Master Lapidarist
P.C. Lunia didn't just work with gemstones. He transformed how the world cuts, drills, and sets them.
The Rainbow Beads Necklace
Using rubies, sapphires, emeralds, tourmalines, and dozens of other gems, P.C. Lunia created continuous gradients that evoke rainbows made permanent in mineral form. Unlike paints that can be mixed, gemstones come only in the colors nature provides—achieving smooth transitions required sorting through thousands of stones to find exact sequences.
100,000
Emeralds drilled and strung for a single work
Technical Breakthroughs
Diamond-cutting machine adaptation: Achieved precision faceting on beads never before possible.
The checkerboard cut: Invented specifically for textiles.
Silk threading technique: Distinctive Lunia family method creating flexible, textile-like surfaces.
Embraced by Europe's Finest
Showcased by Bulgari, Adler, Roberto Coin, and Horowitz. Rainbow Beads Necklace is part of the Elizabeth Taylor Collection. Documented in Lois Dubin's History of Beads.