Editing Lapidary (section)

{{short description|Shaping of gemstones for jewelry}}
{{Other uses}}
{{redirect|Gem drill|the episode of ''Steven Universe''|Gem Drill}}
[[File:Lapidary 3302.jpg|thumb|alt=alt=A collection of five red-, orange- and yellow-coloured round gemstones of differing sizes.|Examples of lapidary products]]
[[File:Thai Gem Cutting.jpg|thumb|alt=An Asian man bent over a small gemcutting machine on a low table.|Gemcutting in [[Thailand]]]]

'''Lapidary''' ({{etymology|la|{{wikt-lang|la|lapidarius}}|stone, stony}}) is the practice of shaping [[rock (geology)|stone]], [[mineral]]s, or [[gemstone]]s into decorative items such as [[cabochon]]s, [[engraved gem]]s (including [[cameo (carving)|cameo]]s), and [[facet]]ed designs. A person who practices lapidary techniques of cutting, grinding, and polishing is known as a lapidary or '''lapidarist'''.<ref name="Ripley">{{Cite encyclopedia|year=1860|title=Lapidary|encyclopedia=The New American Cyclopædia|publisher=Appleton|location=New York|editor=Ripley, George|volume=X, Jerusalem&ndash;MacFerrin|pages=310&ndash;311|editor2=Dana, Charles A.}}</ref><ref name="Kraus">{{Cite book|author=Kraus, Pansy D.|chapter=Preface|year=1987|title=Introduction To Lapidary|publisher=Krause Publications|location=Iola, Wisconsin|page=ix|isbn=978-0-8019-7266-9|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/introductiontola00krau}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Oxford Dictionaries: Definition of ''lapidary'' in English |publisher=Oxford University Press |url=https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/lapidary|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922000914/http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/lapidary |archive-date=22 September 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=lapidarist, n. meanings, etymology and more | website=Oxford English Dictionary | date=July 1, 2023 | url=https://www.oed.com/dictionary/lapidarist_n?tl=true | access-date=January 8, 2025}}</ref> [[Hardstone carving]] requires specialized carving techniques.<ref name="Kraus"/>

In modern contexts, a '''gemcutter''' is a person who specializes in cutting diamonds, but in older contexts the term refers to artists who produced [[hardstone carvings]]; engraved gems such as jade carvings, a branch of miniature [[sculpture]] or ornament in gemstone.

By extension, the term ''lapidary'' has sometimes been applied to collectors of and dealers in gems, or to anyone who is knowledgeable in precious stones.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.yourdictionary.com/lapidary|title=lapidary|publisher=Webster's New World College Dictionary, 4th Ed.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070503100826/http://www.yourdictionary.com/lapidary|archive-date=3 May 2007|url-status=live}}</ref>