The gemstone cutter – the history of the apprenticeship
In the 15th century, the craft of gemstone cutting began to be practiced in guilds in Germany. At that time, gemstone cutters were called Balierer (polishers) or drillers; this was also the name of the association "Brotherhood of Drillers and Balierers". It took care of the handling of organizational matters as well as the trade in gemstones .
In 1934, gemstone cutting was added to the list of professions as a skilled trade; in 1937, gemstone cutting was declared a state-recognized training occupation; in 1953, it was included in the Crafts Code.
The gem cutter and his duties
The closely related professions of agate cutter, colored stone cutter and gemstone engraver were abolished in 1992 and their special activities were taken over by the gemstone cutter.
The tasks of gemstone engravers mainly included the production of different stone cuts. These included raised reliefs (called cameos), indented depictions (intaglios) and three-dimensional forms, such as sculptures of animals.
The job description of a gemstone cutter today includes first classifying the various gemstones according to their qualitative characteristics. The gemstone cutter then prepares the stones for later processing before bringing them into the desired shape using various grinding techniques by hand or with the help of special machines. Particular emphasis is placed on highlighting the shine of the gemstones . Finally, they are either polished or matte.
