"A wondrous Angel hidden in stone,
The earth has guarded its slumber alone...
I carve the stone until the try
When liberated Angel takes a fly!"
V.T.

The world of gemstones… Amazing, enchanting, magical. Gazing at the swift, fluid reflections in the perfectly patterned facets, it's as if you're dissolving in them, plunging into an oceanic abyss and simultaneously being carried away into the wide-open infinity of the universe. Today, we'll explore this world with expert gemologist, world champion in sport cutting, and the only Grand Master of the American Gem Cutters Guild in Russia, Viktor Tuzlukov.

V.T.: "The verse quoted at the beginning is not an allegory. I really did see an Angel. Not a little man, of course, with hands and wings, but a kind of inner Light emanating from the depths of the stone. I held this shimmering crystal in my hands and acutely felt the contrast between its inner richness and its irregular shape. And, if until that day my work with stone was driven only by an unconscious striving for beauty and perfection of form, at that moment I understood: without precise and beautiful cutting, without mirror polishing, a gemstone will not reveal its inner Light. The Angel will not be set free. The fairy tale will not be told."

In a large city lived a young man. As a child, he had a strange dream about a miraculous Stone that healed the sick, prolonged life, and brought happiness. He dreamed that a fabulous Giant had brought this Stone from the distant stars and sternly instructed people to guard it like the apple of their eye. So vivid was the dream, such warmth emanated from the Stone shimmering in the boy's hand, that upon waking, he resisted opening his eyes for a long time, whispering, "Someday I will find you!"

One day, the Young Man met a wise Elder, to whom, in a moment of revelation, he shared his childhood dream. The Elder set three conditions.

"You must learn to listen to people. You must learn to listen to your own heart. You must learn to listen to the Voice of Silence. Only then will you be able to reach your goal. But whether you will find the Stone, or rather, whether it will find you—only the Stone knows."

– Viktor, the stones you've cut are somehow special. Once you pick them up, you don't want to let them go. What sets them apart from others?

V.T.: “First and foremost, it's my attitude towards the stone. I think many will agree with me that stones are living beings, simply living on a different level of the Unified Life. We try to treat people, animals, and plants with sensitivity, and they reciprocate. A stone also responds adequately to our attitude. Just as a master psychologist meticulously and with the greatest precision hones the facets of human relationships, so too should a master gem cutter work with a stone. I spend quite a lot of time on each stone – 15, 20 hours of work, sometimes even more. Whereas the average gem cutter from Thailand cuts 10-15 stones a day. Of course, it's difficult to achieve high quality at that speed. And the stone remains silent in response. And the buyer, without any heartfelt emotion, glances indifferently at the "stone scatterings" in modern jewelry store windows.”

– I see that you treat cut stones as works of art – like an artist treats paintings or a poet treats poetry?

V.T.: "I would venture to add: and like a jeweler to an exquisite piece of jewelry. In any field, a true master is distinguished by a striving for perfection; the viewer, reader, or listener can be inspired not only by a brilliant film, a passionate poem, or a captivating sonata. A faceted stone can also be a source of inspiration, mental and physical health, but only if it itself is a product of creativity. And let's not forget the main thing – only such a stone can open the door to a fairy tale."

… How many years have passed since then—who knows? The Youth endured difficult trials, and he saved many people from despair and hopelessness. At night, falling asleep under the starry sky, the Youth dreamed of the Stone, with which he traveled to distant worlds, basking in the rays of unknown suns. He was a part of the Universe, and Infinity resounded within him with the music of distant luminaries. One day, he came to the deserted shore of a mountain lake, lost among sharp, snow-capped peaks. Before him sat a tall stranger in long white robes.

- You are looking for the Stone. Take it.

Deafened by the pounding of his own heart, the Young Man sank to his knees. "So this is what you look like, my dream!" flashed through his mind. The Stone was completely black and heavy, and as it lay in the Young Man's hands, a powerful wave of warmth coursed through his body. Opening his eyes, our hero noticed with surprise that the strange stranger had vanished. But the Stone remained. It seemed to resonate, and everything around him trembled joyfully, responding to these powerful currents...

