Gembirds Information 
What are Gembirds?
They are a unique, truly one-of-a-kind collectible. There are no two carvings alike. Hand carved from a variety of minerals such as green serpentine, agate, onyx, white, yellow, red and black dolomite, calcite and many other stones. The high end carvings are cut from ruby, aquamarine, tourmaline, lapis lazuli and other gemstone material. These fine carvings are then placed on bases of carefully selected natural mineral specimens to make a total package for the fine art collector.
Because the carvings like the bases that they are set on are one of a kind so being the prices are not all the same. Check out our shopping area to see the different carvings.
The Making of a Gem Bird
Planning:
Planning is the first stage of almost any work of art. This starts with finding the right crystal base and deciding how to bring out the best in the mineral.Once the right base is found, the subject to be carved, and the material from which it is to be carved is decided. There are still many different aspects to consider, such as cutting time, tools, waste from the rough, etc. The carving is planned to the last detail; any mistake is very costly when working with fine gem materials.
Design Layout:
The first step for the designer is to sketch his ideas on paper.This provides the carver with a general basis of what is to be done.The designer must then place on paper the exact details of how to put the carving together in order that the carver will be able to assemble the carving exactly as designed. The designer should make sure the material from which the carving is to be made is suitable for the subject being depicted.For example, a blue jay should not be made from a red gem material.When the right gem material and base have been chosen for the sculpture, the carver can begin.
Block Cutting:
Once the carver receives the rough, he then lays out a silhouette of the carving on a thin piece of tissue paper in order that it may be transferred to a piece of emery cloth.The design of the subject is then cut out of the emery cloth and placed on the piece of rough material that is to be carved.The rough material, with pattern attached, is then taken over to the diamond saw, where the first process of cutting called, “blocking”, takes place. A number of straight-cuts are made to remove the excess from around the emery cloth pattern, and soon the general outline of the carving can be seen to take shape. In this process there is a waste or loss of rough material of about 60% or more, depending on the type and shape of the beginning rough. This means that, if a finished carving weighs 400 grams, the piece of rough material from which it was cut, weighed in the range of 1000-1100 grams or more. This is a very important factor to take into consideration especially when working with materials that can cost from $1000.00 a kilo and up.
Pre-forming: 
This is the process of rounding out the general body shape of the final carving. In this stage the art of gemstone carving starts to take shape as the talented hands of the carver begin to breathe life into the gemstone carving. Many different diamond grinding wheels and hand tools are used in this pre-forming process; the character of the finished carving is beginning to develop. The carver must be most careful that the proportions of the bird or animal are just right or the carving will be too fat or too thin.
Detailing:
Once the proportions of the carving are perfected detailing of the feathers for birds or fur for other animals is begun. This process is where the professional carvers are separated from the amateurs. The carver’s skills are learned over years of training and carving. There is no room for mistakes as too much pressure on the fine diamond tools or delicate tips ruins the tools, or, even worse, the carving is fractured and totally useless.In making birds, feathers are carved on the body, one at a time with many different fine lines added to each feather. For fish, the carver now needs to know where each scale goes, and how to place and carve each scale to the right texture and shape. A true knowledge of the different rocks and gem materials is an essential part of the carver's training.
Polishing:
This is the final stage in the carving of some of the finest carvings ever made. Only the most expensive are polished to a high gloss finish.
Polishing each small piece of the carving is very time consuming.Each goes through many different polishing grid sizes from 200, 400, 600 and 800 grid.The final high polish is done on a felt lap with tin oxide.
Assembly:
Once all the different components of the final sculpture are finished to the satisfaction of the carver, the individual pieces are brought together for the final assembly. Some of the different scenes are composed of many different parts such as flowers, bullrushes of tiger-eye and sterling silver.
The first stage in the assembly process is to pick the right base mineral that expresses the essence of the subject the carver is trying to portray. Once the right base is found the different pieces are slowly and carefully set into place. Extra care is taken at this stage to ensure that each piece is correctly placed without any damage.
