Process

Mine, cut, grade, collection — four readings of one matrix.

The journey is not a walk through rooms. It is one matrix read four ways, and each reading is a different document.

Rough

Sawn

Cabochon

Polished

Drawn from the cutting stages, not from a photograph of the bench.

The cutter

The cutter: The cutting is done by the partners — about thirty years in the trade, and no name is on file yet.
Time: Cutting the current rough takes about a month.
Orders: No completed order is on file yet.

Field record

The vein formed in the rock at Nishapur; the parcels were photographed as they arrived. The record is the parcels, not the mountain.

Reference book

How the matrix is judged. The rules are written in the dictionary.

Ledger

Which parcels carry the matrix. Eight parcels on file, each with its photographs, its matrix family, and its stamp.