The following is a reprint of an article which appeared in the October 1995 issue of Lapidary Journal magazine. Lapidary Journal (ISSN 0023-8457) is published monthly by Lapidary Journal, Inc., who retain all copyrights to this article.
What could inspire a successful physicist with an established, well-paying job in the semiconductor industry to launch a new career? Why, an outrageous idea and an unshakable urge to try something different. Rick Becker and his crew are experienced in the high-tech world of physics, engineering, and mathematics. Take this group (which Becker affectionately refers to as "geeks are us"), add a few artists, and the result is a pioneering jewelry manufacturing company, called Refractal Design, Inc. The company's artistic premise is that fractals - mathematical equations derived from chaos theory - make good jewelry designs. "I want to do artwork that's cutting-edge science," says Becker.
Using semiconductor technology, the minutely detailed fractal designs are deposited onto discs of synthetic ruby and sapphire in a method Becker calls "micro-art." The recent purchase of a new machine allows Becker to create jewelry pieces with multiple metals. His preferred metals are white gold, 18K yellow gold, and platinum. Wrist watches are the most recent addition to the Refractal design line. "I guess when you don't know the rules, you can break them with impunity."
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