By Diana Jarrett

Colored gems promote—we don’t even have to classify them as ‘valuable’ and ‘semi-precious’ anymore. Relying on a stone’s provenance and rarity of color and dimension, as we speak’s buyers are prepared to dig deep into their pockets and shell out severe cash for a lot of rainbow-hued gem stones. Lesser recognized however extremely collectable jewels like taaffeite, alexandrite, and purple beryl have jewelry patrons contemplating five-figure value tags, only for starters.

Retailers are getting savvier about conveying the tales about gem stones as a gross sales device to entice purchasers. That is legitimate, after all. As soon as collectors perceive the origin of their favorite stone, a deeper appreciation develops, and so they change into much more keen to gather. Typically, colored gems are sourced from unique locales the patron won’t ever go to in particular person. Often, the consumer has by no means even heard of the place (the place is Kazakhstan anyway?).

Key to conveying a colored gemstone’s price is educating the patron on reducing challenges, together with cutters’ preferences. Higher consciousness of what a stone goes by earlier than being bought aids the consumer’s grasp of its intrinsic worth, which is a clarifying second. Certainly, if you educate a consumer concerning the shortage of a stone, the issue in buying it, and the challenges confronted when sharpening it, the consumer develops an elevated understanding of its retail value.

The character of the species informs a cutter of what to anticipate after they place a gemstone on the wheel. As pure minerals, gems develop in their very own distinctive manner, giving crystals distinct cleavage and fracture traits. Cutters working with these constraints produce jewels that retain weight whereas additionally displaying optimum colors. Information of the crystal’s axes informs the cutter of which route to form the stone. An iolite, for instance, can seem like a Tanzanite twin when reduce in a sure route, whereas shaping it alongside a distinct axis might lead to one thing wanting extra like smoky quartz.

Skilled stone cutters usually change into recognized for sharpening particular gems. Whether or not this is because of their experience in dealing with troublesome crystals or just because they love a sure jewel, many revert to reducing the identical sort again and again. Studying from skilled cutters gives sudden perception into the method of reworking tough pebbles into the dazzling gem stones collectors crave.

Namibia-based gem cutter Clara Venter traces her fascination with gem stones to her early years.

“My dad used to work for a neighborhood gem supplier,” she explains. “After I was about 13 years outdated, I noticed a tough piece of tourmaline for the primary time in my life. When the outdated man confirmed me what it regarded like after reducing, I used to be amazed by its transformation. Proper there, I made a decision, sooner or later, to change into a gem cutter, and a few years later it occurred.”

Apparently, Venter says tourmaline is by far probably the most difficult gemstone for her to chop.

“I’ve reduce lots of of tourmalines over time, and a few could be very simple and satisfying,” she says. “Then, you might have people who develop stress fractures. These could be fairly difficult, particularly when the tough was given by a consumer to chop.”

The issue, Venter explains, is “folks don’t perceive some gems can develop these stress fractures.” As such, tourmaline—a species she loves—is the one she has rejected most frequently.

“Over time you be taught to establish which piece of tough will crack on you,” Venter says. “Typically, it’s probably the most lovely one you need to say ‘no’ to.”

Venter’s private favorite to work with, although, is demantoid garnet, which she feels doesn’t get sufficient credit score.

“Whether or not you’re a novice cutter or very skilled, [these gems] won’t ever disappoint relating to producing their brilliance.”

After all, each cutter has not less than one fully unforgettable stone. For Venter, it was a consumer’s 24.25-carat Lagoon colored tourmaline.

“I created a design particularly for the tough, and it turned out superb,” she says. “That gem was purchased by a collector in the US, and I assume it’s residing the American dream now.”

Kory Pettman, proprietor of Texas-based Kory Pettman Gems, is acknowledged for her professional reducing of Montana sapphires. The western U.S. area is house to among the largest sapphire deposits on the planet.

“I can visualize the gold miners in 1865, some 14 miles from Helena on the Eldorado Bar on the Missouri River, discovering these unusual crystals clogging up their sluice packing containers,” Pettman says.

These ethically sourced sparklers had been first thought of a nuisance till gold miner Ed Collins, “acknowledged their worth and took them to Helena, the place they had been recognized as sapphire,” Pettman explains.

“There are some fantastic bi-colours, significantly heat-treated materials from Dry Cottonwood Creek,” she continues. “When properly faceted, the high-clarity Montana sapphires possess an excellent brilliance and happen in each color of the rainbow.”

A bonus, Pettman says, are uncommon and illusive Montana rubies. After all, these homegrown beauties usually are not with out some caveats, she says. Particularly, discovering giant, clear tough is a serious problem.

“Ninety-five per cent of Rock Creek sapphire tough ranges in dimension from two to 5 millimetres,” Pettman says. “The bulk are lower than 4 millimetres. Sapphires weighing two carats are uncommon. Clear, faceted Montana sapphires bigger than three carats are extraordinarily uncommon.”

