Lecture: Pioneering the American Faceting Movement with Justin Prim

Did you know McKissick Museum is home to J. Harry Howard's gemstone collection and gem cutting equipment? This collection attracted the attention of lapidary historian Justin K Prim, who will join us on the evening of Monday, August 22, when he will take us on a journey through time.

Using archival photos and documents, Justin will reveal the roots of gemstone cutting in America. Beginning in the 1890s, we will see rare photos of America's early faceting pioneers and their experimental machines. We will follow the rise of the lapidary community on both the East and West coasts and try to discover who invented the first mast machines that went on to inspire today's modern faceting technology. Justin will lead us through the Great Depression and two World Wars in order to witness the community develop from a dozen interested hobbyists sharing handwritten letters to several thousand people organized into lapidary clubs all over North America.

This is a previously untold story that will give new insights into the unique early origins of today's lapidary clubs and the community of American faceters that it birthed.

Host or Publisher University of South Carolina McKissick Museum