Mandarin Garnet

I haven’t written much about Mandarin garnets because I don’t really like orange as a color, and so I’ve ignored this gem for a long time.  But now I think I didn’t do it justice.

Spessartite, the garnet group that Mandarin garnet falls under, has only been on the gemstone market for a little over 10 years.  Although tiny amounts have been found in Germany, California, and Sri Lanka, among other places for a couple of hundred years, it was so rare that it was considered a collector’s stone.  Marketable quantities have only shown up in Namibia, then Nigeria and Mozambique in the last decade or so.  In 2007, there was a find of facet grade Spessartites of beautiful bright color near the town of Loliondo, Tanzania (it's basically a location in the bush, some 10 miles off of a dirt road in the middle of nowhere).  A gemologist friend of mine travelled there a few years ago and got some nice crystals – a dangerous journey that necessitated an ample supply of weapons for security.

Spessarite "Mine" near Loliondo, Courtesy of Jentsch Mineralien

The color of spessartite ranges from a light orange to a deep reddish brown, with the bright and pure neon-color oranges being the most desirable and the most expensive.  The trade has termed them “Mandarin” garnets.  Initially these garnets came from Namibia, and then Loliondo, Tanzania.

Here's a sampling of my purchase, the stone with the best color is the second to the left

Like most garnets, Spessartites are mostly smaller in size, but 1-3 carats are available, 5 carats and above are rare.  While a brown Spessartite under 1 carat can run as low as $20/ct, a well cut Mandarin in that size can cost 10 times that much.  Recently prices have been on the upswing because the mine in Nigeria is no longer up and running.  Originally, prices were low but world demand drove them up very quickly.  As a result, smart dealers that had overbought at the time stashed their parcels away.  Indeed this was a good move, because after staying steady for a few years, prices have recently doubled because supply is now dwindling.  This is in part why I acquired some pieces.

Design wise I was surprised how well the bright orange looks in rose gold, and in particular when pink gems, like mahenge spinel and pink sapphires, are added into the mix.  I also love the combination of red, orange, and yellow (i.e. yellow sapphires and Burma spinels).  Mandarin garnet, as opposed to pyrope garnet, also has excellent performance in incandescent light.  In fact, I find that they look their best when the light does not hit them directly, but when it is subdued.  Then a good quality piece can almost look neon-orange, despite the occasional tiny white inclusions that are called “sugar” in industry.  That neon color is what drew me in the most.  Extra fine Mandarin ovals can look more orange from one angle, with flashes of reddish orange from another angle.  It’s really quite beautiful.

Mandarin Garnet ring with Burmese Pink Sapphire

This not-quite-red yet not light orange color is extremely rare.  I’ve seen large parcels from the Loliondo mines with perhaps just one or two stones that looked like that.  In fact, I went through every parcel at my gem dealer’s office in the smaller, more affordable size, and pulled out all the most neon pieces I could find.  These days, most mines no longer produce that color at all.  Recent reports indicate that only low quality rough is being offered in Nigeria, and one source has told me that because of political tensions among locals, the Nigeria mine is no longer operating now.  And so it goes until we find some more elsewhere on the African continent.  

The Intricacies of Gemstone Pricing

Gemstone pricing can seem to be all over the place. Quotes on the same stone fluctuate depending on the seller, the buyer, and even the context: Internet sales vs gem shows, U.S. vs overseas. But despite appearances, there is logic to gemstone pricing, and making the right quote - the quote that yields a transaction – can be considered an art.

To start with, there are a number of different pricing levels that are below retail.

1. Rough bought on location. This is the cheapest way to buy but even rough is pre-sorted and you have to understand what you are looking at. After cutting, rough loses an average of 80% in weight.  Gemstone cutting can be $1 or $5 per carat, finished goods. Cutting grade rough for fine gems like sapphire is quoted per gram, and for cheap stuff like amethyst it is quoted per kilo.
2. Cut gems bought on location. In place like Tanzania or Sri Lanka many gems are cut before they leave the country (in Sri Lanka this is the law). But strangers are not likely to get good prices.  Buyers and sellers have established relationships and introductions are needed. New buyers can be tested for their knowledge of prices. If a buyer haggles when a low quote is made, the seller may refuse to work with that buyer in the future.
3. Dealer pricing.  Finished goods make their way to the U.S. (mostly New York) via a middle man who sell only to gemstone dealers at a markup.  Some U.S. dealers also traveled directly to India, or they are connected to gem dealers in other places in the world, or they travel to buy on location. They buy at dealer prices, and if they sell to each other, they sell at dealer prices with a small markup.  Markups at this level average 30%, or less if it’s dealer to dealer.
4. Wholesale pricing. Gem dealers then sell their wares to independent designers and jewelers or jewelry chains. A wholesale buyer has to have a business license or a tax ID so they can be exempt from sales tax. The markup here is also around 30%, but quotes can be higher or lower, depending on the relationship.  Repeat business is often rewarded with reasonable markups.

