lapidary, lapidarist (noun)

an expert on precious stones and the art of cutting and engraving them

lapidary, lapidist (adj)

a skilled worker who cuts and engraves precious stones

lapidary (adj)

of or relating to precious stones or the art of working with them

"the ring is of no lapidary value"- Lord Byron; "lapidary art"

lapidary (Noun)

A person who cuts, polishes, engraves, or deals in gems.

lapidary (Noun)

a treatise on precious stones

lapidary (Adjective)

Pertaining to gems and precious stones, or the art of working them.

lapidary (Adjective)

Suitable for inscriptions; efficient, stately, concise.

Lapidary

A lapidary is an artist or artisan who forms stone, mineral, gemstones into decorative items such as engraved gems, including cameos, or cabochons, and faceted designs, or who is an expert in precious stones; and can be a collector of or dealer in gems. Related, but in contrast, hardstone carving is the term in art history for some of the objects produced and the craft. Diamond cutters are generally not referred to as lapidaries, due to the specialized techniques which are required to work diamond. In modern contexts "gemcutter" typically refers to people who specialize in cutting diamonds, but in older historical contexts; it refers to artists producing engraved gems such as jade carvings and the like. A specialized form of lapidary work is the inlaying of marble and gemstones into a marble matrix, known in English as "pietra dura" for the hardstones like onyx, jasper and carnelian that are used, but called in Florence and Naples, where the technique was developed in the 16th century, opere di commessi. The Medici Chapel at San Lorenzo in Florence is completely veneered with inlaid hard stones. The specialty of "micromosaics", developed from the late 18th century in Naples and Rome, in which minute slivers of glass are assembled to create still life, cityscape views and the like, is sometimes covered under the umbrella term of lapidary work. In China, lapidary work specializing in jade carving has been continuous since at least the Shang dynasty.