How to Make a Flush Cut Stone Inlay - Part 1
When I first saw inlay jewelry for the first time, I couldn’t help but be wowed by the color interaction between each shape, the clarity of the stones, and the pure craftsmanship it took to make a miniature masterpiece. Another part of the draw was the mystery behind it all: how did they do it?
Before I took any classes on inlay, I spent weeks “tinkering” in my head, conjuring up mental hands that forged, cut, and went through different processes of how it might be done.
With thousands of videos online for silversmithing, I found it shocking that there weren’t any on the art of stone inlay for jewelry. While there are a few tutorials floating out there about how to do chip inlay, it doesn’t require the same skill and careful attentiveness that flush-cut inlay does. That’s why I wanted to create a short, comprehensive, free tutorial on how to make this kind of art.
I know why there isn’t a video out there on this technique: some artists fear that their work will be copied, so it’s better to keep it a secret; but I’m of the belief that sharing techniques can only strengthen the lapidary arts, inspiring the creation of something new and exciting. And who wouldn’t want that?
I hope that with my two-part video tutorial, someone’s eyes might widen with the realization that this may be their calling. Or maybe someone didn’t notice how much goes into the making of a traditional inlay, and now has a deeper appreciation of the lapidary arts. Either way, I hope you can get something out of this demo!
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