What about retail pricing?  There are several levels of retail as well. A gem lab calculates a retail value at 30% above the most recent wholesale pricing tables - these tables average out wholesale prices across locations in the U.S.(with N.Y. being one of the cheapest locations). This is not related to store retail which is usually higher. It is also not related to the retail price of finished jewelry: material cost plus cost of labor x4 (x2 for wholesale and x8 for high end stores).

Against these basic standards, several additional factors can affect pricing.

Mandarin Garnet Parcel, with Two Unheated Zircons Thrown in for Contrast

1. Urgency. Some people need their goods right away. They have a custom order that is already paid for, they have an impatient buyer, or they have an impatient personality. When several dealers on 47th street get "calls" for the same stone (i.e. a 4 carat sapphire for an engagement ring), it's considered a "strong call". Then everyone smells money and the prices go up. So even of one really needs to buy, it is best to proceed in a relaxed manner.

2. Time spent with the seller.  Some buyers spend hours at a gem dealer’s booth or office, and that ties the seller up.  Many sellers need to move material quickly (they too need to calculate their pay by the hour).  Their booth or office may be small and so they cannot help several people at once.  The same thing happens on the internet.  If a buyer needs a lot of photos and has a million questions, it can take hours to negotiate a deal.  Price levels have to reflect this, and they are one reason why many gem dealers won’t – or simply can’t – deal with the general public.
3. Trustworthiness. You wouldn't believe how many buyers on 47^th Street memo out stones and don't pay, or don't pay on time, don't return the merchandise, and string along sellers. "Check's in the mail." Uh uh.  Checks do bounce. Even certified checks! Credit card purchases are disputed after the buyer has made off with the goods.  If you are a “serious buyer” – ready to pay, and people know your checks go through, and on time, you will get far better quotes.
4. Haggling. You may get away with it the first time, but when, after seriously haggling down a price, you return to the same gem dealer for more, you'll find that all the prices have suddenly increased: If the dealer expects you to haggle, he has to start with a higher base price.

Tsavorite and Mahenge Spinel Cabochon Parcel

Of course now you are wondering price level I buy at.  Most of the time, I get dealer

prices.  When I first started buying on 47^th Street, I knew nothing whatsoever about gemstone pricing, but I discovered after a while that everyone offered me good deals (this really wasn’t obvious to me at first).  When I asked a gem dealer friend about this, he said “it’s because you pay.” I thought that was a ludicrous suggestion.  Don’t people usually pay when they buy things?  Now, a few years later, I realize he was right.  Gem dealers must have thought I was from Mars.  Owing money, wasting someone’s time, and haggling all make me extremely uncomfortable.  Dishonesty doesn’t come easy to me – I can never think of a good lie fast enough, not even white lies like: that dress doesn’t look bad on you – so on occasion I get into trouble, even with my friends.  But as it turns out, Martians can do very well among gem dealers.

Tricks and Tips for Designing in CAD

As you see more and more of Brandy’s CAD (computer aided) designs in my shop, I thought it might be time to explain the design aspect of the process a bit more.  This will also help you if you are interested in placing a custom design order that requires CAD.

When do you need CAD?  CAD is extremely useful when you don’t want to make a design from scratch in metal, and especially when you have an idea that is more complicated, like my halo and multi-stone rings.  Imagine how long might take to make all those tiny little prong settings, for instance.  CAD is also useful when you have a specific stone and can’t find any stock settings that work.  But CAD doesn’t work well for flowy designs, and the geometry for certain shapes is incredibly complicated.  The more curves, ridges, settings, the more detail in other words, the longer it takes. 

Wedding Band CAD with Dimensions

A CAD ring will indeed take several hours in design work, or even more.  A simple setting might only be 30 minutes, but if you’re designing a complicated gallery for instance, adding all those curves and finalizing the dimensions can take an afternoon.  After that, the CAD model has to be “printed” in plastic , then cast in base metal, then molded, then again cast in the desired metal.  You can also go straight to casting from your plastic model, but if you then need another one, you have to print again, and printing can cost up to $100.  3D printers are expensive, and the printing process is slow.  Long story short, you are looking at a few hundred dollars before you so much as have a first casting.

