NATIONAL JEWELER          69
crystal chemistry researcher behind Surgical Precision Gems.
In addition to social media, Prim has found that web forums and 
chat apps like Discord are helpful for lapidaries to share resources 
and stay connected.
“The community is crucial. It used to be that the lapidary club or 
the mineral club was how you would build that community, but today, 
post-2010, it’s Facebook groups,” he says.
“It’s a good way that you could get activated immediately without 
having to drive far or buy a machine.”
THE SELF-TAUGHT PATH
Jenna Sloane, 25, is a lapidary artist based in California. 
“Very often, I have to make a point of saying that I’m a full-time 
gem cutter, because I didn’t realize how many professional gem cut-
ters have [other] full-time jobs,” she says.
She taught herself to facet and began pursuing her graduate gemol-
ogist diploma from GIA while studying industrial design in college.
At the time, she was making and selling pendants made from 
cross-sections of pinecones, and requests for her to add gemstones to 
the pieces spurred her to learn more about gems. 
A post on social media about gem cutting inspired her to explore 
the craft, and her tinkering evolved into something more substantial. 
She worked in a jewelry store for a while before making the leap to 
becoming a full-time, independent gemstone cutter. 
“I wasn’t receiving any benefits. I was making $600 a week, 
working as a bench jeweler, jewelry photographer, website developer, 
social media manager, lapidary, and gem identifier, and I just felt very 
exploited,” she says.
“My work was just not really 
equipped for such an established, 
large jewelry store, and they 
didn’t have rough because most 
jewelers do not have rough gem-
stones to cut themselves.
“A lot of their clients only 
wanted a 20-carat Ceylon sapphire 
… a little 21-year-old is not going to 
get her hands on that rough.”
Today, Sloane cuts mainly 
unconventional shapes, like  
kites, shield cuts, hexagons,  
and egg shapes.
However, succeeding as a full-
time cutter means finding a balance between taking orders that 
keep the lights on and developing a signature that sets you apart 
as an artist. 
“I modify every pattern I find,” she says. “The outline shape 
might be traditional for setting purposes, but I try and keep all 
of my facet designs different.”
Taking initiative is also a big part of making life work as a  
full-time lapidarist.
Sloane recently traveled to the Montana sapphire mines to 
meet with producers and build relationships at the source.
“That’s probably one of the biggest gestures possible for 
these mine owners, [traveling] to meet them and to try and 
build this connection. It’s like bringing flowers to someone. I 
think that’s just something that makes them remember you better.”
BUILDING A BRAND
Nadine Marshall, 19, is also a full-time gemstone cutter. 
She grew up rock hunting and gold panning in the Pacific North-
west and took an interest in faceting at an early age.
At 12, Marshall began taking lessons from a friend she and her 
father met through a rock club.
“He was willing to teach me for free; he loved that I was willing to 
learn at a young age,” she says. “He said, ‘Nobody is willing to do this 
anymore, it’s a dying trade, so I’m more than happy to teach you.’”
He taught her the basics but also encouraged her to follow the 
Above: A 1.34-carat 
tsavorite fashioned into a 
design Marshall calls 
“The North Star”
Right: Three spessartine 
garnets from the 
Little Three mine in San 
Diego, California— 
a 1.60-carat marquise, 
a 1.66-carat round, and 
a 1.60-carat pear.
NADINE MARSHALL

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