The Cutting Wheel documents the quiet transformation of Himalayan stones — from uncirculated rough to refined legacy pieces. This page holds process footage, lapidary notes, and visual records from the hands of master cutters entrusted with the archive.
Not every piece shown here is final. Some are still in formation, others preserved mid-stage as part of the archive’s development. This is not a commercial gallery — it is a record of intent, orientation, and origin.
The Cutting Wheel
A rare documentation of a high-altitude Himalayan sapphire brought from rough to record. This footage follows the transformation of The Vale Empress — faceted by British master lapidary Ken Harrington from 29.11 carats of Kashmir-region rough into a 10.82 carat pear.
Filmed across the key stages of grinding, shaping, and polishing, the video captures the silk-bearing, deeply saturated material into a sapphire now held quietly in archive.
A sapphire of quiet discipline and enduring form, Shāh-nāmeh was cut from Himalayan-region rough and entrusted to British master lapidary Ken Harrington.
At 6.24 carats, she holds the concentration and presence of a larger stone. Named after the Book of Kings, she is both restraint and legacy.
Combined studio footage: rubies, emeralds, and sapphires in process under the hand of Ken Harrington.
Each of these Kashmir-belt sapphires began as a rough crystal, pulled from the mountains of northern Pakistan. From there, the transformation into high-jewellery gems was anything but simple.
Master lapidary Ken Harrington spent over 12 hours on each stone — carefully orienting, faceting, and polishing to release their natural brilliance.
The Neelum Tear (9.31 ct) demanded meticulous shaping to preserve weight while capturing its pear silhouette.
The Batakundi Drop (8.39 ct) required constant adjustments under magnification to balance symmetry and colour zoning.
The Kaghan Navette (7.85 ct), with its rare marquise outline, pushed both patience and precision — every facet angled to maximise light return without compromising integrity.
This is not quick work. Each rotation of the wheel is a dialogue between stone and cutter, where millimetres decide whether a gem lives up to its potential.
The result: three unheated sapphires, cut for proportion, brilliance, and legacy. Stones that carry the mark of both their Himalayan birthplace and the human hand that revealed their beauty.