A Cutting Edge Award Goes to......

Drum roll. The 2012 American Gem Trade Association Cutting Edge Award winners have been announced. The envelope please...Roger Dery won 2nd Place in the Classic Cut Gemstones; All Other Faceted Gemstones category.

  

The award title is long, but the award is prestigious. This year marks the 21st anniversary of the AGTA Cutting Edge Awards competition.

  

And you ask, what did Roger win for? This year's award was for a 8.77ct Merelani Mint Garnet in a trillion step-cut.

 

2012 AGTA Cutting Edge Award - 2nd Place

This stone was cut from rough Roger purchased in Tanzania on his January 2011 trip. This particular color of Grossular garnet is referred to as Mint Merelani. It is mined about 40 kilometers from Arusha, Tanzania in the foothills of the Lelatema Mountains. The gem mining area is referred to as the Merelani or Mererani Hills. This is the area where tanzanite was first found in 1968.

Even in the rough this piece was spectacular. From the moment Roger saw the rough he knew it would cut something incredible.

Merelani Mint Garnet Rough, 6.80grams

The rough shape dictated trillion, but Roger pondered the specific cut to make the mint green color sing. Roger didn't embark on the cutting journey until August of this year. He cut this garnet with a traditional step-cut pavillion for depth of color and a custom brilliant crown to create sparkle.

  

Merelani Mint Trillion

 

Classic methods and creativity have married for an exquisite gem. And, in case you didn't know, Merelani Mint Garnet in this size is unusual. Typically the rough produces much smaller and often included gemstones.