With the city of Idar-Oberstein, which is located in Germany, the names of many world-famous stone cutters are associated. And this is no coincidence.

Since the 15th century, mining, processing and trading in precious stones has been carried out in Idar-Oberstein. Geographically, the city is located on the Saar Highlands on a relatively small area of ​​30×30 km, it is also called Deutsche Edelsteinstrasse – the German gemstone road.

For many centuries this city was the largest center for processing precious and colored stones in Europe. At first, agate, from local mines, served as the material for products, then imported raw materials, including diamonds, emeralds, topazes, rubies, were processed here. Most of the inhabitants of Idar-Oberstein were engaged in cutting and cutting stones at home, and the number of small handicraft workshops reached several hundred. Stone-cutting skills were passed down in the family from generation to generation. A well-known dynasty like the Dreher family is already in its twelfth generation of stone cutters and gem cutters.

In 1827, emigrants from Idar-Oberstein discovered the world’s largest agate deposit in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. Back in 1834, the first batch of agate from Rio Grande do Sul was delivered to Idar-Oberstein.

Carl Faberge, before taking over the family jewelry business, traveled around Europe, studying jewelry and its history in European countries. It was then that he was able to appreciate the skill of the stone cutters of Idar-Oberstein. The first orders for stone-cutting figurines, which had great success with St. Petersburg buyers, were carried out by German craftsmen using plaster models, which were developed by Faberge. Stone-cut blanks created in Idar-Oberstein were sent to St. Petersburg for final finishing.

The firm’s jewelers set diamond eyes on animals or golden paws on bird figurines before selling them. A separate group of stone-cutting figurines, which were made by the most skilled craftsmen, is the so-called block sculpture, which is sometimes called a three-dimensional mosaic. Most often these are figurines of people, typical images of Russian peasants, artisans or soldiers. Pupils of Gerd Dreher created such figurines while studying in his workshop even in the second half of the twentieth century. So do not be surprised at the figurines of Russian boyars or pre-revolutionary St. Petersburg janitors, made by modern German stone cutters.

The city is home to the German Gems Museum. It contains samples of precious and semi-precious minerals not only from Germany, but from all over the world. The museum shows the history of stone mining and processing for five hundred years of the existence of this craft here. A special section is represented by products made of carved and painted stone. This includes gems and cameos, surprise eggs, including works by Faberge.

In terms of the richness of its collection of ornamental stones and products made from them, the museum is not inferior to the wonderful Russian mineralogical museums in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sverdlovsk. Idar-Oberstein has always attracted the attention of true connoisseurs and lovers of stone, as well as jewelers and merchants. The well-known Russian mineralogist Academician A.E. Fersman and described in detail the features of the stone craft of Idar-Oberstein in his book Essays on the History of Stone.