Extraordinary Gem Artist - People | Places

Artist Nicolai Medvedev is world-renowned for his legendary lapidary boxes

**Nicolai** **Medvedev** – painting *en plein air, S*edona, AZ, 2016. Photo by a passer-by on the Artist’s cell phone.

Artist Nicolai Medvedev creates marvelous masterpiece lapidary boxes. Using a long-forgotten technique from the 16^thcentury called gem intarsia, he cuts and assembles the finest gems and minerals in complex patterns that excite the eye and delight the mind. Medvedev’s elegant boxes are superlative in every way. Their designs are splendid, the gems are opulent, and their workmanship is impeccable.

**The Sacred Garden Box –**center top: opal, sugilite, lapis-lazuli, and turquoise over four malachite stalactites; additional malachite, azurite-malachite, opal, and gold-in-quartz with 18kt gold hinge. W: 6” D:4.5” H: 3.5” Courtesy of Mona Lee Nesseth. Photo by Harold & Erica Van Pelt. It is currently on display at the GIA Museum World Headquarters in Carlsbad.

The geometric designs and vibrant colors in Medvedev’s gem intarsia boxes are reminiscent of those found in the carpets, fabrics, jewelry and tilework of his native Turkmenistan. Trained as an artist, Medvedev graduated from the Art Institute in Moscow. While studying in Russia, Medvedev drew inspiration from the spectacular collections of gem carvings and jeweled art objects at the Hermitage Palace in St. Petersburg. Imbued by the possibilities he could envision, Nicolai began exploring gem materials as his artistic medium.

In 1980, Medvedev emigrated to the United States and focused entirely on gem intarsia. Fortuitously, his work coincided with a Renaissance in the gem and jewelry arts that flourished between 1980 and 2000. At first, Nicolai produced smaller gem intarsia pieces to be set as jewelry. This allowed him to fine tune his techniques and build an inventory. As confidence in his own abilities grew, Medvedev began creating gem intarsia boxes and these became his specialty.

Through the international network of gem and mineral dealers and collectors, Nicolai was introduced to the mineral curators for major museums. As a result, the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History hosted a very rare one-man exhibition – “Mineral Masterpieces: Hard-Stone Inlay by Nicolai Medvedev” – from 1991-1993. With the success of this show, further exhibits of his work were mounted at other museums across the country. Several of these museums subsequently acquired Medvedev gem intarsia boxes for their permanent collections, a sincere testament to the excellence of Medvedev’s work. In addition, many private collectors around the world have also amassed personal collections of Medvedev’s gem intarsia. Among those, the prestigious London jeweler, Garrard & Co., purchased several boxes for individual royal collections.

**Smithsonian Box –** center top: malachite stalactite; additional malachite, gold-in-quartz, sugilite and turquoise with 18kt gold hinge. W: 6.5” D:5” H: 3.25” Courtesy of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. Photo by Harold & Erica Van Pelt.

At the time his gem intarsia boxes were exhibited at the Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art, Medvedev became good friends with John Lizzadro. Later, when one of the Lizzadro family members passed away, John commissioned Nicolai to make a commemorative gem intarsia box for the museum’s permanent collection. To add deeper significance, John provided several gem specimens that had been collected by his father, Joseph Lizzadro, for Nicolai to incorporate into the Memorial Box.

**The Memorial Box –** center top: rhodochrosite stalactite from Argentina framed by turquoise, gold-in-quartz, and sugilite; with malachite, gold in quartz, copper ore, Lake Superior agate nodule slices, sugilite, turquoise, nephrite jade, and green jasper. Hexagonal box measured from Corner to Corner: 7.5” Side to Side: 6” H: 4.5” Courtesy of the Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art. Photo by Harold & Erica Van Pelt

So how are these enchanting boxes made? Gem intarsia is an exacting technique that takes enormous patience, total attention to detail and the utmost precision to fabricate. It requires a thorough knowledge of gem materials and their physical properties plus an exceptional artist’s eye and sensibility to create such treasures. Depending on the size and complexity of the finished piece, this painstaking process may take over a year to complete.

Every box begins by designing a centerpiece for the top. Inspiration often comes from a special single gem or a spectacular gem formation. The design that evolves from this center theme dictates what other gem materials will be selected to complete the box.

**Harold’s 80^thBox**– center top: two malachite stalactites form the number “80”framed by gold-in-quartz, turquoise and lapis lazuli; front side: opal “H” framed by lapis lazuli set in panels of azurite-malachite; additional opal, turquoise, lapis lazuli, gold-in-quartz and malachite with 18Kt gold hinge. W: 4.25” D: 3.25” H: 3.25” Courtesy of and Photo by Harold & Erica Van Pelt.

After the theme is chosen, the underlying box of fine white marble is constructed. This marble box provides a stable base for Medvedev to cover with gem inlay. Next, he cuts and polishes each gem piece and cements it in place. This is when every bit of his training and patience is called upon. Some of the gem pieces are mere slivers of gem material that will frame a larger panel on the box. Cutting gem materials this fine by hand seems impossible, yet he uses this framing technique on most of his boxes.

“My fingers have eyes, especially when cutting a curved piece. Those are really challenging!” Medvedev says, when explaining how he can achieve this precision.

Nicolai’s classical art training gave him a solid understanding of color combinations as well as proportion and design. He prefers gem materials with rich, vivid hues that he combines in strong contrast to one another: malachite’s variegated light and dark greens with sugilite’s rich purple or rhodochrosite in banded shades of bright pink. Other combinations include the shifting prismatic colors of opal with sky blue turquoise, or lapis lazuli’s deep regal blue with gold-in-quartz, a rare white quartz with veins of pure gold running through it like lightning.

The inside of each irresistible box is just as beautiful as it is on the outside. When the box is opened, the underside of the lid presents an outstanding, gemstone panel such as a picture jasper like a desert landscape, or Australian tiger’s eye like an abstract painting that draws the viewer into another dimension. The rest of the interior is lined with exotic wood such as purple-heart, rosewood, cherry, mahogany, or walnut. The metal hinges for these boxes, and the occasional extra design accent, are all made of 18 karat gold.

Nicolai Medvedev continues to create his extraordinary gem intarsia boxes. Like snowflakes, but much more durable, every box is unique, and each one is more exquisite than the last. The more beautiful the box, the more precious are the things they are made to contain. Medvedev gem intarsia boxes are perfect for holding all kind of possibilities: perhaps a spectacular jewel, a secret wish; maybe your fondest hopes, and certainly your most beautiful dreams.