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The ACS Story
[ACS Site originator and owner
from May, 1995 until October, 2008: Barbara Smigel, PhD.
GG]
Stone
Collector/Beginning Gemology Student
Many years ago a chance encounter with a little
book on gemstones changed my life. At that time, I was a more than
20 year
veteran professor of biology, and had always thought of stones
primarily as places for bugs to hide under. :-)
As I looked through the book I thought, "Gee,
I'd like one of those, and one of those, and one of those..." I soon
began collecting gemstones, starting, of course, with the more common
ones but rapidly getting into the rare, exotic and expensive! Because
I wanted to be sure I was getting what I was paying for, I enrolled
in "Gem Indentification" and later all of the gemology courses with
GIA (Gemological Institute of America).
Faceting
The next logical step was to learn to cut
stones myself. Not being the type of person who can learn easily from
illustrations in books, I sought out a mentor from our local gem and
mineral club. He was kind enough to let me sit by his side and watch
him facet, and later cut stones on his machine. I was hooked. I
ordered my own equipment and, to be honest, made every mistake it is
possible for a new cutter to make--at least three times. But,
ultimately, I got the hang of it. Before too long I had reached the
point of no return -- too many gems piling up. The only way I could
continue cutting the high grade gem material that I loved was to sell
some of it, so I started this business.
Becoming a Gem
Merchant
Initially, sales were by mail order via
classified ads, and locally by word of mouth. The ACS website debuted
on the internet in August of 1997 with a few dozen stones for sale,
all of which I cut myself. As time went on, and the website became
more and more popular, I slowly acquired my associations with the
select group of affiliated cutters whose work I purchase or
consign.
At present, I am just an occasional contributor
of stones to the site, generally just a piece or two per year, as
time permits. When I do have the great luxury and pleasure of some
free time for cutting, I use an Ultra Tec machine and tend to favor
geometric and freeform designs and Barion cuts especially in rare gem
species and varieties. The stones that I cut are identified with
"BWS"
after the description, other letters indicate the various affiliated
cutters (see below) whose works I admire. and whose contributions
enrich my site offerings so much.
Becoming a Gemologist/Gemology Teacher
By 2001 it was impossible for me to continue to
cut stones, run a business, teach full time and have a family life.
As a result, I "retired" from my college biology teaching job to
concentrate more energy on my gem interests. (Semi-retired is more
accurate, as I still teach classes as an Emeritus Professor at
Community College of Southern Nevada, here in Las Vegas, only now I'm
teaching Introductory Gemology for the Geology Department.)
In April, 1998 I obtained the Colored Stone
Diploma, and in September, 2003 I received the Graduate Gemologist
credential (GG) from GIA. I continue to be an obessive gemstone
collector.
Instruction in
Gemology
After obtaining the GG, I began preparing a
science-based introductory gemology course for the geology department
at College of Southern Nevada. I began teaching this course in Fall,
2004 in a traditional on-campus format. As of Fall, 2005, an internet
verison became available through CSN which makes the course available
to students anywhere in the country (or in the world for that matter)
through the college's distance education department. http://www.csn.edu
If you'd like to learn more about the science
of gemology, but don't want to take an official course with fees,
grades, credits and deadlines, I've created a free version open to
anyone, which you can access at this link: http://www.bwsmigel.info
[Barbara Smigel, PhD, GG.
Come and try my free, online gemology course, or register for credit
at CSN]
Jewelry
Design
Jewelry design has been one of my continuing
interests and aspirations. A few years ago, BWS/FS Designs made their debut
on the website, and are exclusive to ACS. My designs are primarily
sleek, contemporary pendants, and pin/pendants, in gold with rare and
unusual stones in interesting combinations. They have been fabricated
to perfection by Felipe Sandoval, Master Jeweler and Goldsmith.
Occasionally, in the future, new BWS/FS pieces will be introduced to
ACS.
 
[Examples of BWS/FS
Designs]
Retirement
As of November 1st, 2008, I have
retired from ACS after 13 very enjoyable years in the gem business,
11 of those on the internet.
I've turned the site over to the
capable hands of master faceter and gemologist, Barry Bridgestock. I
will continue to teach gemology. This page will be amended soon by
Barry to reflect his own background, interests and
philosophy.
[Barry and Barbara finalizing
ACS change in ownership, October, 2008]
To all my good friends and loyal
customers: Goodbye. I will remember you and my time at ACS with great
pleasure.