In a small mountain village, the Young Man saw the villagers gathered in one of the courtyards. A young man was dying. His friends had barely pulled him from under a landslide and now they didn't know what to do. There was no doctor in the village, and his injuries were too serious. The Young Man realized that the wounded man was the soul of the small village; and in losing him, they were losing something more than just a neighbor, a friend, and a brother. Without thinking, the Young Man approached the dying man and discreetly placed the Stone at his head. A miracle occurred. Color began to return to his pale cheeks, and his ragged breathing evened out.

In the morning, the villagers were astonished. The rescued man himself came out to meet them. "A miracle! A miracle!" the people whispered. "But where is he, where is the savior?"

The Youth, meanwhile, was already far away. He was resting after a night's journey in a small, picturesque valley near a mountain waterfall. And no one could see the tall figure of the Elder bending over him.

"My beloved brother!" said the Elder, stroking the aged Youth's long, snow-white hair. "You have now passed the most important test of this life. It was not in vain that you learned to listen—first to those around you, then to yourself, and finally to Nature. Today, you unhesitatingly heeded the Voice of the Distant Worlds, speaking to you through the Stone. You sacrificed your dream, which you already held in your hands, for the sake of saving a stranger, for the sake of people's happiness. Having overcome the great temptation to possess the Treasure of the World, you saved one of our Brothers, who with his inner Light supported not only this village but many surrounding villages, preventing the Darkness from gaining a foothold in the hearts of their inhabitants. And the Stone truly is a fragment of a distant star, and long ago it was sent to help the Earth. But no mortal can wield it. You have seen it and held it in your hands—that is the greatest honor that can be bestowed upon a person. The Stone has a life of its own, and if a person heeds its will and fulfills it, the spiritual image of the Stone is imprinted on their spirit for all subsequent centuries, providing them with powerful support. But if a person, overcome with pride, tries to resist its will, they must battle their own vice, reflected and amplified by the Stone's power to an incredible degree. Few emerge victorious from this battle. But today you have not lost the Stone—you have found it forever. And may its Light never abandon you, but burn steadily and unquenchably. Go, my Brother, go to the people. The Earth awaits you and the Light you carry within you from now on!

– Are you saying that stone cutting as an art form will continue to develop?

V.T.: “This is an inevitable process. Let's look at the history of jewelry making. In the early days, people simply stored nuggets as beautiful pebbles. Then they learned to flatten them and give them some shape. Then – to cast and polish them. And, finally, jewelers arrived at today's masterpieces of world brands such as Cartier or Tiffany. Stone carving developed in the same way, and gem cutting is following the same path. We live in an interesting time when the development of gem-cutting tool technology allows for a qualitative leap in gem cutting, moving from craft to art. I won't hide the fact that each such leap in history is difficult. One of the main obstacles is the barrier in public consciousness. Or rather, the step from the dismissive term "colored stone insert," which merely diversifies a brooch or ring, to the high concept of "precious stone," for which the same ring will, rather, be a setting that emphasizes its beauty and fabulousness.”

The last time the Young Man met the Elder, he was already a very old man. He was sitting in a chair in his apartment when he suddenly heard a familiar voice.

"My brother, your earthly journey has come to an end. Now, closer than ever, you stand to that threshold known as Infinity. I have not troubled you, so that you might reflect on your entire Path, all the treasures you have accumulated on Earth, and gather all your strength before your distant Journey. Tell me, are you ready to look into the eyes of ETERNITY?"

“I’m ready,” the Young Man said quietly.

- Then - look!