Since CAD works on a mathematical basis, you need all your dimensions pretty well worked out before you can begin, and you may need to refine them as you design, or go back and forth with your CAD person.  This includes inside diameters of bezels, thickness of bezel walls, prongs, etc, for each part of your ring.  Brandy, who is very good at this, often supplies these after I give her the stone, or stone dimensions, the basic ring dimensions and my drawings.  She knows how deep a setting has to be to fit a stone, what wall thickness is required for a bezel, how much space to leave between stones, and other things you’d never think of if you haven’t done this a lot.  Nevertheless, sometimes Brandy and I have to sit together for a couple of hours and hash out specs as we try them out on the screen. 

This Cluster Ring is not Done Because We're Working on the Gallery , Often the Hardest Part

You also need to have a good sense of imagination, because a lot of time a model looks one way on the computer, another way when it is printed and cast.  One of my new rings ended up too heavy on the top, and the shanks were too thin to make it look balanced.  And when you plan to add stones in a beaded or burnished setting, you need to be able to visualize how the piece will look when it’s finished, because on the screen, and even in the silver casting, it will just be an empty canvas.

My Victorian Flower Earrings Before Setting

A Finished Design with the Same Setting

Sometimes other impracticalities intrude that you don’t think of.  Your finger is too small to support several stones in a row, or sizing will be an issue later.  Eternity bands have to be done for each size for instance, and in each case you have to change the design a little.  You also can’t just make a design bigger or smaller because you will want to shrink just certain aspects (i.e. the center setting but not the shank).  This means that certain changes in size necessitate many other changes down the line. 

               Finally, you have to think about practical aspects during casting and printing.  The ring I made (below) cannot be cast in one piece because the silicone could not get underneath the ring.  So Brandy made a gallery, lifted the top and made two designs that have to be assembled after casting.  Also, since you can’t cast in two metals at once, any two tone designs require two models that have to be fitted together and assembled.  

Shank is Too Narrow (The Thing on the Right is the Sprue)

Can't Mold in One Piece

Top is Too Thick, Needs a Galllery

Breaking an Apatite. Or: How Observation can Interfere with Experiment

So I had the brilliant idea of taking snapshots while my setter, Pierre, set an apatite into my new silver halo ring.  Dark blue sapphire outside, turquoise center, it was going to look fabulous.  Pierre has some very fancy setting equipment.  At his bench there is a huge microscope with very strong lighting that costs several thousand dollars, surrounded by lots of other smaller gadgets.  I guess you need that when you routinely set expensive gems.  Luckily, my apatite had only cost me about $20. 

Ring Inside Ring Holder

First, Pierre carefully clamped my ring into a ring holder, cushioning the outside of the shank with tissue so wouldn’t get marred.  The ring has to sit tight in order for the pressure from setting not to dislodge it.  Then Pierre separated the double prongs.  During casting, prongs that sit close together often have metal in between them, and it is cut apart with a separator disc.  Then the prongs are shaped into claws and the seat is drilled: that’s a little groove on the inside of each prong where the girdle of the gem will rest.  I like my gems set low, and the apatite fit perfectly into the opening.

Separating the Prongs

Unfortunately, the lighting of his microscope was so strong that my iPhone couldn’t cope, so I asked Pierre to lower it.  Which he promptly did, but not without mentioning that he could no longer really see what he was doing.  I should have taken that as a cue.

Having placed the apatite into the ring, Pierre proceeded to push the prongs over the gem with his metal bezel pusher.  

Pushing the Prongs over the Stone

As a final step, he rubber wheeled the prongs.  This means sanding them down with a soft rubber disc so that the places where he marred the metal with the bezel pusher – something which is unavoidable – are filed back out.  Normally this is the tricky step because you don’t want the rubber wheel to scratch the stone. 

Rubber Wheeling the Prongs

As it turned out, in this case, the moment during which the little apatite incurred major damage was minutes earlier.  It happened shortly after the light was turned off in order to accommodate my iPhone.  Ahem.  The third photo shows you approximately when Pierre chipped it. 

Long story short, my apatite didn’t live.  And now there’s a pretty tourmaline in the center of that same ring.  So that’s how it goes.  Apatite is risky business.  With a sapphire, this would probably not have happened.  But from now on, I’m not going to ask Pierre to work in the dark! J

Chip in Girdle on Right Next to Where the Prong Would have Been (Plus Scratches You Can't See)

Working with Cabochons and Rose Cuts

If you are used to working with only faceted stones, you’ll find that cabs and rose cuts are an entirely different animal.  Very little of what you know transfers over to the non-faceted gem world.  Cab pricing and weighs are different, they are judged on a different scale, and most commercial settings don’t work.