Customers might not know a lot about Montana sapphires, however discovering their particulars provides one other layer of appreciation for the stones.

“Attributable to their distinctive chemistry, some Montana sapphires exhibit a color change when the viewing atmosphere modifications from fluorescent (or daylight) to incandescent gentle,” Pettman explains, including her favorite colour-change sapphires go from inexperienced to purple.

Forty-year veteran lapidarist Mike Soebbing, founding father of The Gemstone Man LLC, tackles restoration jobs and precision gemstone faceting for his loyal clientele. After many many years, one stone stays a problem to good.

“By far,” Soebbing says, “probably the most troublesome stone has been spodumene, or Kunzite. Attributable to its good cleavage, it can cleave or fracture unpredictably at any time throughout reducing or sharpening.”

These ‘downside kids’ of the gemstone selection trigger Soebbing to say no some Kunzite jobs.

“It’s one thing I not often, if ever, do with some other species,” he says.

Whereas gem stones equivalent to these might border on unmanageable, Soebbing says different crystals are downright charming.

“Particularly, trichroic sunstone specimens are probably the most fascinating,” he says. “Relying on the orientation of the tough, they’ll produce good colors or muddy brown messes. They’re a terrific problem and each is totally different. Working with sunstone is a particular problem I get pleasure from very a lot.”

Soebbing provides sure sharpening recollections will stay with him ceaselessly.

“My sister, a real rockhound, bought a tough Herkimer diamond at Tucson in 2018,” he says. “We shared a love for gem stones in several methods. She collected beads and crystals, creating lovely mosaics. She, very tongue-in-cheek, requested if I knew of anybody who reduce gem stones when she was properly into her battle with most cancers. I used to be fortunate sufficient to chop that Herkimer for her earlier than she handed in 2019. Fortunately, she acquired to understand it.” 

Some cutters specialize completely in gem stones from their homeland—like Jaime Quintero, who has 25 years of expertise reducing within the emerald district in Bogota, Colombia. Not each gem cutter is proficient at sharpening emerald crystals, Quintero notes. Inclusions particular to emeralds decide how the gem could be formed.

“Colombian emeralds are distinctive,” he says. “They tackle gasoline, liquids, and crystals within the crystallization course of whereas within the mine, creating complicated branch-like inclusions referred to as Jardin or backyard.”

The dicey a part of reducing issues these tiny inner fractures, Quintero says.

“These make the reducing course of very difficult,” he continues. “We should work across the fractures, attempting to maintain them removed from the floor of the emerald, [being sure] to not contact them in any manner in order to danger breaking down your complete gem, even on the sharpening disk.”

With regards to emeralds, it’s all concerning the clear inexperienced color. Solely professional cutters with years of expertise can decide the best option to reduce the stone with a watch for color zoning.

“Some emeralds do current color zoning, so their inexperienced hue might not be constant all through your complete crystal,” Quintero says.

There are, nonetheless, methods to get round this.

“We have to establish the place the deepest inexperienced is contained in the crystal and orient it within the centre of the form we’re creating,” he explains. “In any other case, the emerald will present totally different inexperienced tones—some darkish inexperienced and others gentle.”

In some cases, regardless of a cutter’s greatest efforts, it’s unavoidable for emerald inclusions to succeed in the floor. What then?

“They’re inevitable,” Quintero says. “That is after we should make an vital determination: ought to we buff out the pit and attempt to eliminate it?”

Sadly, nonetheless, the worth of emerald is in its carat weight. Additional nonetheless, the cutter can not all the time decide how deep a pit goes contained in the stone. With microscopic options, one can not all the time ensure of their format contained in the gem.

“Each time the emerald goes over a sharpening disk, we lose cash,” Quintero says.

“You repolish the emerald and eliminate the superficial pit,” he cautions, “or you may make it greater.”

After many years within the enterprise, Quintero has loads of tales. 

“A supplier of free emeralds as soon as purchased a ‘ganga’—an affordable specimen rock from the within of the mine, containing items of low-grade emerald, pyrite, and quartz,” he says. “You usually discover them within the emerald district in numerous styles and sizes bought as souvenirs, ranging in value from $20 to $500.”

“The rock value the supplier $100, however he confirmed it to a cutter who had a hunch,” Quintero continues. “[The cutter] advised the supplier he ought to examine to see what was contained in the rock by reducing into the stone and tearing down the piece, destroying the ganga. Although not likely satisfied, he determined to go for it. Very fastidiously, the cutter started taking the rock aside, checking the place, precisely, and reduce it. After a couple of hours, an intense inexperienced color appeared from the rock’s coronary heart. It was a high-quality 15-carat emerald, which was reduce into a shocking seven-carat oval form after which bought for $28,000.”

