I’ve been so busy the last month or so that I have not been keeping up on posts as much as I would like, but a couple came in the other day with a problem that I felt I really should take the time to mention it. They had just been on vacation in Brazil and came back with an Aquamarine, which while not the finest, was still quite nice. They told me they did not spend a lot for the gem and had been under the impression that it was so inexpensive because they had brought it in Brazil from the source. They, however, where surprised to find out when they got back home and a jeweler told them that the gem would be very difficult to set and needed to have a custom mounting which was significantly more money than they had planned on spending. They came to me on a recommendation for a second opinion. Unfortunately the first jeweler was right; the aqua needed to have a custom made mounting because it was not, what is called in the industry, a calibrated size.
A calibrated gemstone is simply a gem which is cut to a standard size. Much like nuts and bolts, which are made to standard sizes so they will always fit, a calibrated gem will always fit into a mounting designed for that size gem. A non calibrated gem will never fit quite right in a standard mounting it will always be too small or too large.
Because they will never quite fit a standard mounting, non calibrated gems are of little use to most manufactures and jewelers. Even I, who specializes in one of a kind pieces, am very careful when buying a non calibrated gem. I need to be confident that the jewelry I make with the gem will sell as it is, because I will not be able to just drop another gem into it if a customer says “I love that ring - I just wish it had a blue gem not a green one.”
We see these loose gems being brought into the store after our customers have been on vacation in such places as Brazil, Australia and the Caribbean. I have also seen them sold on TV and the internet. The common theme in all these purchases is that the customer is unaware that a non calibrated gem is worth considerably less than a calibrated one of equal quality. Of course all these gems are sold as incredible bargains unavailable at your local jeweler, which is absolutely false.
Non calibrated gems can be a great value, when you understand the limitations and are prepared to spend the money necessary to have a proper custom mounting designed for your one of a kind gem.
Till next time, that is how I see the world of jewelry from Rochester, NY
David West Nytch CGA www.westandcompany.com
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