First, be aware that cabs and rose cuts are not usually clean gems.  The facet grade rough is – well – faceted, and cabs are the next grade down before rose cuts and then beads.  Cabochon material is therefore rarely as clean as faceted stones.   The quality often ranges from very good (near facet grade) to very poor (totally dead and opaque).  Obviously, I don’t recommend the latter.  Cabs don’t have brilliance either, rather, when set right, they glow, despite inclusions.  Cabs usually rank better in terms of glow than rose cuts because the facets of rose cuts don’t let the gem be as bright.  And of course the term “window” doesn’t apply because to not have window, you need back facets.  Technically, therefore, all cabs and rose cuts have window. 

Spinel Rose Cuts

When you buy cabochons, you can expect a lower per carat price than for faceted stones, but you also need to expect them to weigh more.  On average, cabochons weigh twice as much as faceted stones in the same size.  The exception are rose cuts, because they are flatter and the top facets remove extra weight.  The facets hide flaws, however, so your expectations of a rose cut should be lower than that of a cabochon.  Rose cuts usually weigh about the same as faceted stones.  Often, though, a high quality cab and a low quality faceted stones can come out the same in terms of price.

Finding the right setting for cabochons can be challenging.  Even calibrated stones often do not fit the settings that are fabricated for their size.  Many are too high so that the bezel wall doesn’t fold over right; or they are too low so that the stone vanishes under the bezel wall.  Yet others are slightly too big or too small – the latter applies to rose cuts in particular.  The smaller the cabochon, the more problematic it is if it doesn’t fit right.  So when you choose cabs, watch for high dome and low dome, as the terminology goes.  If you have a bezel already, bring it with you when you buy the stone and see how the stone looks in it. 

Round Commercial Bezels

Add to that, that many cabochons are not calibrated in the first place.  So you have to expect to be making the bezel by hand.  This is even more the case for rose cuts, which are often cut in irregular shapes, just following the natural lines of the material.  The expectation is that for either, you will make your own setting, or have it made. 

When I make bezels for cabs and rose cuts, I usually do a closed back.  I find that many gems look washed out when there is no metal behind them.  The light simply passes through them and that dulls the color.  The exception, for me, is when I channel set cabs for earrings, because then I like the light to pass through.  A ring or a necklace has your skin behind it at all times, and that doesn’t help the stone reflect out.  In earrings, that is not a concern.

Square and Oval Cabochons, Cabochon Bullet

Gemstone Etiquette 101: Ten Gem Buying Tips

Yes, there are rules when you buy gems.  And if you don’t know what they are, you can easily offend or, much to your disadvantage, drive up the price at which you buy.  These ten tips will save you some grief, and hopefully also some $$$ at your next gem buying spree.  Remember also that strict rules are established because it is easy to cheat in the gem business.  Trust, therefore, is everything.

1. Gems are priced by the parcel or individually.  Large and uneven parcels are the cheapest, small and well matched parcels cost more.  Individually priced gems cost the most.  If you have the time, you can save by selecting from parcels, but be sure to communicate that you intend to select by asking for per carat price for selection first (unless, that is, the trays are openly displayed for you to pick from them).  And yes, prices are usually quoted per carat.

2. You can ask for a loupe, most gem dealers carry them.  Check the table and back for scratches, and rest the stone between your index and middle fingers to look for window.  Move it away from the dealer’s light source to see how it looks under darker lighting conditions.  For expensive stones, ask if you can take the gem into standard daylight, i.e. near the window.  If you drop the stone, look at listen: don’t take your eye off it and listen to where it bounces and how often.  The little buggers have a way of vanishing.  And don’t leave the booth while the dealer is looking.  You dropped it, so you have to help him find it!  You may also have to pay for it.

3. Don’t give the store away: if you’re asked for your budget, hedge or say you don’t know yet.  If you’re asked to name your price, ask the dealer for his price instead.  Gem buying can be like playing poker, where you don’t show your hand.

4. If you like a stone, don’t jump up and down with joy, especially if you forgot to ask for the price ahead of time.  And if you hate the stone, don’t insult the merchandize by saying it is not good.  Dealers are proud of their inventory and can think you don’t know what you’re talking about (and just maybe, you actually don’t).  Just say “not for me."   

