Afghani Blue-Green Tourmaline 2.47ct., 7.55x7.56x5.71mm.
$375
A new addition to the local community of artists and fine craftsmen will be featured at Walker's Celtic Jewelry in Fairport Friday November 27 and at Walker Metalsmiths in Andover on Saturday November 28. Peter Torraca is a lapidary artist, also known as a gem cutter. Torraca has returned to make Allegany County his home after graduating from Houghton College in 1994.
Peter reminisces, “From early childhood, I was always fascinated with rocks and gemstones. My mother quickly learned that checking pockets was essential at laundry time, otherwise small, pretty stones would inevitably be found banging around the laundry machine. Being the son of a small-town bench-jeweler in Cornwall, NY, the jump from pretty pebbles to gemstones was completely natural. “
His love of gem stones led him into several aspects of the jewelry trade before he became a hands-on gem cutter. In Boston he worked in behind-the-counter retail sales to wholesale diamonds to estate jewelry. He then studied gemology with the Gemological Institute of America.
“I noticed that though most diamonds are very well cut”, he recalls, “But most colored stones are very poorly cut. Then I discovered the world of custom faceting. Fine colored gemstones need not be windowed and almost randomly cut -- they could become breath-taking gems. This "discovery" led me to take up faceting as a trade. I now use state of the art faceting machinery and techniques to create exceptional, fine gemstones that stand well apart from common commercial stones.”
Peter met local goldsmith Stephen Walker during the Allegany Artisans Studio Tour in October. It quickly became obvious that they could collaborate because of their complimentary jewelry skills.
“I am always on the lookout for high quality gems to use in my jewelry.” explains Walker. “ I have some excellent suppliers in New York and Rochester, but am very excited to now have a first class custom cutter right here on my doorstep. We have done some of our own cabochon cutting in house for materials we get from Scotland and Ireland, but faceting is beyond my skill set. Peter’s stones are exceptionally well cut. He goes beyond just following the same old standard cuts. What I have seen of his work is exceptional, in the design and craftsmanship as well as the quality of material he starts with.”
Torraca recently went to Tanzania on a successful buying trip with his mentor, award winning Michigan cutter Roger Dery. There they bought rough, natural gem materials including sapphires, fancy garnets, tourmaline, spinel, and other exotic gems.
Walker Metalsmiths will have an open house reception to introduce yet another skilled and accomplished artist to our community. Peter will be demonstrating his craft and exhibiting his stones at Walker Metalsmiths in Fairport Friday November 27 and at One Main Street Andover on Saturday, November 28 from 10 AM to 4 PM.