Rough or Cut?

[Elegant]

Well, the longer I am in this forum, the more my love for colored stones begins to grow.

After seeing so many beautiful rings with such beautifully faceted (is that the right lingo?) stones, my question is:

Do you prefer to buy rough stones and then have them cut by a favorite gem cutter, or

Do you prefer to buy pre-cut stones?

My apologies for the ignorance on my part on the correct way to ask this question with the right words...i.e. cutter/faceting/etc...new to this!!!

 

[Fly Girl]

I wouldn''t have a clue on how to pick good rough, so I''ll stick to purchasing faceted gems.

 

[Elegant]

Yeah, I wouldn''t either. I saw lots of faceted gems today and I saw online vendors were selling rough stones too. When people have their pre-cut gems already and want to have them re-cut, how much does that cost? Any ideas?

 

[RevolutionGems]

While I can''t really speak for any other cutters, I personally prefer to start with a rough stone. Recutting can be a challenge and, given that many stones have a great deal of sentimental value, it is a lot of pressure. In fact, I am recutting a stone right now and it is the first. I don''t think I will take on any more recutting projects.

From a pricing standpoint, it will depend on the cutter, the size of the stone, the type of stone, etc, etc, etc. but you can probably expect to spend anywhere from $50 on up.

There is nothing wrong with getting stones recut BUT if you are buying stone specifically to be recut, think of it as buying a rough stone. Understand that there will be loss of carat weight from very minor (a few points for repolishing or sharpening facets) to a 50% or more loss if going for a total recut in a different shape, depth or calibration.

Good luck!