RARCHNW

CuttingtheImperialFlameTopaz
DuncanPay

April28,2016
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TheImperialFlame,asuperbnaturalcolorBraziliantopaz,wasfashionedfroma615ctcrystalrecoveredover20yearsago.Thefinishedpiecemeasures89.5320.5619.15
mmandweighs332.24ct.PhotocourtesySonjaKreisUniqueJewelry.

Oneofthemostspectaculargemsatthe2016Tucsonshowwasamagnificentfreeform332.24ctBraziliantopazondisplayattheGJXboothofgem
artistAlexanderKreis(SonjaKreisUniqueJewelry,NiederwoErresbach,Germany),whichtheKreisfamilyhasnamedtheImperialFlame.
DescribedbyInternationalColoredGemstoneAssociation(ICA)executivedirectorGaryRoskinasashowstopper,thisspectaculargemwascut
fromanexceptionallyrare615ctcrystal.
AlexanderKreisspecializesinuniquecuttingstyles.Hecomesfroma500yearfamilytraditionofgemstonecuttingandjewelrymaking.Thebusiness
isstillaKreisfamilyaffair:Alexandersmother,Sonja,andsister,Vanessa,designthejewelrypiecesthatbestcomplementhisgemsstyle,andhis
father,Stefan,procurestherough.Gemshavebeenpartofhislifefromanearlyage,ashisfathertraveledtheworlddealingwithroughstones.The
youngAlexanderwasfascinatedbystoriesoffarawayminesandthelittlebagsofroughcrystalshisfatherbroughtback.Thisspurredhimtopursuea
traditionalapprenticeship,wherehelearnedthefundamentalsofgemcutting.However,Alexanderbrokefromtraditiontofollowhisownunique
appreciationforbeauty.Hestrivestousetheroughinanontraditionalway.
Kreisalwaysseeksthebeautyinroughmaterial.Nowadaystofindtherightroughmaterialisreallychallenging,henotes.Demandisgrowingfor
bettermaterial,especiallyinAsia.
Whichbringsustothespectaculartopaz:Accordingtothefamily,thecrystalcamefromBrazilswelldocumentedOuroPretotopazmines.Topazhas
beenrecoveredfromthisareaofMinasGeraisforover200years,withthefirstdiscoveriesrecordedin1768,whenthePortuguesecourtofKing
JosephImarkedthediscoveryofthegemintheirBraziliancolonywithasplendidcelebration(P.C.Keller,TheCapotopazDeposit,OuroPreto,
MinasGerais,Brazil(http://www.gia.edu/gemsgemology/spring1983topazbrazilkeller),Spring1983Gems&Gemology,pp.1220).

Fee

TodayabustlingcityandaUNESCOWorldHeritageSite,OuroPretoowesitsprosperity,institutions,andbeautifulbaroquearchitecturetothemineralwealthnamelygold,
tourmaline,andtopazinthesurroundinghills.PhotocourtesySonjaKreisUniqueJewelry.

Today,asinthe1700s,topazwiththisred,pink,ororangyyellowcolorcomponentisrareandveryvaluable.Oneofthemostsoughtaftercolorsis
knownasImperialtopaz,whichmostinthetradeconsideramediumreddishorangetoorangered.Asnotedinpreviousreports,onlyonetotwo
percentofallthematerialrecoveredfromOuroPretosminesisoffacetingquality,whichmakesthecaliberofthiscrystalallthemoreremarkable.
(seeD.A.Saueretal.,AnupdateonImperialtopazfromtheCapomine,MinasGerais,Brazil(http://www.gia.edu/gemsgemology/winter1996
imperialtopazbrazilsauer),Winter1996Gems&Gemology,pp.232241).
Althoughthesetopazmineswereonceveryactive,thereisnolongerminingofanyscale.Tothebestofthefamilysknowledge,thecrystalisold
productionminedatleast20yearsago.TheyfirstlearnedofitinSeptember2015fromanoldacquaintance,anavidcollectorwhobelievedAlexander
couldcreatesomethingexceptionalfromthecrystal.

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CurrentproductionfromOuroPretostopazminesisnotasprolificasitwasduringthe1990s.PhotocourtesySonjaKreisUniqueJewelry.

InSeptember2015,StefanandAlexanderKreistraveledtoBraziltoviewthestone.Whentheysawthecrystal,theyimmediatelyrecognizeditas
somethingtrulyexceptionalthatmightbefashionedintoapieceofthecentury.AsfamilymemberCarstenKreisremarked,Ithastherareredcolor
asthemainpart.Butwhatmakesitevenmorebeautifulforus,isthatitdepictsthewholerangeofwarmcolorsanImperialtopazcanhave,anddoes
sowithanamazingintensity.


