Kid designer is a diamond in the rough

At 10 years old, Josh Kaplan impresses even a legendary diamond cutter.
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Even at age 10, budding jewelry designer Josh Kaplan knows how to make an impression.
Legendary diamond-cutter Lazer Wolf met Josh during Wolf's February visit to Morrison Smith Fine & amp; Custom Jewelers in the Charlotte, N.C., area.
"I thought it would be cool to meet someone whose profession is also in the gemology area," says Josh, a fifth-grader at Elizabeth Lane Elementary in Matthews, N.C.
Among the historic stones Wolf has worked on is the Hope of Africa, a 116-carat fancy yellow diamond. His pieces can be found in the collections of royalty and celebrities and at the Smithsonian Institution.
The legend and the newbie's February meeting was, well, cool.
Here's what Josh says: "It was really, really cool. He knows how to shape the diamond, all the chemical compounds, what made each diamond the color it is."
Wolf's take? "Josh is a cool young man. I am impressed with his ambition, especially at such a young age. I look forward to hearing more about his future successes."
Josh's level of questions and wealth of knowledge were so remarkable that the veteran diamond-cutter was still talking about the boy a few weeks later.
Special gift
Wolf called Chuck Smith, who owns the jewelry store, with an unusual request -- he wanted to give the prodigy an uncut diamond.
Smith agreed to help deliver the gift.
About a month ago, Josh visited the store to pick up the rough canary diamond.
The nearly quarter-carat's value won't be known until the stone is cut and polished, says Smith. The story behind the stone will make it even more valuable, he adds.
Josh's mom, Kate, who also designs jewelry, and his 8-year-old sister, Kayla, who likes to wear jewelry, tagged along for the presentation.
Afterward, Smith showed Josh around Morrison Smith's manufacturing area. At the end, the young designer asked if he could have a job once he got to high school.
Sure, Smith said. "He can start like I did, when I was 15, by sweeping the floors, going to the post office and polishing the jewels."
Smith thinks Josh's keen interest in gems, and his clarity of thinking about them, could make him the next Lazer Wolf.
Sells his designs
For now, Josh will continue designing his line, Josh's Jammin' Jewelry, when he's not at school or guitar lessons. Pieces range from $2 to $50 and include stones and materials such as quartz, crystal and copper.
The line is at www.akaplan.com/jjj.htm.
The fate of his diamond in the rough? It's stashed in a vault.
Josh doesn't want to work with it until he knows what he's doing. "Cutting a diamond requires a whole new set of skills," he says.
Right now, his priority is homework.