SUNSET PEAR

By day, Julia DeLo works as an engineer in the aerospace industry and by night, she pursues her passion for cutting gemstones, applying her analytical and mechanical skills to optimize and simplify designs.

- BY MAGGIE KLINEDINST & MARK OROS

Faceted Malawi Garnet gemstone and rough material

Julia's goal with Sunset Pear was to provide cutters with a well-performing pear that doesn't require numerous tiers and facets. This allows for a faster-cutting gem from rough that lends itself to a pear shape. For this, I used a beautiful deep orangey-red Malawi garnet as a nod to the design's moniker. Ultimately, the garnet was a little darker than expected, but this design is optimized for R.I. of 1.6-1.7 and up.

After my initial preform, I started cutting this stone with an Impulse 500 lap. This is a new-to-the-market hybrid bond lap that leaves a smooth finish. From there, I used a 3k grit on a Zinc+ lap, followed by aluminum oxide on a composite lap. The alumina left a glassy polish on the garnet. For the oxide, I like to run my machine at a lower speed and use a spray bottle of water to keep the lap moist, but not drenched, so that there is some drag or friction between the stone and the lap.