Jammed Gem

Hybrid creations are hard to explain. When Eric Fuller decided to team up with Frederic Boucher and modify one of his devilishly fun designs, he knew he could create something even more outrageous, complex, challenging, unusual and fun, but that the final product, “ResQ”, might be hard to describe. It’s a packing puzzle, but not really, since it’s already packed. It’s a burr puzzle, but not really, since it’s not interlocking. It’s definitely a “sequential discovery” puzzle, but that just describes an aspect to how it is solved, and is an umbrella category. Ah I know, it’s a puzzle box, since there are treasures to find stored in hidden spots, but … not really. Such is the dilemma for any hybrid creation – what is it, exactly? There are sure to be enthusiasts in one camp or another, who may prefer the one “thing”, but not, or so they insist, the other, so that the mere mention of the “other” is an immediate turn off. “I don’t like burrs”, someone might say, and think they will not like a hybrid burr puzzle. I can vouch for this phenomenon firsthand, and I’m not talking about burrs. I’m talking about boxes, and booze. What kind of blog is this, anyway? I once had someone tell me they didn’t read my blog because they don’t like to cook. But Eric, at least, was on to something, and ResQ proved to be a highly enjoyable puzzle which was well received and successful. Anyone who had been on the fence due to its “hybrid” nature quickly realized they may have missed out on the genre bending, mind bogglingly cool creation.

Meanwhile, Frederic was busy coming up with the next cool combo concept. He is a prolific designer and has many interests. His follow up turned one of his favorite design types, the packing puzzle, inside out, so to speak, and his relationship with Eric ensured it would be sensational. Frederic describes the evolution of their next collaboration:

“Before talking about the Jammed Gem, let's go back 2 years...

From spring to autumn 2020 I designed a series of 12 small packing puzzles named MINIMA series. The concept is as follows: The pieces are regular polyominoes, the interior space of the box is 2x2x3 units and each puzzle requires at least ten moves (with at least 1 rotation). Subsequently a 13th model has been added (with modified pieces). The 13 puzzles in the series were made in Japan by Osho (Puzzlein), and 3 models (Minima 1,2 and 8) were made by Tom Burns (3D printing). The puzzles were well received and I thought I had finished this series.

Last year, after the success of ResQ I started thinking more seriously about a concept that I had in mind for a long time: instead of creating yet another packing puzzle, what if I tried to create an unpacking puzzle? To do this, my choice naturally fell on the Minimas format, and it didn't take long before I found a selection of interesting pieces. Thereafter the ideas began to flow: "Ah! If I added such and such a thing..." The MINIMA 14 was born!

I made a prototype to make sure everything worked as I had imagined and contacted Eric to tell him about this new design. Eric answered me positively and so I sent him the prototype. Working with Eric is always a real pleasure! Besides his enthusiasm and undeniable talent, he has an excellent understanding of my ideas and, while respecting my main vision, he always comes up with excellent ideas that fit perfectly into the original design and improve it and push it to a higher level.

The name Jammed Gem is also Eric's suggestion. I found it just perfect with the theme of the puzzle and I accepted. Lots of people think the Jammed Gem is the sequel to the ResQ, but it's not. Basically the ResQ is a sliding puzzle through which you have to collect pieces of a spaceship. The Jammed Gem is an unpacking puzzle where you also have to recover a gem. So the approach to solving the 2 puzzles are completely different. I have another SD puzzle design idea very persistent in my mind which is becoming more precise day by day, waiting to be put on paper first. A totally different concept from ResQ and Jammed Gem. Is this another possible collaboration with Eric? Only time will tell...”

Jammed Gem is another phenomenal puzzle from this dynamic pair. Those familiar with Eric Fuller’s work will be well aware of his attention to detail and precision craftsmanship, things he takes great pride in and which define his business model along with affordable price points. The work on the Jammed gem is next level, and there are very few makers in this genre who could have pulled this off properly. Descriptions of the puzzling experience are difficult without giving away much of the fun of discovery, which may be why enthusiasts might have remained, again, on the fence, and why there are still some of these puzzles available as of this writing. It’s hard to explain from a simple description to “find the gem” what that entails, but trust these designers. There are wonderfully well hidden secrets and another mind boggling dance in store. Get your hands on this puzzle if you can! Alas, I know that some people who don’t like to cook will never read my advice.

Our toast takes us back in time to the turn of the twentieth century, during the heyday one of the most influential bartenders in history, Harry Johnson. Fortune favored Johnson as a young sailor, in disguise, for he was left in San Francisco in 1861 by his ship, to recover from a broken arm at sea. Here he worked his way up at the Union hotel to become a bartender, and met the flamboyant Jerry Thomas, the father of mixology, who became his lifelong rival. Johnson’s New and Improved Bartender's Manual, or How to Mix Drinks in the Present Style, published in 1882 and having many subsequent updates, was the first cocktail book to describe how to start and manage a bar, and how to actually be a good bartender. This ultimately led to his second career, as a bar management consultant, the first in history.

Of his many claims to fame, the Bijou cocktail is one that stands out in history. In the 1880s, around the time of his landmark book, bartenders in the US turned to European aperitifs and cordials to brighten their color palettes and introduce exotic new flavors to their cosmopolitan clientele. Sweet red vermouth, and pale green Chartreuse, were literal gems in the glass which dazzled the crowd. In Johnson’s hands, he combined equal parts of these bold spirits with gin, evoking diamonds, and rubies, and emeralds. He named the drink “Bijou”, after the French for jewel. The drink resurfaced one hundred years later thanks to the father of the modern cocktail renaissance, Dale DeGroff, who fittingly brushed off the old recipe and resurrected it with more modern proportions. Serve it stirred and up, traditionally with a cherry, and let it transport you back in time. Cheers!

Bijou by Harry Johnson c. 1880, adapted by Dale DeGroff c. 1980

1 ½ oz gin

½ oz sweet vermouth

½ oz green Chartreuse

1 dash orange bitters

Lemon peel, cherry

Stir ingredients with ice and strain into a favorite glass. Express lemon peel oil over the drink, and add a brandied cherry to the glass.

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