Did you ever get custom-cut stones?

[marionberry]

So, I'm curious, my question is the title, what are your experiences with buying in rough and getting cut, or working with the lapidary directly to get a stone of your dreams?
If so, why? What was the story, how did you decide on what cut exactly you wanted - or was this the cutter's professional choice alone?
I find gem cutting so fascinating but at this point don't really know enough about the different options. In my case I am looking for a trillion pair and I am looking at all these pictures of different edges and corners and thinking about what I'd like best ... without yet knowing what would be best in regards of brilliance. Any online resources you can recommend?

 

[Sabrina31]

I'd highly recommend Jeff White, his cutting is absolutely brilliant and he is very easy to work with. I spoke to him previously on getting a custom cut sapphire and he would have absolutely been able to meet my budget and wish list, i ended up finding an already cut stone i loved at the time and now regret i didnt go with Jeff instead. Its on my list to buy a custom cut stone from him in the next year or two.

 

[indigoblue]

I had a couple of amethysts cut for my daughters and was very pleased with the results. Here's the thread:

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/amethysts.196961/

I was less pleased with the settings made by a local jeweler, but they eventually grew on me.

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/amethysts-finally-set.199156/

 

[marionberry]

Thank you both for sharing!

Sabrina, may I ask what your intention was back then for considering a custom? An unusual shape or a special stone that you eyed in the rough? I love the idea of having gems cut specifically for me ... and I sort of would like to give them a special touch too ... without knowing how yet.

 

[Sabrina31]

I wanted a very unique color, that i wasn't seeing in person at local jewelry stores. Color was my #1 consideration.

 

[caf]

I have gotten two - one from Jeff White (a yellow sapphire) and one from Roger Dery. Both are gorgeous. I haven’t set either yet.

 

[T L]

I'd highly recommend Jeff White, his cutting is absolutely brilliant and he is very easy to work with. I spoke to him previously on getting a custom cut sapphire and he would have absolutely been able to meet my budget and wish list, i ended up finding an already cut stone i loved at the time and now regret i didnt go with Jeff instead. Its on my list to buy a custom cut stone from him in the next year or two.

I bought one from him that I ended up hating, sold it and then saw it sell twice more. He also charges a restocking fee, so if you do want to return it, you lose a certain percentage of the purchase price, which can be significant. He also cut a stone for me that had such awful half and half extinction, that I ended up selling that stone as well. I know people love him and his work, but I had two disappointing experiences.

Not all dealers charge restocking fees on custom orders, so always check the return policy before you take the plunge.

 

[pwsg07]

I would do some research and show the cutter lots of photos as samples. It is hard to communicate the clarity and the colour of the stone. Try to cut the cleaner type of gemstone if possible. I hope there is a standard colour chart for the gemstone since the gemstone's colour behaves differently on different cameras.

 

[Sabrina31]

I bought one from him that I ended up hating, sold it and then saw it sell twice more. He also charges a restocking fee, so if you do want to return it, you lose a certain percentage of the purchase price, which can be significant. He also cut a stone for me that had such awful half and half extinction, that I ended up selling that stone as well. I know people love him and his work, but I had two disappointing experiences.

Not all dealers charge restocking fees on custom orders, so always check the return policy before you take the plunge.

TL thank you thats really good to know! I will definitely keep it in mind for when I'm ready to purchase.

 

[Arkteia]

I bought one from him that I ended up hating, sold it and then saw it sell twice more. He also charges a restocking fee, so if you do want to return it, you lose a certain percentage of the purchase price, which can be significant. He also cut a stone for me that had such awful half and half extinction, that I ended up selling that stone as well. I know people love him and his work, but I had two disappointing experiences.

Not all dealers charge restocking fees on custom orders, so always check the return policy before you take the plunge.

Thank you, TL. It is exactly my experience. Only I did not even know I could return the stone. I wanted to order another stone later, and finally decided not to...

 

[T L]

I would do some research and show the cutter lots of photos as samples. It is hard to communicate the clarity and the colour of the stone. Try to cut the cleaner type of gemstone if possible. I hope there is a standard colour chart for the gemstone since the gemstone's colour behaves differently on different cameras.

I never purchased from gemfix, he had mixed reviews here, but I like that he does refer to Pantone shades when describing color for each stone in his inventory. Although color can be subjective, especially saturation, I wish more dealers would reference Pantone colors in describing color.

The most important thing however is an ironclad return policy. Also note that if you're buying from a far off place, like Asia, returns can be a bit more hairy and complicated.