A light golden cloud appeared before the seated Youth. Gradually growing, it touched his head, arms, legs, and finally completely enveloped his body. And suddenly, the Youth's consciousness seemed to explode, shattering into millions of fragments, each fragment being him, each fragment occupying a precisely defined place in a complex, multicolored, and multifaceted pattern. Who wasn't in this motley crowd! There were royal Atlanteans and wretched beggars, resplendent pharaohs and filthy hermits, Russian heroes and Tibetan monks, rulers and servants, scholars and wanderers. The Youth sat, unable to move. The weight of millions of lives, their worries and experiences, discoveries and losses, the joys of meetings and the bitterness of partings, fell upon him. And then, beyond the invisible line of the present, new worlds, new planets, warmed by the rays of new suns, arose from the mists of Infinity. And the Youth remembered that he had once felt the gentle touch of Eternity, listening to the Voice of Silence in search of the wondrous Stone. For the first time, his inner gaze penetrated this magical talisman, and he realized that the Stone's internal crystalline structure echoed the intricate pattern of his own lives, now burning before him, and which in turn was a reflection of the great Spiritual Crystal of the Universe.

…For just a moment, the veil of the all-powerful Isis lifted before the youth. Opening his eyes, he found himself sitting in the same room as a moment ago. Everything was as before, yet something had changed. The golden cloud had vanished, but the soft, flowing light remained. Now it emanated from the youth himself, illuminating the objects nearby. The images of the Past and the Future had vanished, but the understanding of the greatest mystery remained—the identity of his inner world and the Infinity of the Cosmos. The awareness of Love as the only creative force in the Universe remained. The mighty spiritual strength, accumulated by his predecessors and now burning in his heart, remained. And once again, the same infinitely loving voice brought him back to reality.

"My brother, today you have received all you could receive on Earth. Today you have seen that ETERNITY is a conscious Past, an active Present, and a delineated Future, fused together in the unfolding crystal of your consciousness. You have passed all the steps, and I bless you on your journey with the luminous name of the Ineffable One who called us into being and will meet us beyond the manifest world. You have found Eternity within yourself, you have become a conscious collaborator with the cosmic Forces, but your path as a creator is only just beginning. Go forth with ease and remember those who walked beside you!"

With his final words, a warm wave washed over the Youth, and in response, the light pouring from his figure intensified. His entire body became transparent, dissolving in this Light, and surged upward, propelled by the Earth's dense atmosphere...

– You said, “one of the obstacles.” Can you name others?

V.T.: “Of course. The market for gemstones is already established today. The buyer can choose between medium, poor, and very poor quality cuts. The main task of today's craftsman-cutter is to ensure the maximum weight of the finished stone in the shortest possible time. Hence the crooked facets, rounded edges, and worn, dull surfaces. From a distance, they say, it's not visible. But the human eye is a much more sophisticated device than is commonly believed. It sees the difference. It's just that the brain, to avoid information overload, automatically filters out what it considers insignificant. And the Angel remains imprisoned in the stone. Thus, the market segment for high and top-quality gemstone cuts is still empty. And those who today cut and sell gemstones are not interested in filling this segment; in losing those buyers who currently have no other choice. But evolution cannot be stopped. Masterpieces of cutting art will appear more and more often, and more and more often, instead of the dull and lifeless sparkle of gemstone "pop," the buyer will choose – an invitation to a Fairy Tale.”

– But the diamonds sold on the market today are usually of high quality cut...

V.T.: “That's absolutely true. What I said above applies to colored stones. The classic round brilliant cut, proposed by Marcel Tolkowsky, is now very well studied and described, and the requirements for diamond cutting are much higher. A kind of global standard has been established – the assessment of cutting quality boils down to identifying deviations from the classic. The greater the deviation, the lower the price. However, the recognition of a universal standard, while simplifying the task of quality assessment, severely limits the possibilities for creativity. Unless, of course, these are unique stones of such a size that the cutter can afford a fancy shape without a significant loss in price. Diamond cutters also strive for perfection, although they are constrained by the strict framework of the standard. And new brands are appearing in diamond cutting. But a real breakthrough will undoubtedly come when other cutting designs are recognized without a decrease in price. Predictions are a thankless task, but I think this milestone is also not far off. The ideal cannot remain a dogma, because a halt in development is creative death. Life, however, is in motion, in eternal and constant change and improvement. And in this sense, the potential of the colored stone market, in my opinion, is much greater due to the wide range of their properties and characteristics. And I am happy that I can make my modest contribution to unlocking this potential.”