5. Bargaining is tricky.  Many prices are fixed.  But you can say that a gem is a little out of your budget or more than what you were hoping to spend.  Then let the dealer come down in price if he thinks he can, or wants to.  You could ask if there’s anything the dealer can do on the price.  Personally I don’t.  I just say it doesn’t work for me, that I might have trouble selling the merchandize at my markup.  Then it’s the dealer’s turn to see if he can make a better offer.

6.     If you can’t estimate weight by stone size, have each gem you are considering weighed and priced before you make your final choice.  I have seen hasty gem buyers annoy dealers by piling lots gems onto their selection trays to buy and then putting most of them back when they hit the scale.  This wastes considerable time and if the gem show is busy, other potential buyers have to wait for you.  It is best if you memorize some standard sizes and weights before you start shopping (you can use a diamond table and add 20-30% for extra weight and bulky cutting).  Or ask the dealer to estimate, many can do that very well by just looking at your tray.

7.      Not all treatments are identified, in fact, many gems are loose on trays or in bags and just have an ID tag that tells the dealer how to price the gems.  For emeralds, sapphires and rubies, always ask about treatment.  The word “natural” is not helpful in this context, since it is used to distinguish synthetic and lab created material from the genuine article.  So a natural gem can be treated.  Some gems are always treated (i.e. London blue topaz).  You should be familiar with some of the basic ways in which gems are treated, but you can always ask, “is it treated”?  This obligates the dealer to disclose.

8.      Neither a price quote nor the agreement to buy should be retracted.  That’s why it’s important that the dealer knows what he is quoting you and how many carats.  His (or her) quote is good once it is made.  When you agree to buy, that counts as a verbal contract.

9.      In the gem buying world, there are no refunds or exchanges unless they are agreed upon ahead of time.  Buyers can switch out gems and return a fake, or they can scratch a stone, i.e. by trying it in a setting, and then return it scratched.  Sellers protect themselves against this with strict no return policies.  If the seller knows and trusts you, you can memo out a stone, either against deposit or for free.  During this time you are fully responsible for the stone, and if you lose it, you have to pay for it.  If you do not return it within the agreed upon time period, you can lose the future privilege to memo out a gem.

10.   For good pricing and to establish trust, introduction by another buyer or gem dealer is helpful.  If someone sent you, mention their name.  You can also recommend someone, but remember not to recommend people you don’t trust or know, because if an expensive deal goes south after you have introduced the respective parties, you can get blamed. 

Selection of Trays at a Gem Show

What’s a Gem Show Like?

In one word: overwhelming.  I was at the Jeweler’s Association Summer show at the Javitt’s Convention Center last weekend.  I had a long list of things I needed and a smaller customer wish list.  I had a good night’s sleep and got there 5 minutes after they opened.  Eight hours later, I was completely wiped out. 

The show I went to is mainly for jewelry but the AGTA pavilion has about 50 gem and bead dealers whose stuff you can look at.  Some have their gems in little pre-boxed parcels, others have open trays for you to sift through and pick what you like.  Prices are usually on the trays, but it is good if you can estimate weights because otherwise you will be surprised about your tab when it all gets weighed out at the end.  You may do what so many do when they overspend: ask some of the gems to be put back.  Gem dealers are used to it but that doesn't mean they like it.

Selecting from Gem Trays

I buy a lot of boxed gems but I also spend a significant amount of time selecting individual or pieces from little bags and trays to match for earrings.  I spent 90 minutes in one booth and I didn’t even realize the time!  I also bought a bunch of beads.

The most interesting find for me, but not affordable at all, were the Paraiba tourmalines in the photo below.  The 3mm melees started at $1200/ct – my price!  More than diamonds.  Sapphire prices have gone up again, I bought more or less what was left at the price of February from the dealer I know that doesn’t change the old prices on his gem boxes.  I found some nice multi-color 5mm round Ceylon’s (heated) that I will put up on Etsy.  And some peachy colored Morganite, but heat treated as well. 

Paraiba Tourmalines

Prima gems had a ton of beads that were fun to look at, and some carved rough.  I found a few pieces of nice richly colored heated blue zircon with them and some top drilled beads that I will make into earrings with pearl cups.  All in all, the show was a success for me, but there were some things I couldn’t find: good emerald, nicer green sapphire, pink tourmaline.  The latter has about doubled in price since I looked last, so I’ll have to check with some dealers in the city and look through old parcels.  All tourmalines have gone up but the pinks especially.  

Prima Gem's Bead Table

Jaimeen, Sukrita and Geoff from Prima Gems