Published inJustin K Prim·Jan 13Past TalksRecounting all the lectures I’ve given Dec 5 2022 — San Diego Mineral & Gem Society, San Diego, CA Nov 30, 2022 — Gemological Institute of America (GIA), Carlsbad, CA November 3, 2022 — SF Gem and Mineral Society, San Francisco, CA November 1, 2022 — Columbia Willamette Faceters Guild, Portland, OR October 22, 2022 —…3 min read3 min read
Published inJustin K Prim·Dec 27, 2022Tucson After-Party Guide 2023A guide to all the evening and extra events at the Tucson Gem Show 2023 by Justin K Prim — Friday January 27 Day: Tucson Fine Mineral Gallery- talks and events throughout the week — Schedule Here Sunday January 29 Day: NAJA Conference— Register Here Monday January 30 Day: AGTA Show begins Day: Faceting Demo — UArizona Alfie Norville Gem & Mineral Museum Evening : Gemology Worldwide Party —Marriot Starr Pass — RSVP HereTucson2 min readTucson2 min read
Published inJustin K Prim·Apr 20, 2022The History of London’s Lapidariesby Justin K Prim — The history of London’s gem and jewellery trade has always been a story of three parallel narratives: those of the goldsmiths, the coloured-stone lapidaries and the diamond cutters. Although one would be hard-pressed to find a diamond cutter in modern London, and coloured-stone cutters have become exceedingly scarce, these three…History55 min readHistory55 min read
Published inJustin K Prim·Mar 26, 2022“I want to buy a cheap or used faceting machine”The official guide. — There are several ways to cut a gemstone but all of them require some sort of tool. The faceting machine is essential for any would-be gemcutter. Many people want to learn to facet stones but stumble when it comes to purchasing their machine because the entry barrier for faceting is…Gemstone6 min readGemstone6 min read
Published inJustin K Prim·Oct 20, 2021How to Get Your Mind Blown by H.P. Lovecraft and Alan Moore in 7 Epic StepsLast year, I went down a Lovecraft rabbit hole where I was thinking and living in a Lovecraftian world for a few months. The guide that I am writing for these stories comes from that experience. The immersive way that I did it was extremely powerful and in my opinion…Hp Lovecraft8 min readHp Lovecraft8 min read
Published inJustin K Prim·May 9, 2021The Art and Joy of Recutting GemstonesA Chinese translation of this article was originally published in Jewelry World Vol. 92, November 2019 Over the past few years, the demand for well-cut gemstones has increased dramatically. Due to the large amount of commercial-quality material whose original cut was solely meant to retain weight as opposed to maximizing…Gem4 min readGem4 min read
Published inJustin K Prim·May 9, 2021A Colored Gemstone Buyers Guide to Cut StylesOriginally published in the GAA Journal V27 No3 January-June 2020 Once upon a time, buyers of colored stones were solely focused on color and size but in the 21st century, gemstone and jewelry customers are becoming more aware of the effect of the cut on colored stones. Gemstone grading laboratories…Gemstone13 min readGemstone13 min read
Published inJustin K Prim·May 9, 2021Human Perception and the Color of GemstonesOriginall published in GAMMA The ICA | GemLab Journal — Volume 1 Issue 2 Do you remember a few years back, there was a viral phenomenon going around the internet that involved a dress with a color that no one could agree about? Some people said the dress was blue…Colors8 min readColors8 min read
Published inJustin K Prim·May 8, 2021I Dream of Being a GemcutterHow to make your professional dream a reality. — When I first discovered gemstones and the gem trade, the first thing that came into my mind was “how do they cut these tiny stones?” This question led me to discover the lapidary club system and caused me to spend two years riding my bike to the local club almost…Learning11 min readLearning11 min read
Published inJustin K Prim·May 1, 2021The Wave Decay SonotoriumConstructing an Octophonic Sound Environment — In August of 2016, I teamed up with Scottish artist Katie Anderson to build an immersive sound installation inside a ruined Victorian mansion in Southern Scotland. We got a few grants to help us fund the project and spent a few months getting permission from the owners, planning it, and…Art10 min readArt10 min read
