Larry Mattos - Ashton Gems
larry mattos (USA)
ashton gems
BIO
Owners Larry and Morgan Mattos share a passion for beautifully cut gemstones. Larry has been fascinated by gems since the age of 12. His interest dates back to 1970, when he attended a rock and stone cutting class with his grandmother.
Although the class only focused on basic lapidary work, and cutting stones such as agates, turquoise, and obsidian, etc., there was something about gemstones that fascinated Larry.
As he got older, he worked his way up to higher-end materials and eventually encountered people working on more sophisticated faceting machines. “Some day I’ll be doing this,” he remembers thinking as a young man. Larry’s career, however, took him away from gemstones, with business ventures in a Auto Body Shop, Custom Tile Business and a Police Officer.
Yet Larry’s love of gemstones never faded. He continued to notice them, and found himself drawn to cutting as a hobby. In 1990, he bought three ‘how to’ books on cutting and read each of them over and over until he understood the faceting process. He also purchased his first faceting machine-a basic, inexpensive model-and began to practice cutting, including work on quality gemstones.
Although Larry had successful businesses, his fascination with gemstones continued calling to him. He finally made the decision to launch his own gem cutting business several years ago because he knew he could produce higher quality work than he saw on most jewelers’ shelves. He believed his meticulous attention to detail, creative approach and 20+ years of experience buying and cutting gems was an asset that could help him excel.
POURQUOI LA SUNSTONE DE L’OREGON?
The reasons I like cutting Oregon Sunstones so much is, it's never the same look on each stone. You can cut a stone in half, and each one would be different, but would look incredible. Sunstones have so many different looks, and each person has their favorite, but they all look great. I cut a wedding ring in a Cream color Sunstone, no Shiller. The cut was a Concave, it still looked like a million buck. If you want to see the Cream Color come alive, Concave it.
CONTACT INFO
Website: ashtongems.com
Tel: 707 769-1706
email: ashtongems@aol.com
