Lapidary
Shaping of gemstones for jewelry / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lapidary (from the Latin lapidarius) is the practice of shaping stone, minerals, or gemstones into decorative items such as cabochons, engraved gems (including cameos), and faceted designs. A person who practices lapidary is known as a lapidarist. A lapidarist uses the lapidary techniques of cutting, grinding, and polishing.[1][2][3] Hardstone carving requires specialized carving techniques.[2]
![alt=A collection of five red-, orange- and yellow-coloured round gemstones of differing sizes.](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/94/Lapidary_3302.jpg/640px-Lapidary_3302.jpg)
![An Asian man bent over a small gemcutting machine on a low table.](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/33/Thai_Gem_Cutting.jpg/220px-Thai_Gem_Cutting.jpg)
In modern contexts, a gemcutter is a person who specializes in cutting diamonds, but in older contexts the term refers to artists who produced hardstone carvings; engraved gems such as jade carvings, a branch of miniature sculpture or ornament in gemstone.
By extension, the term lapidary has sometimes been applied to collectors of and dealers in gems, or to anyone who is knowledgeable in precious stones.[4]