A falcon carved from three thick slices of a single tourmaline crystal from Madagascar, 44 cm from wingtip to wingtip. The crystal was about 30 cm in diameter and had been combed at the mine to show its translucency; the three slices came through undamaged and weighed 39,000, 42,000 and 32,500 carats.
The stones were found in Hong Kong after the Hong Kong Jewellery Fair, on the first buying trip made after L'AQUART was founded, at the offices of Blue Gems in the Focal Industrial area, a district of buildings given over to gemstone dealers. The gem cutter has bought from Mohammed Naseem there for 30 years, a friendship renewed once a year, and Naseem and his son Shuja were about to leave the office that Saturday but welcomed the visit and opened the warehouse. The same search brought out a lot of large Tanzanian ruby of about 350 kg and a bag of gemmy rubellite crystals; the selection was written out by hand, and after 20 minutes in which nobody said a word a figure was settled and the deal closed on a handshake and a promise of payment on the agreed date. Eleven years later the three slices were carved into the falcon.
Materials: tourmaline from Madagascar
Dimensions: wingspan 44 cm
Weight: 39,000, 42,000 and 32,500 ct (the three rough slices)
A falcon carved from three thick slices of a single tourmaline crystal from Madagascar, 44 cm from wingtip to wingtip. The crystal was about 30 cm in diameter and had been combed at the mine to show its translucency; the three slices came through undamaged and weighed 39,000, 42,000 and 32,500 carats.
The stones were found in Hong Kong after the Hong Kong Jewellery Fair, on the first buying trip made after L'AQUART was founded, at the offices of Blue Gems in the Focal Industrial area, a district of buildings given over to gemstone dealers. The gem cutter has bought from Mohammed Naseem there for 30 years, a friendship renewed once a year, and Naseem and his son Shuja were about to leave the office that Saturday but welcomed the visit and opened the warehouse. The same search brought out a lot of large Tanzanian ruby of about 350 kg and a bag of gemmy rubellite crystals; the selection was written out by hand, and after 20 minutes in which nobody said a word a figure was settled and the deal closed on a handshake and a promise of payment on the agreed date. Eleven years later the three slices were carved into the falcon.
Materials: tourmaline from Madagascar
Dimensions: wingspan 44 cm
Weight: 39,000, 42,000 and 32,500 ct (the three rough slices)
