Uncut with Paige

Paige Nestich

Gems & the Stories below the Surface The podcast where we dig beneath the polished surface of gemstones to uncover the myths, mysteries, history, and science that make them so fascinating. Tune in with Paige while she tells stories of stones, gems, heists, historical figures, myths, legends, and fantastical findings from around the globe. Feeling stressed, anxious, needing a break from reality? Or perhaps a quick story to get you out of your head and back into reality? The gems may be polished—but their stories are anything but. New Episodes are realeased every Friday and make sure not to miss them...each story is sure to be a GEM!

  1. 7h ago

    The Louvre Heist: Eight Jewels, €88 Million, and a Royal Disappearance

    On October 19, 2025, one of the world's most famous museums became the scene of an almost unbelievable robbery. In broad daylight, a group of thieves broke into the Louvre's Galerie d'Apollon and made off with eight pieces of France's historic Crown Jewels — in a heist that reportedly took less than eight minutes. But these weren't just expensive pieces of jewelry. They were objects that had belonged to queens and empresses, witnessed the rise and fall of empires, and carried centuries of French royal history. From Empress Eugénie's dazzling jewels to the crown that was dropped during the thieves' escape, every piece had a story long before it became part of a modern-day crime. In this episode of **Uncut with Paige**, we're going beyond the headlines to explore the history behind the stolen jewels, the women who wore them, the remarkable details of the robbery, and the investigation that followed. We'll also look at the Louvre's own history, its previous infamous theft, and the uncomfortable questions this robbery raised about protecting some of humanity's most irreplaceable treasures. Because when a gemstone disappears, you're not just losing something valuable. Sometimes, you're losing a little piece of history. So, let's get into it.

  2. Oct 23

    Pierre Gilson: The Man Who Challenged Nature | The Story of Synthetic Gemstones

    This week on Uncut with Paige: Gems & Their Stories, we're exploring the fascinating world of synthetic gemstones through the story of Pierre Gilson, the French engineer and inventor who helped transform the synthetic emerald market and made significant advances in synthetic opal. From the early experiments that made laboratory-grown rubies possible to Gilson's painstaking process of growing emerald crystals, we're diving into the science, history, and controversy behind gemstones created by human ingenuity. We'll explore how synthetic opals reproduce the mesmerizing play-of-color of their natural counterparts, how gemologists distinguish laboratory-grown stones from natural ones, and why the difference between a synthetic gemstone and an imitation matters. But this story raises a bigger question: if a gemstone has the same fundamental chemical composition and crystal structure as its natural counterpart, does its origin change its value? Join me as we uncover the story behind the sparkle and explore what happens when science challenges one of nature's oldest treasures. Because sometimes, the most fascinating part of a gemstone isn't just where it came from — it's how we learned to make it. 💎 What matters more to you: a gemstone's natural origin, its beauty, or the science behind its creation?

  3. Oct 16

    Birthstones: The Ancient Beliefs Behind Your Birth Month Gem

    Why does each birth month have a gemstone? And how ancient is this tradition, really? 💎 In this episode of *Uncut with Paige: Gems & Their Stories*, we're diving into the fascinating history of birthstones—from sacred gemstones in the ancient world to celestial connections, medieval superstitions, and the modern birthstone chart we recognize today. We'll explore the twelve stones on Aaron's biblical breastplate, the Hindu tradition of the nine planetary gems, and the ways ancient Greeks, Romans, and medieval Europeans connected gemstones to protection, luck, and the cosmos. We'll also uncover how birthstones became standardized in the United States and why the list has changed over time. Because here's the thing: the birthstone chart you know today isn't simply an ancient tradition passed down unchanged for thousands of years. It's a story shaped by religion, astrology, cultural beliefs, commerce, and humanity's enduring fascination with gemstones. So whether you're a January garnet, a July ruby, or a December turquoise, get comfortable as we uncover the history, symbolism, and stories behind the gem connected to your birth month. And by the end, I have one question for you: **If you could choose any gemstone to represent your life—not just the one assigned to your birth month—which would you choose, and why?** ✨ This is *Uncut with Paige*—where every gem has a story. Let's get stoned! #UncutWithPaige #Birthstones #Gemology #GemstoneHistory #GemstoneFacts #BirthstoneMeaning #CrystalHistory #GemstoneLore #JewelryHistory #GemsAndTheirStories

