The Loupe (GIA World News)
Munsteiner's Art Depicts a "Gemstone Revolution"
Volume 16-Issue 3-Summer 2007By Emily Stegman
Attendees at the evening lecture admire Munsteiner's "Metamorphosis III" (above, left), which was carved from an 850-kilogram rutilated quartz crystal found in Bahia, Brazil.
Bernd Munsteiner, known as the "Father of the Fantasy Cut," visited GIA's world headquarters in Carlsbad, California, as the third guest in the Institute's 2007 Museum Lecture Series, "A Synergy of Art and Science." The gemstone artist's visit also marked the grand opening of the exhibit "Reflections in Stone: The Art of Bernd Munsteiner," which will be on display at GIA's headquarters through March 2008.
Si and Ann Frazier, gem and mineral authors and teachers, presented an afternoon and evening lecture titled "Bernd Munsteiner: Maker of a Gemstone Revolution" for students and guests June 8. Bruno Zimmer, the lord mayor of Idar-Oberstein, Germany, and Munsteiner's son, Tom, were also in attendance.
The Fraziers discovered Munsteiner's work in the early 1970s during a trip to the artist's homeland in Idar-Oberstein. Munsteiner is a third-generation cutter and said "no one asked" him whether he wanted to be a cutter or not. He learned traditional lapidary techniques from his father Viktor beginning in 1957, and then went on to study art and jewelry fabrication at the Pforzheim School of Design in Germany from 1961 to 1966.
This aquamarine necklace is a piece from the Dom Pedro, originally a 26-kilogram stone.
Si Frazier said Munsteiner's background as a cutter in Idar-Oberstein helps him do "miraculous work" since the area has more than 500 years of gem-cutting history. The region is rich in agate mines and is known as a center for cutting colored gemstones.
Munsteiner said he began to work with agate first and when one of his instructors asked him how a cameo (a traditionally ornate, pictorial gem carving popular in the Victorian era) would look today, he began carving abstract, 3-D agate reliefs in response.
"Right after my studies began, I decided to do something different, out of the ordinary; I wanted to change traditions while still respecting them. I wanted to give a new direction to this art; it was my deepest ambition," Munsteiner was quoted as saying in Claude Mazloum's book Designer Jewellery.
A year later, Munsteiner began to experiment on transparent gems with one of his own cutting styles, which he calls "Reflecting Perspectives." It involves carving grooves or notches of various lengths into all sides of a gem, which reflect internally to create a unique design. This style is similar to Munsteiner's "Inside Selecting," where the grooves are cut along a vertical axis.
This necklace demonstrates Munsteiner's work with agate reliefs.
"Eroticism," "Natural Movement," "Rhythm," "Symbolon" and "Crystal Reflections" are some of his other cutting styles – all performed with the use of standard cutting equipment. He established his own studio in Stipshausen, Germany, in 1967.
Munsteiner was inspired to create larger gem sculptures when he learned of several gem crystals in Brazil. He carved "Patriot" from a 64-kilogram citrine crystal in 1985 and produced four major sculptures from "Metamorphosis," an 850-kilogram rutilated quartz crystal from Bahia, Brazil, in 1990. Three years later he created one major sculpture, the "Ondas Maritimas," three medium-sized sculptures and several other small gems incorporated into jewelry from the "Dom Pedro," a 26-kilogram aquamarine.
Elise Misiorowski, director of the GIA Museum, said the Institute is grateful for the opportunity to display a retrospective of Munsteiner's work.
Bernd Munsteiner autographs copies of his book, Bernd Munsteiner – Reflections in Stone, following the evening lecture at GIA. The gem artist chimed in during Si and Ann Frazier's presentation of his career and was happy to answer audience questions about his background, cutting techniques and the evolution of his work.
"We are honored to have 'Reflections in Stone' here at GIA," she said. "This is the first time this exhibit has appeared in the United States and it is our pleasure to introduce the amazing work of this groundbreaking artist to a wider audience."
Graphic or Logo Inscriptions
Volume 16-Issue 3-Summer 2007
GIA will print actual inscribed graphics or logos directly on all GIA Diamond Grading Reports and Diamond Dossiers®. Customers can request that their graphic or logo is displayed on the report, instead of describing it using alpha-numeric text.The "Inscription" or "Additional Inscription" line item on the grading report will be used to report both GIA and client-performed inscriptions; no distinction will be made between the two.
The logo or inscription you requested for your diamond will also appear on your report.
Want to Start an Alumni Chapter?
Volume 16-Issue 3-Summer 2007By Jaime Kautsky
Eager graduates – around the United States and the globe – have been waiting to start new chapters of the GIA Alumni Association. And with the arrival of the Institute's new "Quick Start Guide: Creating a GIA Alumni Association Chapter," they can.
"Demand for new chapters around the world has never been stronger – we have 20 potential chapters with volunteers who have been waiting for this opportunity," says Rose McKenna, G.G., manager of Alumni Relations. "Our goal is to reach as many GIA graduates as possible and provide them with continuing education and networking opportunities."
The guide is a 12-page brochure that takes graduates through three simple steps to create and maintain a new chapter – tasks some have mistakenly assumed must be long and complicated, or only manageable for those with unlimited resources.
In reality, McKenna says, an Alumni Association chapter can simply consist of a small group of three or four graduates who gather bimonthly to share advice and exchange ideas or develop a larger, more complex organization. Chapters in metropolitan areas or jewelry centers may be able to bring in industry speakers or take field trips every month.
The guide also outlines chapter responsibilities, including meetings and contact with GIA; Web site links to GIA; officer recognition; alumni programs and services; and guidelines on liability, use of names, trademarks and copyrights. It also includes information on GIA's new Alumni Awards program (see The Loupe, Spring 2007).
"The increased interest in starting new alumni chapters worldwide is certainly something we want to support and encourage," says Linda Ellis Harmeling, GIA vice president and chief Advancement officer. "We will help launch as many new GIA alumni groups as there are volunteers wanting to run them."
Tammy Jones, the Web site editor for Jewelry Television in Knoxville, Tennessee, is one of those volunteers. Jones, an Accredited Jewelry Professional and Pearls Graduate, is working toward her Graduate Gemologist (G.G.) diploma and is eager to start an Alumni Association chapter in East Tennessee.
"I'm almost finished with my G.G. courses, but I'm encouraged by the prospect of creating a group in which this kind of learning and discovery could continue," says Jones.
"Some of my GIA alumni coworkers and I tease each other about being 'gem geeks,' because we're so fascinated with the tiniest details about gemstones," she said. "I love the synergy that's created when we brainstorm about everything from the difference between andesine and labradorite to what color a ParaÃba tourmaline can be. I think that kind of synergy would grow and multiply through a GIA Alumni Association chapter."
