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Twenty years ago, before Nomad's was Nomad's a group of young men from Southern Ukraine looked at the Beryl, Topaz, and Quartz crystals discarded from the mining of optical Quartz and saw potential to turn them into faceted gemstones. They knew there was beauty and value in those crystals but had to learn how to transform them so they bought all the lapidary books they could get their hands on and set out to learn the art of gem cutting.
Over the years, this team explored techniques of sculpting light and matter, creating unique works of art in the process. This allowed them to develop and progress in a business that is forever challenging and complex. The newly formed business allowed them to discover and work through hurdles of unknown territory. The success of these early projects and relationships made along the way became the foundation of Nomad's today. From Ukraine to Bangkok, Switzerland and New York, Nomad's has grown into a tribe of artists, scientists, gemologists, traders and explorers.
The process for buying rough is very important because it’s the framework for everything that follows. Our Buyer and Master Cutter sit, sometimes for hours/days; and analyze each piece of rough before negotiations begin. They look for clean stones and bright colors with the correct orientation of shape. One should remember that these are natural crystals and it is very rare that they are found perfectly clean with the exact size and shape that is desired - experience and imagination are key in the gem buying process.
Gem buying is not just finding the right materials but it also involves building the right relationships with the right people. Our buyers love to travel to new and faraway places to meet people from different parts of the world. A huge part of gem buying is connecting with different cultures, which is why one buyer will speak Swahili and Bambara while buying in Africa, another will speak Sinhalese in Sri Lanka, one will speak Portuguese in Brazil.
This has allowed the team to perfect their trade since the early days of Ukraine. From the early days of sourcing and cutting Beryl and Topaz, Nomad's has expanded to work with a multitude of gem varieties such as Tourmaline, Spinel, Peridot, Aquamarine, Garnet and Sapphire. Our team travels to mining regions in search of the best material and forms connections with people close to the mine in hopes of obtaining word when a new gem location or fresh material is discovered.
Once the best rough crystals are purchased, a new puzzle begins; deciding the best way to cut each piece. Our Master Cutter has excelled as a gem-craftsman, no doubt in part because of the sculptural/artistic family background he comes from. To begin, he shapes each crystal into what’s known as a preform. This is the basic outline of how the final gem will look. He does this for every stone in a given parcel and this is where he looks for potential matches to create pairs, trios and layouts.
After the initial preforms are ready, the Master Cutter passes them on to one of our talented craftsmen, delegating depending on the type of stone and the different expertise of each cutter. The faceting and polishing of every type of stone is different, and each of cutters we have trained has their own individual strength. Throughout the whole process each stone is carefully checked to make sure the proportions, facet junctions, and polish are executed perfectly. Our goal is to turn each rough crystal into the best conceivable gemstone it could possibly be.
Once the stones are cut, they need to find a home. Every year our sales team travels with the collection to more than eight trade shows in order to bring these gems to you. You will find us in Tucson (GJX), Hong Kong (March, June and September), Vegas (AGTA), Basel and Idar-Oberstein, always offering you a glass of Port wine, after 4pm of course.
When you meet us you will be talking to an artist, an adventurer, a photographer, a sculpture, a dancer, a musician, a scientist, a storyteller and a philosopher. This is what makes the Nomad's team so unique; we all come from different backgrounds and have been drawn to jewelry with a passion for art, travel and stones.
There's something in the way light travels through different mediums. It bends, it changes and it reflects. It is absorbed and it finds a new path. In this light you find color, brilliance, pattern and warmth. In this light, we find inspiration. Light can travel through air, water, and most spectacularly through crystals. Here it bends (refracts), disperses and reflects to produce the mesmerizing scintillation we see in well-cut gemstones.
Mother Nature is the world’s first true artist and some of her finest work forms deep within the earth’s crust where conditions are just right for elements to come together to form magnificent crystals. There are many different kinds of crystals, each with its own optical properties, and each one reacts with light in an unique way. We have learned to use this interaction between light and crystals to create our beautifully cut gemstones.
Today, Nomad's is a gem house with a global presence that works with a diverse array of gemstones from across the world, focusing on fine material and precise cutting. We specialize in one-of-a-kind pieces perfect for custom jewelry heirlooms. For us, gem cutting is an art form; the stones are small sculptures that should be traded with respect for their beauty and rarity.
The Art of Faceting at the highest level involves a careful and methodical and yet at the same time imaginatively artful approach. It may take days, even weeks to plan an important piece. A rough gemstone is full of promise. In the hands of a Master Cutter its true beauty and grace are developed and revealed.
Where will the table be? How to work around the inclusions to bring out a clean stone? How to reach the harmonious proportions for maximum brilliance and outline sensual flowing lines and curves? A three-dimensional image forms in the Master’s mind. Decisions are made. Resolutely the stone is sliced to remove blemished parts, and then carefully shaped using a diamond-charged cutting wheel. Ready for the final stage.
The Cutter and the gem form a cosmic link. The patterns of facets are created and the facets are polished. Extreme effort and concentration are key to creating a beautiful masterpiece. Every line, point and facet must be ideal. The polishing must be perfectly smooth and flat.
As the final touches are made, the Master is in a trance-like state of mind, on a peak of attention and awareness. The gem acquires its new radiant look. A culmination of all emotions, calculations and contemplation experienced in the faceting of this stone is embodied in the finished jewel. And what a sight it is to behold.
