Has anyone had rough stones cut and put into jewelry? Is it pretty expensive? Do you just go to a regular jeweler to do it? I have a rough aquamarine stone and I was thinking it might be kind of nice to have it made into earrings or a ring. It is my son's birthstone and I already have a nice pendant necklace. Aquamarine itself is pretty inexpensive, so in the end I'm wondering if it is even worth it to have it cut or if it would be cheaper to just buy one already on display. It would be nice to use the one I have though.
I have rough sapphires. You can take them to a jeweler, but it will be pricey. I ended up shipping mine overseas through a connection of mine to be cut. I took a few of my rough sapphires and had them set into a ring without being cut, I like the look, but I know it wouldn't be everyone's thing.
Post by alleinesein on Apr 24, 2015 19:49:05 GMT -5
Do a bit of googling and find your local gem and mineral society. A lot of times there will be people in your area that are lapidaries and have their own cutting and polishing equipment. Just be aware that it might cost more to have your stone cut and polished than it would be to buy a faceted gem. You will also lose 30%-50% of the stones weight in the cutting process.
Do you know the approximate weight of the rough? Does it have any visible inclusions or a very obvious cleavage plane? Colored gemstones are not cut the same way as diamonds and a good lapidary will cut the stone to maximize the color of the stone. Even when they are cut they can still be lumpy, weird shaped and hard to set in jewelry.