Buying a natural uncut rough blue sapphire

[Lauralynn]

Has anyone here ever bought an uncut rough sapphire and then have someone cut it for them? good idea or bad?? Where is a good place to start looking for uncut sapphires?

(I did a quick search and didn't find anything referencing buying the rough, uncut sapphire)

 

[Jim Rentfrow]

Hi Lauralynn,

This is very possible and many people do it. However there are a few things you need to be aware of. You should ask what the vendors refund policy is if you do not like the cut stone. You will also need to understand that things can happen such as cracks developing, color being different in the finished product and the stone not being your dream stone when done. However, if you find good rough the process can be pretty fun and you can get a good bargain depending on the cost of rough and the cost of cutting. Good rough IS NOT CHEAP however, for blue sapphire be prepared to pay up to $200 per carat depending on quality. Cutting will generally cost anywhere from $100-$300 per stone, depending on carat weight and complexity of the cutting. I hope that helps.

 

[minousbijoux]

Jim: Don't forget to mention the loss in cutting and that the percentage of recovery is pretty low, depending upon the quality and shape of the rough...

 

[VapidLapid]

aaaaYEah, I cant really imagine this as a good idea to pursue for a casual end user. Where are you going to get this rough? The big corporations get all the major finds and first pick on most everything else. there are few resources for buying a piece of good rough. The independent precision lapidaries have to work hard at getting what they do. that means not only just going to the tucson shows and buying there and networking, but traveling to Africa and Madagascar and Ceylon for buying trips which is expensive and risky and not undertaken lightly. One needs to have contacts and hire security. Perhaps you live in Montana or Ratnapura and can get some rough down the corner, from a friend of a friend or dig it up yourself, but finding suppliers is hard, and it is a tough market. People are usually protective of their sources and unlikely to share. Then too, can you evaluate rough to make good choices? That takes a special eye, training and experience. Can you tell synthetic from real? Can you tell 7-Up bottle glass from Tsavorite? Do you have the tools? Are you prepared that the yield of a stone cut from a 4 carat rough is likely to be one carat? So if you bought the rough at $200 a carat , $800, the finished stone cost you the same 800 so now you have 800 a carat and not even factored in the cutting cost, and the shipping to you, to the lapidary and back. I have bought rough from reputable sellers of rough, but there is a premium for that too. I Think one is much better off contacting lapidaries whose work you like and who have their contacts and may be able to source an appropriate rough to cut the stone you want.

 

[lelser]

While I can sometimes be convinced to recut a client's stone (if I really, really like her) I'd most likely never agree to cut rough sourced by anyone less skilled at picking it than I am. That narrows the field a bit

It takes years and lots of errors in judgement to develop a good eye for rough. Even then I don't always get what I'd expected in terms of shape, size or colour. I sell rough to other lapidaries and will often send a selection of possible candidates and let them choose which to cut. They get a refund for whatever comes home untouched. Every cutter has different skills, and what I might think suitable for a project might be too small or too large for someone else depending on how much yield they expect to get.

If you're buying a piece of rough you're almost certainly paying a LOT more than I would for similar material. Most likely, you've got something that's too dark, too flat, and too included. You won't see it, but a good cutter will. Then you develop an image of the finished stone and will probably be disappointed no matter HOW skilled the cutter because the reality of what you bought can't match the image in your head.

I'm sorry if this sounds too negative, but I enjoy making people happy with rocks and the best way I've found to do that is by having people purchase a gem that I've already cut. Then they get exactly what they expect.

Cheers,

Lisa
www.lisaelser.com

 

[chrono]

Here's my question back to you: Do you know what to look for?

There are too many cons to getting it yourself and even experienced lapidaries have been burned occasionally.
1. Are you able to guesstimate the final colour?
2. Are you able to "see" the right rough shape for the cut you want? Do you know what sort of rough shape you need?
3. Are you able to spot any zoning or inclusions that needs to be worked around? Or even make the stone unfacetable?
4. Are you able to work with the natural pleochroism that sapphires have and buy rough with the correct colour orientation?
5. Did you know that a 30% return on a rough is considered very good, meaning that at least 70% of the rough will be cut away and lost? If you have something odd shaped or too included or have to work through other issues, the return will be even lower. Sometimes, inclusions have a tendency to grow and then have to be removed, leaving you with an even smaller stone. Smaller means less tone and saturation too.

And the list goes on. Short answer? Don't do it.

 

[LD]

Assuming you have somebody who will source rough for you there is a HUGE consideration that has been touched on above but I think is the most important ............. are you fussy about colour? You can't tell exactly what shade/hue of gem you will get with the finished gem. So you could look at the rough and be told that it will probably cut to a medium blue (for example) but then when cut it actually shows a bit more purple or it's lighter/darker than you may want.

I'm very visual and gravitate towards something initially when the colour is right - most people do the same thing. Minor variations in shade can mean I love or hate a gem. So unless you're not fussy at all please bear in mind that whilst what you propose is an adventure, it poses a higher risk than buying a ready-cut gemstone.

 

[txgreeneyes]

Maybe for a cheaper route, buy a rough quartz and have someone cut it for you? They are really cheap, and maybe a stone cutter would like the practice.

You'll get the experience of buying a rough stone and having it transformed.

 

[minousbijoux]

...and Lauralynn, as you can see even though many haven't said so, their knowledge often comes from their own experience getting rough cut. I know it sounds strange but I have some rough lying around that I really should have cut, but for me, the thrill of the what could be is almost better than what it will be. Sort of like buying a lottery ticket and forgetting to check and see if you won; the thrill is often in the imagining...Sapphires are just about my favorite, and yet I would never gamble that way...

 

[iLander]

I know Jerry at Gemart Services will cut a buyer's rough, but make sure you have a good return policy on the rough. If Jerry looks at it, and doesn't think it will work, you'll need to return it. He can tell you about how much he thinks it will yield, etc. It usually takes 5 carats of rough to make a 1 carat stone. If you're lucky and nothing funky is going on in the middle.

Email Jerry, he'll fill you in. It's a lot harder to do than you think.