"The Philosophy of the Cut Stone"
My love for gemstones awakened in me long before I realized what place they would occupy in my life. The mystery hidden deep within a crystal created by nature haunted my inquisitive mind when, as a boy, I wandered in search of the bearers of this secret. This same desire to unveil the unknown led me, as a mature man of 37, to say "Yes!" to an unexpected offer from an acquaintance to try working at a gem-cutting machine myself.
This short word determined the fate of the future champion and world record holder in cutting, winner and judge of various international competitions, grandmaster of the American and founder of the Russian guild of cutters, and so on, so on...
Behind me are my studies at the naval academy and the economics university, my career as a computer center engineer, a successful stock market broker, and a financial consultant. Resourcefulness, meticulousness, and an analytical mind—that's all I carried with me from the past into this new stage of my life, which brought me the joy of understanding my path and bringing me closer to unraveling the mystery of the stone that haunts my heart.
< Slide 2 > “I saw an Angel in the stone and cut until I freed him…”
This phrase is not an allegory. I truly saw an Angel. Not a humanoid, of course, with arms and wings, but a certain inner Light emanating from the depths of the stone. I held this shimmering crystal in my hands and acutely felt the contradiction between its inner richness and its irregular shape. And if until that day, in working with the stone, I had been driven only by an unconscious desire for beauty and perfection of form, in that moment I understood: without a precise and beautiful cut, without a mirror-like polish, a gemstone will not reveal its inner Light. The Angel will not be released.
I think many will agree with me that stones are living beings, simply existing 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 appropriately to our attitude. Just as a master psychologist meticulously and with the greatest precision refines the facets of human relationships, so too must a master gem cutter work with a stone. In any endeavor, a true master is distinguished by a striving for perfection; a viewer, reader, or listener can be inspired not only by a brilliant film, a passionate poem, or an enchanting sonata. A cut stone can also be a source of inspiration, mental and physical health, but only if it itself is a product of creativity.
Gem cutting as an art form will continue to develop. This is an inevitable process. Let's look at the history of jewelry making. In the early days, people simply kept nuggets as beautiful stones. Then they learned to flatten and give them some shape. Then – to cast and polish them. And, finally, jewelers arrived at today's masterpieces of world brands. 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 tools 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" in its full sense, for which the same ring will be, rather, a setting that emphasizes its beauty and fabulousness. In other words, a turning point is coming when the main goal in gem cutting will be revealing the beauty of the stone while ideally preserving its mass, and not preserving the mass while ideally revealing its beauty. And for this, both objective prerequisites have been created – sufficient development of technical means and a too obvious discrepancy between the quality of the product itself and the gemstone, as well as subjective ones – the emergence of gem-cutting enthusiasts at a professional level and, as a consequence, the appearance of gem-cutting brands on the market.
The market for gemstones today is well-established. Buyers 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. This results in crooked facets, rounded edges, and worn, dull surfaces. From a distance, they think, it's not noticeable. And the angel remains trapped in the stone. Thus, the market segment for high and top-quality gemstone cutting is still empty. Those who today cut and sell gemstones are not interested in this segment being filled; they don't want to lose those buyers who currently have no other choice. But evolution cannot be stopped. Masterpieces of gemstone cutting will appear more and more often.
During the cutting and polishing process, a gem cutter can imbue the material with spirit, in other words, fill it with new, positive information. Of course, one can directly engrave letters, numbers, or drawings onto the facets of the stone; creating "family" stones, "portrait" stones, or stones bearing good wishes. And that will also work. But true art speaks not in words, but in images, associations, and emotions, and at a higher level, evoking a phenomenon of creative resonance in people's minds. Furthermore, various symbols can be encoded within the combination of facets, their shape, or their relative arrangement – from simple and understandable symbols to the deepest, philosophical and worldview-related ones.
The first experience of using symbols in gemstone cutting was the "Philosopher's Stone" collection, created in 2009. Initially, it contained seven stones, now there are ten. The symbolism of the facets of these stones was artistic and figurative. The image of one or another motif could be discerned in the pattern of each stone's facets. A parable was written for each stone, which developed this image into a philosophical concept. In essence, two genres of art – literature and gem cutting – complement each other in this collection. I did not misspoke when I called gem cutting an art in this case. After all, what does art do? It evokes a series of figurative associations in a person's mind, which have an emotional coloring and awaken the phenomenon of "creative resonance," when a person himself wants to create. Here, the initial focus on a specific image is set by the parable, and the stone, which preserves this image, subsequently acts as a "key" that unlocks a familiar associative series in the mind.
What's important is that such a "keystone," like any art object, is perceived differently by people. For the uninitiated, it's a simple jewelry piece, a piece of mineral given a certain shape. But if someone has read the parable and sees a symbol in the pattern of its facets, it's more than just a pretty trinket. It's a friend with whom they can share their thoughts on the issue raised in the parable and expressed by the symbol of the stone. Moreover, the depth of understanding of this issue depends on the person's level of spiritual development.
For example, the "Treasure of the World" stone. It has the shape of a diamond when viewed from the side, in profile. And the crown of the stone reproduces the pattern of the facets of a diamond cut. But this is the external side, what is visible. On the pavilion, however, hidden from the observer's eyes, a star shines, as if emphasizing that behind obvious values, deeper things may be hidden. The parable associated with this stone speaks of the same thing: one day a person will have to name their greatest treasure, and a mistake here can be very costly. Now, moving to a purely practical level, we can say that these stones have found a new niche for themselves in the jewelry market – contemplation, a niche traditionally occupied by books, films, and paintings.
