"In my cutting, I am working with the unconscious mind. Often it is not what a person sees that pleases them about a gem, but what they don’t see – what they’re not consciously aware of. Symmetry, sparkle, etc. The eye and the mind are much more keen than we give them credit, and are often the quiet dictating force (the unconscious factor) in personal choice. Things like choosing mates, or how delicious a fruit may be from looking at the color. Subtleties like the opening of a pupil, the symmetry of a potential mate’s face and body, the feel of a room that is off-square, a tilted painting, the look of someone who’s lying, an unrecognizable smell, a very slight shift in sunlight, the unevenness of glass….All these things are tended by the unconscious mind first, and we seek to make sense of them afterwards. We buy on emotion, and emotion is tied indelibly to this unconscious sense. People want my gems because I don’t discount the body’s senses of recognizing and understanding symmetry and color - and my gems reflect that." --Excerpt from Zava Cutting Log, date 2-14-2001