Lapidary Services
Commissions and Custom Orders
Yes, I take custom orders and commissions and I offer a bespoke gemcutting service. This includes cutting rough gemstones that you may have found or purchased.
Please contact me and let me know what you have in mind. If you've sent me an enquiry but haven't received a reply after three or four days, please send me another email to follow up. I do my best to reply to all enquiries but sometimes things simply get overlooked. Also check your email inbox spam folder because replies can sometimes end up in there.
Gem Repairs, Repolishing and Restoration
Repolishing an old worn gemstone can be done in order to remove scratches, chips, repair damage and improve the overall appearance of the gem. You might have a gemstone that has been in the family for generations, it might be your grandmother's sapphire or pop's ruby which has been handed down and you want to reset it. Sometimes these gems can be very worn and damaged to the point of despair.
However, it is possible to repair those treasured gems and give them a new lease of life. You'd be surprised at just what I can do to restore your cherished gemstone to it’s former beauty.
I also restore stone carvings that may have been damaged.
Recuts and Resizing
Recuts involve taking a poorly executed commercial cut gemstone and reworking it with correctly angled designs in order to improve brilliance, colour and other attributes. Recutting will always result in a smaller finished gemstone. As an example, if you have a 10mm commercial cut round stone, you might only receive an 8mm or 9mm precision cut gem back. Much depends on the depth, proportions and symmetry of the original stone but generally speaking, the deeper the stone the better. But first. be sure that you really want a stone recut because like I said, it will be a slightly smaller, lighter gemstone and this might be particularly relevant for gems of high value. Contact me for more information.
Inspecting and Assessing Rough Stones
If you are providing your own rough material for a job or simply wanting to get some stones that you found assessed then that is something I can do. One of the first things I'll ask for are some pictures of the rough material from a number of different angles. If you can, please include a ruler or coin in some of the pictures so that I can get an idea of the size. I'll also need an idea of the weight and quantity if you know it.
Understand that it is difficult to know just from pics whether a piece of rough is suitable for cutting and just what size and shape it will cut. Ideally I will need to see the rough in the hand so I can properly assess it before I can suggest any cutting options and what the costs will be. In some instances I may be able to provide a ballpark figure but this is not a final quote and is subject to change once I see the rough in the hand.
I tend not to cut anything under 5mm so you'll need a piece of rough that at a minimum is around 5 or 6 carats depending on how well shaped it is. Keep in mind that it may well be that your rough stone is simply not suitable for cutting. It might be too full of cracks and flaws and just not gem quality. If this is the case then I will let you know.
Once I've inspected your rough I will send you an email with cutting options and costs. If you decide at that point not to proceed that’s perfectly ok. You are under no obligations to have your rough cut. There will however be a fee for my time, handling, inspection, return postage, etc which will need to be paid before your rough is returned. This also applies if your gem rough simply wasn't suitable for cutting due to low grade, flaws, inclusions and so on.
If you only want your rough inspected and not cut then I'm happy to have a look at it and let you know what you've got - which ones are cutters and which are rubbish. There will be a charge for inspection and assessment.
