The world we think we know remains a mystery in more ways than one. Throughout mines in locations known to the world, there lie hidden gems and beauty only a few can find but many have seen. Keith Cler — a husband, a father of three, and a lover of lapidary work — has seen this hidden world. He knows its beauty is hard to top.
“In the old days, they called guys like me rock hounds,” said Cler when describing his passion. “But now, via Etsy and online websites, I post my stones there and then people buy them. The art has been around for some time, but I’ll say in the past ten years it’s really taken off with men and women purchasing it.”
The art itself has taken off in the past years, but Cler is in no way new to the game.
“When I was about ten years old, I started going to stone shows and auctions with a local doctor; he would take young kids to shows and show them how the stone cutting was done,” said Cler. “I was fascinated with the whole aspect just like any little boy. For years after that he would show me how to cut stones, and my fascination just grew from there. My family owns a business in Villa Grove, so we built machines, and I started building my own machine to cut stones. From there my love for it just grew, and I brought a bunch of rough materials from around the world, and it just became an addiction for me.”
By having a mentor who not only knew the ins and out of stonecutting but was also willing to show Cler the same, he entered into the world of rocks that had fascinated him ever since boyhood.
“Well, I think I was a typical little boy that was fascinated with rocks; and my parents would take us camping, and I would pick out rocks,” said Cler. “So, the moment I found that you could do something with them, you know, and drill holes in them and string them up in beads, I was just crazy about it. As I got into my teens I was able to get into the machines to polish them. I was just like every other little boy, except with my doctor friend. He could see that when you’re really into something. So, he kind of fed off that passion.”
With the support of his parents and older adults around him fascinated by a young boy’s passion for rocks, Cler surpassed the idle thoughts of those who simply think about chasing their dreams. He pursued his.
“I learned how to do everything primarily from the doctor, and I would order magazines,” said Cler. “Whenever I was too young to travel, my parents would take me to places like Idaho, and I would go to places where you could mine. Our southwest is rich with gemstones — and California. [Older miners] would tell me I had to learn how to do this and that right. I knew an older man in Decatur, and my parents would take me to see him, and he would show me what I wanted to end up with and the process of cutting it. If I wasn’t doing it right, they would show me what I was doing wrong. I was working with the best, in my opinion. It was very fortunate for me to be around them. At the time they were like gods to me. It was like if you’re a musician and you wanted to work with the best.”
Throughout his teen years, Cler’s love of stonecutting grew from a hobby taught by a mentor to a timely dedication that expanded from home to other countries.
“So, then I followed a lot of older men who were just experts in stone cutting, and they would show me more and more ways of how to do it right,” said Cler. “And so then I did that all through my teens. I started doing silver-smithing and gold-smithing so I would have something to do with the stones once they finished. [My mentor] had been to Australia a few times, so he told me that I had to go there and see this for real and meet the people that mine the stones. My dream was to mine, but it was really hard to do. So, another classmate and I went to live in Australia, and it was difficult, but some other miners helped us.”
As Cler’s dedication for mining and finding precious stones expanded, life continued forward as it often does. Love and family paused the process, but never did it stop it.
“I got married when I was 21, and I’m still married,” said Cler. “Then my wife and I adopted three Philippine boys and I stopped stonecutting to go to soccer games. I couldn’t do both.”
Time continued for Cler, and his sons grew older while his passion for stonecutting remained. It was when his sons had reached a time in their life where they were ready to “launch and go” that his dedication came back full force.
“When my boys graduated from high school I started stonecutting again,” said Cler. “I’d always play with it throughout the years, but I didn’t get really into it. Since then, I’ve travelled around the world a couple of times, primarily to Australia to buy rough materials; and I cut primarily opals — even though I cut a lot of different gemstones. My primary focus is opals, so I mined a couple of times in Australia. I’m really just a buyer. Even though I’ve done it, I’ve worked with the miners in Australia. So, I buy the rough materials, bring it back, cut it, and then I sell it on the internet. So, that’s what I do.”
Cler has traveled to some of the most beautiful places on this earth because of his work.
“I’ve gone to Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Korea, and Fiji because I was passionate about traveling,” said Cler. “So, wherever I went I would look for places to mine and stones. It was insane. Australia is great.”
Cler’s work showcases how dedication from an early age can blossom into talent and creative work and how passion can take you from campfire rocks to mines in Australia. His work can be viewed on his Facebook page and even on Etsy.
It’s a beauty one has to see to believe.