Gemmologist Boyd Fox (The Gemstone Surgeon), an American Gem Commerce Affiliation (AGTA) Spectrum Award winner, makes a speciality of re-cutting and repairing gem stones. He has dealt with numerous stones for his clientele, together with some difficult ones.

“I might say, to this point, kyanite has been troublesome,” Fox says. “Kyanite is a collector’s stone with main cleavage points, directional hardness, and some different surprises.”

Like many on this trade, Fox is up for a superb problem.

“I’ve by no means mentioned no to a job,” he says. “I like and search challenges, and my purchasers know that. I’ve faceted plenty of bizarre stuff. Meteorite, human enamel, prosthetic eyes, billiard balls, and a Jolly Rancher.”

It could come as a shock that quartz will not be certainly one of Fox’s private favourites.

“Quartz is without doubt one of the worst gems to chop,” he says. “It’s considerably troublesome to shine and, because the materials is reasonably low cost, purchasers don’t wish to pay a lot for the labour. Plus, it makes a large number.”

He has, nonetheless, reduce some spectacular jewels, together with giant Burma rubies, Kashmir sapphires, and emeralds.

“Essentially the most memorable can be a 30-carat alexandrite. It was a horrible wanting stone once I acquired it,” he says, including his consumer initially paid $80,000 for it.

“With correct reducing, it bought two weeks later for over $900,000,” Fox says. “I’ll always remember that one.”

Ontario-based cutter, Rudi Wobito (Wobito Gems), and his brother, Ralph, are third-generation grasp gem cutters with household roots originating within the reducing centre of Idar-Oberstein, Germany. Through the years, Rudi recollects a number of gemstone species requiring a grasp’s contact to deal with inclusions (like topaz from Ukraine). Certainly one of his items—an AGTA Award-winning yellow beryl fragrance bottle from Volyn, Ukraine—displays the stone’s pure etching throughout a lot of the bottle’s floor, making it fairly putting.

Many declare the brothers are tops at reducing the colour-change diaspore, Csarite (the popular identify), or Zultanite.

“We’ve been reducing this stone since 2005, and, at first, it was fairly difficult,” Rudi says.

“The crystals have good and distinct cleavage in a single route, very like mica,” he continues. “This presents an issue from a reducing standpoint. You might be very restricted as to which instructions you may truly grind.”

Grinding or reducing within the improper route ends in the stone merely falling aside in shards, however, Rudi says, there may be one other consideration to remember with Csarite.

“We want to concentrate on the proper orientation for greatest colour-change, and, after all, greatest yield,” he explains.

Rudi says the typical yield appears to be about 2.5 per cent of the tough, in response to his observations from 17 years of working with the fabric.

“Via using some specialised reducing methods and sharpening laps,” he continues, “we’ve got been in a position take many of the danger out of reducing these stones.”

In the meantime, over in Bainbridge Island, Wash., jewelry artist Robin Callahan of Robin Callahan Designs shares perception into her encounters.

“Essentially the most troublesome gem I’ve reduce was my first lab-grown sapphire for Someplace within the Rainbow’s annual lapidary occasion,” she says. “I had solely been reducing for a yr.”

Callahan agonized, ensuring she had the precise laps for all phases and points she would possibly confront. Whereas sapphire is sweet to chop normally, the lab-grown component added an additional problem. Finally, when it was completed, the reduce pink stone weighed 20.20 carats.

“I realized a ton by being courageous,” Callahan says. “I couldn’t move up that honour.”

Adventuresome as she is, although, the artist says she is not going to reduce opal.

“It’s simply too mushy,” she explains. “There are cutters who do an unimaginable job.”

Callahan has fond recollections of working with a “beautiful piece of inexperienced Oregon sunstone tough” whereas attending grasp lapidary artist Dalan Hargrave’s Texas ranch for per week of intense studying. This was her first trillion and, late into the night time whereas attempting to complete the piece, her dop moved. Able to throw within the towel, she advised herself she would end it again house. Figuring out this might by no means occur, Hargrave helped her alter the sample, and, by 2 a.m., the piece was completed—and Callahan was, too. She took such pleasure in finishing it properly that she made it right into a pendant, which she nonetheless wears.

Each gemstone has a historical past. Certainly, earlier than these wonderful, colored stones ever discovered their manner right into a glamorous piece of jewelry and earlier than a jeweller fastidiously displayed them in a well-lit showcase, they’d a life. Someplace, a cutter studied every tough and decided to inform its most excellent story by making use of an unremarkable pebble to the cutter’s wheel.

Diana Jarrett is an award-winning commerce journalist and graduate gemmologist (GG). A registered grasp valuer, Jarrett is a well-liked convention and commerce present lecturer. She can be the co-author of Cameos Outdated & New (4^th Version) and the co-creator of JewelryWebsiteDesigners.com. Jarrett could be reached at [email protected] or through www.dianajarrett.com.