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This was the first generation of "philosopher's" stones. The symbolism of the second generation of stones is on a qualitatively different level; unlike that just described, it is active. These stones influence the lives and destinies of their owners. The mechanism of this influence is quite simple. For anyone who has even slightly touched the hidden side of the spiritual teachings underlying world religions, thought has a material nature and is capable of influencing the flow of events. Recall the popular film "The Secret": "Life is like a magical genie. Just think of it, and it will do whatever you wish." When a person knows the symbols reflected in a stone, when they see themselves and their life's path in this stone, with each touch of their consciousness, they, voluntarily or involuntarily, create corresponding mental images. The more often a person holds a stone, or looks at it, or even simply remembers it, the more powerfully these mental images shape their destiny, one after another, like water, forging its way through the rocks.
Let's take a closer look at one of these works.
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"Star of the Great Ones".Many world religions agree with the mystical significance of the number 7. According to ancient Eastern doctrines, humanity had seven Great Teachers, astronomically linked to the stars of the Big Dipper, physically to the septenary structure of our world (seven notes in an octave, seven colors in the spectrum, seven days in a week), and metaphysically to the seven rays of spiritual Knowledge. These Seven are united in their essence, just as visible white light is a synthesis of all its spectral components. The pavilion of the stone represents a perfect star, which, although unified, nevertheless consists of seven separate rays, connected by singular facets. These facets are, rather, a background, a veil—the invisible fabric of space.
We were talking about the second generation of "philosophical" stones. Four years is a long time for active creative work, and during that time the first stones of the third generation have already appeared.
The stone I told you about was given to His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 2012 because it symbolically and numerologically represents a Buddhist mandala. The Kalachakra mandala contains 722 elements, and the stone has 722 facets. Each facet reflects a particular aspect of our existence. And the incredible play of light across the facets provides a clear understanding of the complexity of the interactions of all aspects of the Universe. This is a good illustration of the idea expressed by one of the first "philosopher's" stones, called "Touching Perfection": a true master can use any means for creative self-realization—pen and paper, guitar and microphone, paint and brush, stone and grinding wheel. The main thing is to have something to say to people and for their thoughts, crystallized in the work, to bring them light and joy. In 2012, it was presented to His Holiness the Dalai Lama because it symbolically and numerologically represents a Buddhist mandala. The Kalachakra mandala contains 722 elements, and the stone has 722 facets. Each facet reflects a particular aspect of our existence. And the incredible play of light across the facets provides a clear understanding of the complexity of the interactions of all aspects of the Universe. This is a good illustration of the idea expressed by one of the first "philosopher's" stones, called "Touching Perfection": a true master can use any means for creative self-realization—pen and paper, guitar and microphone, paint and brush, stone and grinding wheel. The main thing is to have something to say to people and for their thoughts, crystallized in the work, to bring them light and joy.
The stone I told you about,It was given to His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 2012 because it symbolically and numerologically represents a Buddhist mandala.The Kalachakra mandala contains 722 elements, and the stone has 722 facets. Each facet reflects a particular aspect of our existence. And the incredible play of light across the facets provides a clear understanding of the complexity of the interactions of all aspects of the Universe. This is a good illustration of the idea expressed by one of the first "philosopher's" stones, called "Touching Perfection": a true master can use any means for creative self-realization—pen and paper, guitar and microphone, paint and brush, stone and grinding wheel. The main thing is to have something to say to people and for their thoughts, crystallized in the work, to bring them light and joy. <Slide 18> в 2012 году был подарен Его Святейшеству Далай Ламе, потому что он символически и нумерологически представляет собой буддийскую мандалу. <Slide 19> Мандала Калачакры содержит 722 элемента, у камня 722 грани. Каждая грань отражает тот или иной аспект нашего бытия. И неимоверная игра света в гранях дает наглядное представление о сложности взаимодействия всех аспектов Мироздания. И это – хорошая иллюстрация мысли, выраженной одним из первых «философских» камней, под названием «Прикосновение к Совершенству»: настоящий мастер может использовать любые средства для творческой самореализации – перо и бумагу, гитару и микрофон, краски и кисть, камень и шлифовальный круг. Главное – чтобы ему было что сказать людям и чтобы его мысль, кристаллизованная в произведении, несла людям свет и радость. <Slide 20>
Slide list:
- Начало – заголовок
- Ангел с камнями
- Мой камень – «Глаз Шивы»
- Мой камень – «Сердце Планеты»
- Пример плохой огранки
- Мой камень – «Великая Жертва»
- Лев с гербом Камбоджи
- Открытка англ. – «Победитель»
- Открытка англ. – «Прикосновение к Совершенству»
- Открытка англ. – «Сокровище Мира» (СДЕЛАТЬ!)
- Мой камень – «Звезда Великих» (фото, схема)
- Картинка Marian – передача камня
- «Калачакра». Фото А.Васильева
- «Благословение». Фото Кати 1
- «Благословение». Фото Кати 2
- «Благословение». Фото Кати 3
- «Благословение». Фото Кати 4
- Вручение Камня ДЛ
- «Калачакра». Фото С.Прянечникова
- Заключение – мое фото и контакты