  4. Oct 9

    Jade: One Stone, Many Worlds | Part 2

    We’ve talked about jade in China — now it’s time to leave China behind. In Part 2 of our jade story, we’re following this remarkable stone across the world and discovering something fascinating: cultures separated by thousands of miles and thousands of years developed their own deeply meaningful relationships with jade. We’re heading to Mesoamerica, where the Olmec, Maya, and Aztec civilizations carved jade into objects connected to water, fertility, maize, power, death, and rebirth. We’ll meet Maya kings who were buried with jade and explore why jade could be considered more precious than gold. Then we’re traveling across the Pacific to Aotearoa New Zealand, where Māori pounamu became a *taonga* — a treasured object carrying ancestry, identity, status, protection, and *mana*. We’ll hear about hei-tiki, ancestral heirlooms, and the belief that the spirit of an ancestor could continue to live through a piece of stone. And somewhere along the way, we have to ask a bigger question. Why jade? Why did civilizations that developed independently of one another look at this unusually tough, cool, colorful stone and decide that it was something worth protecting, wearing, burying with the dead, and passing down through generations? Maybe the answer is written into the stone itself — in its toughness, its translucency, its colors, and the strange feeling of holding something that can survive almost anything. Or maybe humans have always been looking for a material strong enough to carry the things we can't. This is the story of jade beyond China — one stone, many worlds, and a whole lot of stories. #UncutWithPaige #Jade #JadeGemstone #Jadeite #Nephrite #Pounamu #Gemology #GemstoneHistory #GemstoneStories #Mesoamerica #Maya #Olmec #Aztec #Maori #JewelryHistory #AncientHistory #Geology #Lapidary #GemologyPodcast #HistoryPodcast

  5. Oct 2

    Jade & the Chinese Soul | Part 1

    What if a gemstone could represent power, virtue, protection, immortality, and even the right to rule? For thousands of years, jade has held a place in Chinese culture that goes far beyond beauty. In this episode of *Uncut with Paige*, we’re diving into the story of jade in China — from some of the earliest jade objects ever carved to imperial seals, ritual objects, burial suits, protective bangles, and the extraordinary belief that jade could help carry a person into the afterlife. But before we get into the stories, we have to talk about what jade actually is. Because “jade” isn’t one mineral — it refers to two: nephrite and jadeite. And understanding the difference between these two stones helps explain how jade traveled through history, why certain varieties became so prized, and how the meaning of jade evolved over time. We’ll travel through Neolithic China, the ancient jade routes of Central Asia, the Shang and Zhou dynasties, the Qin and Han empires, the Qing dynasty, and eventually into the modern jade market. Along the way, we’ll uncover the connection between jade and Confucian virtue, the mysterious jade burial suits of the Han dynasty, the legendary power of imperial jade, and the deeply personal belief that a broken jade bangle may have broken because it protected its wearer. Because jade’s story isn’t really about a pretty green stone. It’s about what humans choose to believe a stone can carry — power, memory, protection, status, spirituality, and even a piece of the person wearing it. And this is only the beginning. In Part 2, we’re leaving China behind and following jade across the world — from the Olmec, Maya, and Aztec civilizations to Māori pounamu and beyond. So… let’s talk jade. #UncutWithPaige #Jade #JadeGemstone #Jadeite #Nephrite #Gemology #Gemstones #GemstoneHistory #ChineseJade #JadeHistory #AncientChina #GemstoneStories #JewelryHistory #Lapidary #Geology #HistoryPodcast #GemologyPodcast #GemsAndTheirStories

  6. Sep 25

    From Magic to Machines: The History of Lapidary

    What if the gemstone sitting on your finger is actually the product of thousands of years of medicine, religion, astrology, alchemy, science, trade, and technology? Long before gemstones were cut for sparkle, people believed stones could heal, protect, influence the body, and even connect us to the stars. From Babylonian beliefs and Greek lapidaries to medieval gemstone medicine, Renaissance alchemy, Prague's gem-cutting culture, and the evolution of modern cutting machines, the story of lapidary is really the story of how humans learned to transform the Earth. In this episode of Uncut with Paige, we're following gemstones from ancient medicine to modern jewelry, exploring how different cultures and eras shaped the way we cut, trade, understand, and value stones. And then Paige gets behind the lapidary machine herself. Because after thousands of years of evolution, one question still remains: **When you look at a faceted gemstone, are you seeing a mineral—or thousands of years of human history cut into light?** #UncutWithPaige #Gemology #Lapidary #Gemstones #GemstoneHistory #JewelryHistory #GemTrade #GemCutting #GemstoneEducation #HistoryOfJewelry #Mineralogy #GemstoneLovers #JewelryLovers #NaturalGemstones #GemHunter #GemCollector

