Rocks are Rocks!
Gemstones are Rocks!
Gemstone Slabs are Rocks!
Rocks have Cracks, Fractures and Vugs !
Therefore, Gemstones and Gemstone Slabs have Cracks, Fractures and Vugs !
I frequently hear customers stating the fractures, cracks and/or vugs in a cabochon slab or piece of rough makes it undesirable for cutting Gemstones. I'm certain those folks truly believe what they are saying. But in fact, it isn't true! They believe a piece of material with cracks, fractures and/or vugs is less valuable than one without them. This is also untrue. Most material is priced by weight and the last time I checked, fractures, cracks and/or vugs did not weigh anything. The value is in the potential of the rough material to produce a valued Gemstone. Also entering into the equation is the experience, skill and the artistic ability of the Lapidarist.
Another common comment is the size of slabs. Most inexperienced lapidarist seem to believe "big is better". They seem to have the idea that a larger slab is better in quality and more bang for their buck. Not necessarily true. Some of the most expensive Cabochons I've sold were cut from what most people would throw away, the end cut! Again the experience, skill and the artistic ability of the Lapidarist comes into play. The experienced artistic gem cutter knows how to spot that diamond in the rough, whether it's located in a small piece of rough or a 6 pound slab. Which brings up another subject, the prices of Cabochon material.
It's beyond me why the customer believes gemstone slabs are too expensive. Any good gemstone material will run $20.00+ a pound or up. When you figure in the cost of the rough, equipment to cut it, the time involved in slabing it and the waste factor involved, the going price of slabed material is still a fair deal. Add those costs to the cost of advertising and it's still cheaper than buying a truck/car, gasoline and travel time to go into the mountains and mine the rough. I know, I've done both! So the next time you think a $12.00 slab is too expensive for material that will produce you several Cabochons worth $35.00 each, just do the numbers.
Happy cutting.
Studio182
Gemstones are Rocks!
Gemstone Slabs are Rocks!
Rocks have Cracks, Fractures and Vugs !
Therefore, Gemstones and Gemstone Slabs have Cracks, Fractures and Vugs !
I frequently hear customers stating the fractures, cracks and/or vugs in a cabochon slab or piece of rough makes it undesirable for cutting Gemstones. I'm certain those folks truly believe what they are saying. But in fact, it isn't true! They believe a piece of material with cracks, fractures and/or vugs is less valuable than one without them. This is also untrue. Most material is priced by weight and the last time I checked, fractures, cracks and/or vugs did not weigh anything. The value is in the potential of the rough material to produce a valued Gemstone. Also entering into the equation is the experience, skill and the artistic ability of the Lapidarist.
Another common comment is the size of slabs. Most inexperienced lapidarist seem to believe "big is better". They seem to have the idea that a larger slab is better in quality and more bang for their buck. Not necessarily true. Some of the most expensive Cabochons I've sold were cut from what most people would throw away, the end cut! Again the experience, skill and the artistic ability of the Lapidarist comes into play. The experienced artistic gem cutter knows how to spot that diamond in the rough, whether it's located in a small piece of rough or a 6 pound slab. Which brings up another subject, the prices of Cabochon material.
It's beyond me why the customer believes gemstone slabs are too expensive. Any good gemstone material will run $20.00+ a pound or up. When you figure in the cost of the rough, equipment to cut it, the time involved in slabing it and the waste factor involved, the going price of slabed material is still a fair deal. Add those costs to the cost of advertising and it's still cheaper than buying a truck/car, gasoline and travel time to go into the mountains and mine the rough. I know, I've done both! So the next time you think a $12.00 slab is too expensive for material that will produce you several Cabochons worth $35.00 each, just do the numbers.
Happy cutting.
Studio182
0 comments:
Post a Comment