Please welcome Barry
Bridgestock:
About The Cutters
Below is information on the
cutters whose work meets the high standards of the ACS site. Their
pieces will be displayed on an ongoing basis. With some exceptions,
they are listed chronologically by length of time associated with
ACS:
Introducing: Barry Bridgestock, Lapidary Artist: Yuma,
Arizona
I am the current owner and webmaster of
ACS. I've made optimal brilliance, precise placement of facets, and
extremely high polish, using very clean material, the main priorities
for my faceted stones. My stones have been used in award winning
jewelry pieces over the years, and I'm constantly looking for new and
attractive gem rough. One of my specialties in faceting is a group of
oval cuts called "supernovas", which overcome the traditional
shadowing and extinction inherent to the oval shape and sparkle with
light at every angle. I enjoy the challenges of creating insets of
faceted stones within cabbed pieces and am able to create carved gems
that possess unusual optical qualities. Tourmaline and rare garnets
are my favorite gem materials. "BB" will follow the
descriptions of my pieces. I can be reached by email at
bbridgestock47@adelphia.net or by phone at 928-342-2278.
Introducing: Barbara Smigel, Facetor, Graduate Gemologist: Las Vegas,
Nevada
The former owner and webmaster of ACS,
a Graduate Gemologist (GIA) and gemology instructor. Although this
site started as a venue for her own faceting efforts, these days she
is but an occasional contributor of faceted stones and/or jewelry to
the offerings. When available, "BWS" will follow the
descriptions of her gems or jewelry pieces. With her collaborator,
Felipe Sandoval, she produces the custom jewerly line: BWS/FS Designs which is exclusive to ACS. The majority of the educational gem photos
and writings which appear on the site were developed by Barbara over
her 11 years as head of ACS. You can email her at
bwsmigel@mac.com
Introducing: Keith Horst, Lapidary Artist, Prescott
Arizona
Some of the most distinctive cabochons
available anywhere come from Keith Horst, of A&K Gems and
Minerals. Keith's gracefully thin creations feature unusual materials
with exotic and lovely patterns, often in superbly matched pairs. He
has an extensive knowledge of field geology and many of his materials
are self collected. Keith also teaches lapidary at an Arizona
college. "KH" follows the description of his cabs. He can be contacted
through A & K Gems and Minerals , P.O. Box 4362 Prescott, AZ.
86302 (928) 778-7243
Introducing: Ben Kho, Facetor and Jeweler: Decatur,
Georgia
Ben Kho has a well established
reputation in the gem cutting community. As a long time AGTA member
he takes special care in describing his gems accurately, especially
with regard to provenance and any enhancements. His custom cuts on
both jewelry stones and collectable gems, have been featured in
magazines like Lapidary Journal/Jewelry Artist, and Colored Stone and
he has won the AGTA's top faceting award many times previously, and
has once again gained this honor, in two categories for 2008. His
degree of expertise with tricky material is well known, and he is
acknowledged as one of the premier rhodocrosite, Benitoite, and
sphalerite cutters in the world. One of his specialties is reworking
of native cut gemstones (like sapphires, rubies and emeralds) to give
them enhanced brilliance and proportion with minimal loss of weight.
He is also an excellent jewelry designer and goldsmith. "BK" will follow
descriptions of his gem and jewelry pieces.
Introducing: Joel Baskin, Lapidary Artist/Jewerly Designer: Wolf
Creek, Oregon
Joel is a consummate artist with
cabochons. His attention to the details of pattern, design, edging
and polish is evident in every cabochon that leaves his wheel. He
seeks out the highest grade material and has an especially fine eye
for dramatic patterns in agates and jaspers and a notable ability to
get a superior polish on jade. He is also a talented carver, facetor,
and jewelry designer. (These abilities seem to run in his family as
both his brother and son produce extraordinary jewelry designs as
well.) "JB" will follow the descriptions of his pieces. He can be
reached at (541) 479-3505
Introducing: Carey Robbins: Lapidary and Gem Carver: Bend,
Oregon.
Carey says "beauty is primary,
yield-secondary" and has as his overall goal "dynamic form and
symmetry in a well finished stone". With patterned rough, he attempts
to orient the pattern to its most esthetic position and to balance
the finished stone in a way that makes it easy for a metal artist to
incorporate it into his or her work. "CR" will indicate Carey's
pieces. He can be reached at (541) 383-5821
To see the pieces by any of
these individuals, simply enter their intials, ex. BB., KH., etc.
into the search dialog box using the "Search our Catalog" link above,
or at the top of the red navigation bar on the homepage.
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