~Justin
 

PrecisionGem

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Trade
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Messages
1,906
Just to clarify things a bit, a person can become a "Grand Master" cutter, and have never cut a natural stone. Many of the stones that are used for the cutting competition are CZ or other created stones. These competitions are more on how perfect your facet meets are, and how perfect your polish is. Cutting a natural stone for beauty is far different than spending weeks or sometimes months precisely cutting a competition stone.
 

Justin_Cutter

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jul 20, 2011
Messages
543
PrecisionGem|1324343549|3084960 said:
Just to clarify things a bit, a person can become a "Grand Master" cutter, and have never cut a natural stone. Many of the stones that are used for the cutting competition are CZ or other created stones. These competitions are more on how perfect your facet meets are, and how perfect your polish is. Cutting a natural stone for beauty is far different than spending weeks or sometimes months precisely cutting a competition stone.

PrecisionGem, Thank you very much for your input! What you say makes total sense.

Lisa, Your post spoke volumes to me. Thank You!
~Justin
 
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