Click on one of the headers below to get more information about that topic.
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If you are using Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 there are problems with the details on the gem descriptions. Upgrading to Internet Explorer 7 fixes this problem. If you are running Windows, you really will find Safari and upgrade and a much better browser. Both Safari and Firefox are free downloads.
This site is best viewed with Safari form Apple or Firefox.
If you are using Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 there are problems with the details on the gem descriptions. Upgrading to Internet Explorer 7 fixes this problem. If you are running Windows, you really will find Safari and upgrade and a much better browser. Both Safari and Firefox are free downloads.
Gem Grading System
Grading System
Color is the most important and complex to grade. Color is made up of three components, hue, saturation and tone. Color will be graded on a scale of 1 to 10 taking these three factors into consideration.
Clarity is graded on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being loop clean under a 10X loop.
10 = Loop Clean
8 = Eye Clean
6 = Slightly Included
4 = Moderately Included
2 = Heavily Included
Values between are used when the stone is either a bit cleaner or less clean. It's very rare to find any stone score a 10 for clarity. 7 and higher makes for a very nice stone.
Brilliance - will be a combination of Cut, Sparkle, light return, Proportion and Crystal.
Graded on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the best.
Total Quality Rating - Is the combined score of these 3 with a possible best score of 10
1-5: Low end commercial
6-7: Better quality commercial
8-8.5: Fine quality
8.5-9.5: Very fine quality
9.5-10: What the trade calls "gem"
Color is the most important and complex to grade. Color is made up of three components, hue, saturation and tone. Color will be graded on a scale of 1 to 10 taking these three factors into consideration.
Clarity is graded on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being loop clean under a 10X loop.
10 = Loop Clean
8 = Eye Clean
6 = Slightly Included
4 = Moderately Included
2 = Heavily Included
Values between are used when the stone is either a bit cleaner or less clean. It's very rare to find any stone score a 10 for clarity. 7 and higher makes for a very nice stone.
Brilliance - will be a combination of Cut, Sparkle, light return, Proportion and Crystal.
Graded on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the best.
Total Quality Rating - Is the combined score of these 3 with a possible best score of 10
1-5: Low end commercial
6-7: Better quality commercial
8-8.5: Fine quality
8.5-9.5: Very fine quality
9.5-10: What the trade calls "gem"
Shipping
All stones are shipped by the US postal service. They will be sent out either insured mail, or registered mail, which ever is more economical based on the value.
Shipping rates are:
Up to $200 value - $5.00
$201 to $500 value - $7.00
$501 to $700 value - $9.00
$7801 to $1300 value - $15.50 (registered mail)
Over $1300 value - $17.50 (registered mail)
Shipping to Canada and Australia is by registered mail. The rates will come up in the shopping cart.
For UK orders, the stone will be sent out first class mail or Registered mail if you ask for it. There is no insurance available going to the UK or to Canada.
Shipping rates are:
Up to $200 value - $5.00
$201 to $500 value - $7.00
$501 to $700 value - $9.00
$7801 to $1300 value - $15.50 (registered mail)
Over $1300 value - $17.50 (registered mail)
Shipping to Canada and Australia is by registered mail. The rates will come up in the shopping cart.
For UK orders, the stone will be sent out first class mail or Registered mail if you ask for it. There is no insurance available going to the UK or to Canada.
Pricing
The prices shown on this web site are WHOLESALE prices and are intended for members of the trade and gem collectors. You may also purchase stones through select custom jewelers or directly by contacting me. See the Contact Us page.
How to purchase a stone
I encourage you to either email me, or phone to discuss your gemstone purchase. I want to make you sure you get exactly the right stone. Once you have decided on a stone, you can use the shopping cart to make your purchase, and make payment with PayPal. If you don't have a Paypal account, you can still use Paypal with your charge card.
For established customers, or those with a charge card on file, I will memo out stones. If you use the PayPal feature of the site, once you get the the checkout, enter your zip code to have your shipping calculated. Shipping is based on the value of the package.
IMPORTANT! If you are using the Paypal shopping cart, once you click on the "Proceed to Checkout" button you must then click on the link at the top of the screen calculate total order amount and then enter your zip code. Paypal will then add on the correct shipping amount. The shipping rates are ONLY for shipping in the USA, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom. If you are outside the USA or the UK, then don't use the shopping cart and email me your order, and I will get back to you with shipping.
For UK orders, the stone will be sent out first class mail. There is no insurance available to the UK.
