Scott
Famous diamonds have always fascinated Scott since he was eight after he saw a display of glass replicas at the Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Arts, now located in Oak Brook, IL. his interest in rocks continued and he started cutting opal when he was 14. At 19, he learned to facet, and cubic zirconia had just hit the market. After a bit of thinking, he put the two together and started researching famous diamonds to create his own replica collection. Now, over 4 1/2 decades later, he is still researching and his collection has grown.
Unlike many in the gem trade, he has always held an outside job to pay the bills. (You can see all the details at https://www.linkedin.com/in/sucherscott/). His career as an Air Force Combat Search and Rescue/Special Operations instructor pilot sent him all over the world, a benefit when one wants to do research in far-off locations.
Once he retired from the Air Force, the next 30 years or so were in the civilian sector, but research and replica creation continued. After a while his body of work became noticed on the web, leading to work with the Discovery Channel, National Geographic, museums and jewelers all over the world, TV and movie productions, and traveling to give presentations with invitations to display his work.
Although well-known for his replicas, he has also cut a nice collection of natural stones. He has actually concave faceted sulfur, a first as this material is frail and sensitive to both thermal and physical shock (so sensitive putting the material in your hand that the temperature difference could shatter it). Follow him on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/scott.sucher.58) or Instagram (#MuseumDiamonds) to view some of his latest creations. And if you see something you want, or have a special project, feel free to contact him!
Karen
Karen has been an integral part providing technical, moral, and early financial support for Scott’s efforts since before they were married. As a 30+ year educator (MS Ed), she has used the replica collection in her science classes as props to discuss topics as varied as crystallography, the science of color, optics, politics, fungible assets and economics, politics, and a host of others as they all have a place in famous diamond history. Her students have been able to handle the replicas (3000-4000 students on several continents over 30 years) as it brings the STEM curriculum to life as they see the practical applications of what they learn in school. This has been shown numerous times as she receives letters from former students a number of years later – “Dear Mrs. Sucher, I’d like to invite you to my graduation for my (BS, MS, PhD) in (Science, Math, other). I chose this goal after handling the stones you brought in. . . .” Although the collection has been valued quite highly by Lloyds of London, the reward of letters like this made the risk to the collection worthwhile. And after all, Scott could always replace a damaged one if it got dropped!