AlexanderKreiscontemplatestheoriginal615ctImperialtopazcrystal.Photocourtesy
SonjaKreisUniqueJewelry.

TheKreisfamilyacquiredthetopazinDecember2015.Beforemakingacommitmenttobuy,theyspentmostofthepreviousfourmonthsanalyzing
thecrystaltodetermineafashioningplan.Althoughtheybrieflyconsideredcuttingthepieceasthreeormoreseparategems,theirobjectivequickly
becametocutthelargestknowntopqualityImperialtopaz.

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Theoriginal615cttopazcrystalfromwhichKreisfashionedtheImperialFlame.PhotocourtesySonjaKreisUniqueJewelry.

Fromtheoutset,Alexanderrealizedthatthesheersizeandclarityoftheroughwasastoundingandthatthiscombination,alongwiththerangeand
intensityofcolors,wasjustunbelievable.Aftermuchcontemplation,Alexanderfinallydecidedtofashionthecrystalintoasinglepiece.Thisdecision,
herecalled,cameoutofloveforthemineralasasculptureitwouldbesomethingthathasntbeendonebefore.
Asagem,topazhasanAchillesheelitsbasalcleavage.Asaresult,cuttersmustexerciseextremecaretoavoidgrindingthestoneperpendicularto
thecleavageplane.Inclusionsmightalsocausethestonetobreakonthewheel.AccordingtoSaueretal.(1996),weightrecoverydependsonthe
amountofinclusionsineachcrystal.Wellformed,fairlycleancrystalsyieldupto2ctpergram(5ct),orarecoveryrateof40percent.

Becauseofthisinherentphysicalproperty,topazespeciallyinlargersizesischallengingtocut,givingeverysavvycutterpauseforthought.
Imperialtopazisverydifficulttocutbecausethegemhasatensionresidinginit,saysAlexander.Thus,wehadathoroughlookatitespeciallyfor
inclusionsthatcouldreleasethatinnertensionandleadtothecrystalbreaking.

WGALLRY

Alexanderstartedthecuttingprocesswiththeintentofretainingasmuchweightfromthecrystalaspossiblewhilestrivingforthehighestlevelof
artistry.Youwanttowasteaslittlematerialaspossibleandatthesametimebringoutthemostofitspotentialbeauty,heexplained.
Fashioningthecrystaltookatotalofeightdays,spreadacrossaperiodofthreetofourweeks.Alexanderstoppedthecuttingprocessfromtimeto
timetomaketestcarvingswithsmallerpiecesofImperialtopazinordertogaugethereactionofhiscuttingconceptsontheImperialFlame.There
werethreestages:sawingortrimmingawayanyfracturedorincludedmaterial,grindingtopreformandshapethesolidcrystal,andfacetingalongwith
carvingthereflective,groovedsurfaces.Theexactcuttingprocedure,equipment,andpolishingcompoundsAlexanderusesareproprietary.Previous
sources(e.g.,Saueretal.,1996)indicatethatBraziliantopazcuttersusea360gritgrindingwheelanda600gritfacetingdisk,polishingthestoneson
alead/tinlapwithLindeA(Al2O3)powder.Fromanoriginalweightof615ct,thecuttingprocessyieldedafinishedgemmeasuring89.5320.56
19.15mmandweighing332.24ct,afinishedyieldof54percent.

Regardlessoftheexactmethodsused,thefinishedpieceisaspectacularcrystalsculpture:awinningblendofgeometricflatfacetsandcurves
bearingcarvedgroovesthatreflectandreinforcetheredtorosypeachhuesofthetopazmanytimesover.Thecarvingproducesglitteringreflections
thatenliventhelowerportionofthesculptureandleadtheeyetotheblazeofredatthetipofthecrystal.Itistrulyaspecialpiecefitforaconnoisseur
Fee
orhighendcollector.
Isitforsale?weasked.
Yes,cametheanswer.Priceuponrequest!

AOUTTHAUTHOR
DuncanPayiseditorinchiefofGems&Gemology.

ACKNOWLDGMNT
TheauthorwouldliketothanktheKreisfamily:Alexander,Stefan,Sonja,Vanessa,andCarstenforalltheirhelpansweringquestionsaboutthe
imperialflametopazandforthemanyphotographstheyprovidedforthearticle.