66 STATE OF THE MAJORS 2026 THE STATE OF THE TRADE Justin K. Prim is a teacher, gemologist, and lapidarist at Magus Gems, which he runs with his wife, Victoria Raynaud, who is also a gem cutter. Based in France, they have a gem-cutting school, Faceting Apprentice, where they offer virtual and in-person classes in Lyon, as well as a twice annual two-week class in Brooklyn, New York. Prim also has a YouTube channel, @JustinKPrim, about gemstone cutting, providing not only instructional content, but also videos about different machines, different cul- tures, history, and techniques. A few years ago, the couple took a year-long road trip across America, making stops at various lapidary clubs and major jewelry hubs along the way for a project Prim was work- ing on about the history of American gem cutting. Visits to several cutting workshops confirmed what they already knew—there is a shortage of commercial gemstone cutters in America. Historically, faceting was a trade that required years of meticulous practice to master. Training was hands-on, and techniques were guarded knowledge. In some cultures, this is still the norm. In Prim’s next book, which is forthcoming, he writes that America developed its own gemstone cutting industry in isolation, disconnected from the apprenticeship traditions of Europe. “To summarize American gem cutting, it starts in the 1930s, and it’s basically people who are amateurs training other people who are amateurs, and the thing goes on and on and on over the generations,” he says. American lapidarists embraced the fantasy cut, invented by legendary German cutter Bernd Munsteiner in the ‘60s. (The fantasy cut community is still growing today, led by next-generation cutters like Ian Loska and Nolan Sponsler.) They were excited by the idea of breaking tradition and exploring beyond strict cutting standards. Newcomers to the trade have channeled the same pioneering spirit. While a culture that encourages experimentation and discovery may have an upside for individual craftsmen, it doesn’t bode well for an industry with workshops in big cities that desperately need bodies on benches. “It’s a problem to figure out how to get the people who want to be gem cutters to the people who want to hire gem cutters,” Prim says. Like many other young Americans, newcomers to the craft are unlikely to commit RETAIL THE STATE OF DIAMONDS JEWELRY DESIGN COLORED STONES A bi-color tourmaline shown in three stages of the faceting process Three stages of an emerald undergoing a recut JUSTIN K. PRIM Continued on page 68
View this content as a flipbook by clicking here.