For established customers, or those with a charge card on file, I will memo out stones. If you use the PayPal feature of the site, once you get the the checkout, enter your zip code to have your shipping calculated. Shipping is based on the value of the package.
IMPORTANT! If you are using the Paypal shopping cart, once you click on the "Proceed to Checkout" button you must then click on the link at the top of the screen calculate total order amount and then enter your zip code. Paypal will then add on the correct shipping amount. The shipping rates are ONLY for shipping in the USA, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom. If you are outside the USA or the UK, then don't use the shopping cart and email me your order, and I will get back to you with shipping.
For UK orders, the stone will be sent out first class mail. There is no insurance available to the UK.
Photographs
Gems are very difficult to get a nice picture. The photos here do not capture the real beauty of the stones, the flash, dispersion, sparkle etc. can only been seen when the stone is moved before you eyes. For some reason, green stones seem to photograph the worst with digital cameras. I have not retouched or altered the colors of any of the pictures. All the pictures have been cropped, so the relative sizes of one picture to another is not true. I use a Nikon D700 camera with Sigma 105mm macro lens that gets in really close, so you are seeing these stones many times larger than life. On many of the stones, you can click on the images to open a very large close-up of the stones. These files may take a bit of time to open. These large images are about 50x the actual size, you may see small specs that are for the most part dust specks on the surface of the stone or finger prints.
Return Policy
Above all, I want you to be happy with your gemstone purchase. Buying something as difficult and unique as a gemstone online is difficult, since you are looking at a static image, rather than the real stone in motion with dispersion and changing reflections. I have a no questions asked, 100% refund of the stone price policy within the first 7 days. If you want to return a stone, send me an email, and I will arrange for a full refund as long as the stone is returned in the same condition as it was sent out.
Layaway
A few people have asked about layaways, and given the economic conditions this seems like something that more and more people may be interested in. I will do a layaway as long as it's not extended too long, and you are pretty sure you are going to keep the stone.
A few things about layaways: If you return a stone that you had made payments on using Paypal, and the Paypal payments are over 60 days old, I'll refund the payments minus the Paypal fee. Paypal refunds me the entire amount including the fee for payments that are less than 60 days old.
If you pay by check, then of course there are no fee's and you would get a complete refund.
A few things about layaways: If you return a stone that you had made payments on using Paypal, and the Paypal payments are over 60 days old, I'll refund the payments minus the Paypal fee. Paypal refunds me the entire amount including the fee for payments that are less than 60 days old.
If you pay by check, then of course there are no fee's and you would get a complete refund.
If you haven't found the information you are looking for, send me an E-mail or phone.
Why choose a custom cut precision stone over a typical commercial stone?
Many people have never seen a properly cut stones. Once you do the difference is very apparent. Most stones commercially sold are what is known as "native cut", meaning they are cut in the land they are found in. Most often this cutting is done on Jam Peg faceting setups. While this style of cutting is very fast, it is not very accurate. In larger cutting houses, the work is done on an assembly line type process, where one worker will only dop stones, then pass them to the next that shapes them, then passed to another cutter who polishes. The workers are paid by the number of pieces they produce and the weight. To maintain the maximum weight they will cut stones with angles below the critical angle for the stone. This causes the stone to "window" (see image below).
But windowing is just part of the story. Most commercially cut stones are not symmetrical, the facets don't meet correctly at sharp intersections, the girdles are not polished, and the polish used is not very fine. Usually the polish is only a 14,000 grit or less. I use 60,000 or higher on all my stones.
Setting your Precision Gem
Often commercially cut stones are cut to "calibrated sizes". This means the are cut to fit into existing findings or mountings. These stones, since they are mass produced, are by nature at best mediocre. I fine gemstone is cut to the size that the stone dictates, but this doesn't mean it won't fit into a standard mounting. Most of my cuts are rather unique and often the shapes are not standard, but will fit into standard mountings. Stones with a basic round shape, such as octagons or hexagons will normally fit into a calibrated standard round mounting, especially if they are with about 0.2 mm of the mounting size. A get goldsmith can often make a minor adjustment to an inexpensive standard mounting and get a stone to fit properly even if it's off by more. Some cuts will however require a custom setting, and this only increases the value and uniqueness of the finished piece.
Below are some interesting sites I recommend to learn more about gemstones and gemology:
Elise Skalwold has a very informative site on gemology called Nordskip.com
Gemology Online Forum
GemBusters Forum
Gemwise - Richard Wise's informative blog
The Batt Lap - all my stones are polished using these laps.