Preservation
Private Commission · Circa 2005
Most cutters would have seen an opportunity to make two or three commercial gemstones.
I saw a masterpiece.
At over 42 carats, this extraordinary natural Imperial Topaz possessed an uncommon elongated marquise form and a custom pineapple faceting pattern unlike anything I had encountered. Its proportions made it difficult to sell commercially, and many would have considered recutting it into a more familiar shape.
Instead, we built everything around the stone.
A private collector searching for something that simply could not be duplicated understood its rarity immediately. Rather than sacrificing weight or character for convention, every nuance of the original crystal was preserved.
The finished ring was handcrafted in platinum and wrapped in nearly three carats of natural colorless diamonds with intricate open filigree supporting the stone from beneath. The mounting exists for one purpose—to celebrate the topaz, never compete with it.
Some gemstones are valuable because of their size.
Others are unforgettable because someone had the restraint to leave them exactly as they were.
