As a lapidary artist, Bill Gangi is certainly on the cutting edge. On Saturday in the Hop Garage, Gangi, the owner of New York-based Gangi Gems, hosted a trunk show of his pieces. Gangi works with hundreds of different types of stone that he mines, collects, cuts and polishes himself.
Gangi combines his incredible skill with the eloquence of his past employment as a high school teacher, said Jeffrey Georgantes, director of the Claflin jewelry studio. Before working as a lapidary artist, Gangi was a leather artist.
Members of the jewelry studio wanted to bring in a good lapidary artist who could help highlight the jewelry studio's resources and Gangi proved to be a "great" fit, Georgantes said.
Both Gangi's process of cutting his own stones and the naturalistic quality of his pieces distinguish his work from that of other lapidary artists, fellow lapidary artist and gemologist Elaine Rohrbach said.
Georgantes, who first met Gangi 20 years ago at a lapidary conference, calls Gangi's style "boutique mining," referring to his inclination to enter empty mines and collect stones from the cast-off pile as well as seeking specific stones from known places instead of opening his own mine. This practice of mining has a more minimal impact and a much easier collection process.
As Gangi is a member of the American Gem Trade Association, an organization dedicated to promoting sustanability of gemstones, it seems fitting that he would use sustainable methods of gem collection.
Gangi said he attempts to preserve the originality of stones by leaving them as natural as possible "to show what Mother Nature did."
This process leads to a variety of natural beauty that cannot be overstated. Gangi said his favorite stones are the Arizonian azurites, which are colored by copper and can be red, green or blue. Gangi's gems are used for stock cuttings or private orders. Stock items are often used to make sculptural pieces or basic jewelry such as earrings, necklaces, pendants and rings. Each piece is unique in shape and design, again demonstrating Gangi's interest in maintaining the natural stone.
Gangi's trunk show had an open, inviting feel. Everyone, from gemstone collectors to Hanover families and Dartmouth students, was welcomed. In line with Gangi's ethical mining practices, he hopes to host a multi-day event that works with recycled jewelry to highlight ethical and sustainable mining practices for precious metals and stones.
Amber Porter '14 said the exhibit was a great way for students to become exposed to an art form that isn't often highlighted.
"People don't really realized that we have that kind of thing at Dartmouth," she said. "It's a really good way to bring people in."
Ritika Abhyankar '17, who attended the exhibit, said that it made her nostalgic for her childhood rock collection.
"It was very interesting and I loved the diversity of rocks," she said. "I thought the rings he made were very creative, they were unlike anything I had seen before."
