Reflections in Stone : Arnoldsche : 9783897902039 : 3897902036 : 01 Jan 1999 : Since the 1960s, Bernd Munsteiner (1943) has focused in his sculpture on the aesthetic qualities of natural mineral formations. The first contemporary artist to have approached gemstones in this way, he has left far behind him the glitzy world of jewels, facet-cutting and market valuation by virtue of carat and purity practised by the jewellery trade. During an artistic career spanning more than forty years, Bernd Munsteiner has created a rich oeuvre with which he is represented worldwide in public and private collections. He is world-famous as an outstanding innovator in modern gem-cutting, especially for the spectacular sculptures from the Metamorphosis cycle, cut from an 850-kg rock crystal with needle-like rutile inclusions, and the 35-cm-high sculpture Dom Pedro - Ondas Maritimas - the largest cut aquamarine in the world.