  7. Sep 18

    Gemstone Trade Through the Ages: the Silk Road to the 74th Annual Bangkok Gems & Jewelry Fair

    What happens when a gemstone leaves the earth and begins a journey across continents? In this episode of Uncut with Paige, we’re following the fascinating history of the gem trade, beginning along the Silk Road — a vast network that carried far more than silk. Lapis lazuli, jade, ruby, sapphire, spinel, carnelian, and pearls traveled between civilizations, carrying wealth, beauty, beliefs, craftsmanship, and stories with them. But the routes didn't stay the same. As ships, navigation, technology, and new centers of commerce changed the way people moved around the world, the gemstone trade evolved too. Eventually, the ancient marketplace found a new home in modern technology, with gemstones now being bought and sold across the globe without the buyer and seller ever meeting face-to-face. And yet, something about the old way of trading still exists. After visiting the Bangkok Gems & Jewelry Fair, Paige found herself thinking about the connection between today's gem fairs and those ancient trading networks — people from all over the world gathering in one place, sharing stones, knowledge, stories, and a little bit of obsession. Because maybe the gem trade was never really just about moving stones. Maybe it was always about connecting people. So, how did we get from caravans crossing the Silk Road to gemstones being sold with the click of a button? Let's follow the journey. #UncutWithPaige #Gemology #Gemstones #SilkRoad #GemTrade #GemHistory #HistoryOfGemstones #BangkokGems #JewelryHistory #GemsAndTheirStories

  8. Sep 11

    The Koh-i-Noor: Beauty & Blood, The Diamond without a Home

    **The Koh-i-Noor: The Diamond That Conquered Empires 💎** It’s called the *Mountain of Light*… but the story behind this legendary diamond is anything but bright. The Koh-i-Noor has spent centuries moving through the hands of emperors, kings, conquerors, and queens. From the diamond-rich rivers of India to the Mughal Peacock Throne, through Persian invasion and Afghan rulers, into the hands of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, and eventually into the British Crown Jewels — this is one gemstone that has seen A LOT. But the deeper you dig into its history, the murkier the story becomes. Who actually discovered the Koh-i-Noor? Which parts of its ancient history are fact, and which are legend? How did a diamond become a symbol of political power? And how did a 191-carat stone end up being cut down to the 105.6-carat diamond we know today? And then there’s the question that still refuses to disappear… **If a gemstone is taken through conquest, who does it belong to generations later?** Grab your favorite stone, settle in, and join Paige as we follow the Koh-i-Noor through centuries of blood, beauty, power, and controversy. Because sometimes the most valuable thing about a gemstone… isn't the stone itself. **It's the story humans decided to put around it.** #UncutWithPaige #KohINoor #Kohinoor #DiamondHistory #Gemology #GemstoneHistory #JewelryHistory #Diamonds #CrownJewels #BritishCrownJewels #IndianHistory #MughalEmpire #SikhEmpire #GemstoneStories #HistoryPodcast #GemologyPodcast #JewelryPodcast #TrueHistory #GemStories

See All (33)

Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Gems & the Stories below the Surface The podcast where we dig beneath the polished surface of gemstones to uncover the myths, mysteries, history, and science that make them so fascinating. Tune in with Paige while she tells stories of stones, gems, heists, historical figures, myths, legends, and fantastical findings from around the globe. Feeling stressed, anxious, needing a break from reality? Or perhaps a quick story to get you out of your head and back into reality? The gems may be polished—but their stories are anything but. New Episodes are realeased every Friday and make sure not to miss them...each story is sure to be a GEM!

Information

  • Creator
    Paige Nestich
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    33
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Show Website
    Uncut with Paige

You Might Also Like