the Love of Lapidary

KIM PANDINA

When I was a child, I spent days walking through the woods with my father. He would suggest that we stop and sit for a while to observe the animals and plants that we might have missed by walking by. We would go fishing in the summertime and enjoy the dancing dragonflies that often visited us on the river. I suppose it could be said that this cherished time with my father is what began my love of nature.

Nature wasn’t the only thing I learned to appreciate and enjoy when spending time with my father. He was a tool guy. I could often find him changing his oil or checking the brakes on his car and watching the tools become extension of his hands. My love of using tools must be connected to the hours I spent watching my dad. It is no surprise that lapidary has become my passion.

Lapidary is the practice of cutting and polishing stone. From the very first time I tried it, I was hooked. It combined two of the things I loved most from my childhood - nature and tools. I fashion the most beautiful stones into wearable works of art. I rarely sketch the designs that I conceive, although I do create prototypes during the design process until the piece is finished and perfectly matched to the image in my mind.

Being a night owl, you can often find me working on new designs into the wee hours of the morning. I imagine a concept and work on it again and again until the physical design matches the one I envisioned. It truly is an artistic process. Particularly when designing a cabochon, a gemstone that has been shaped and polished rather than one with facets and raw edges, I look at the beauty within the stone and highlight its unique features. Wrapping with wire to make it wearable, while complimenting the nature of the colors and shape of the cabochon, makes each piece unique and one of a kind. Truly they become a work of art.

To me the artistic process is a journey with twists, turns, valleys, and mountains. My artistic journey began with gemstone beads and silk thread. I became hooked on lapidary by cutting gemstones into cabochons because of a fantastic teacher. This led to wire wrapping because the options available to set my freeform gemstones were limited. Until I discovered wire wrapping, creating was like putting a square peg into a round hole.

One of my joys with my art is sharing my knowledge with others. Jewelry making lessons have become one of my favorite ways to share what I do with others. Demonstrating what I do and showing my process seems to captivate people and seeing the lightbulb moment in students brightens my day. In my classes, lesson one involves safety and the proper way to hold the tools we will be using. This will include passing out safety glasses to those who are too close to what I am creating.

Seeing the lightbulb moment in students brightens my day. My bracelet and earring classes are two of the most popular group instructions I do.

Part of my business mindset has always been inclusive of the art community. Founding a variety of groups in the artisanal community, including the jewelry play group, one of my accomplishments was bringing in a national teacher to Rochester, NY to further our knowledge and expand our abilities. I also created a safe space for artists called Artists Chat, an online safe space and fantastic place for creatives to be able to share their struggles and accomplishments with like-minded individuals.

My business expands by listening to the reactions of my customers and the community at large to my art. I never know when inspiration will strike, so I keep my phone close by when I explore outside. Being a lapidarist and jewelry designer means I am always on the lookout for new design ideas to create, so I can offer you the most beautifully designed pieces of wearable art.

Kim Pandina is a jewelry designer and owner of Panda Wear in Rochester, NY, with over 18 years of experience. Please visit her shop at https://bit.ly/ Panda_Wear_Shop_here