As a stone cutter, I don't generally get to interact with the
public. Retail jewelers do. So I have no way of setting the record
straight. If retail jewelers in general are spreading the word that
"all" stones are treated and I can't reach the retail customer,
then the only contact they get on this is from you.
As a gemologist, goldsmith, lapidary and retail jeweler (among other
things), I have to weigh in on this. Customers these days often walk
into the store already looking for untreated stones, so they’re not
necessarily getting it from me. I believe that most of them arm
themselves with just enough Internet to be dangerous,
then go out into the real world expecting said world to be everything
the Internet says it is. That’s about the time that I have to explain
common “industry standard” enhancements vs. natural It is
a matter of educating the consumer to put them at ease, not to harm
the reputation of independent lapidaries who produce fine, untreated
polished goods.
If this concept of "all" spreads, then we, who deal with untreated
stones whether they be stone cutters or jewelry makers and
sellers, have to somehow prove that ours are untreated, I ask one
question. How?
Perhaps offering a certificate, signed by the cutter that speaks to
the gemstone’s natural origin might go a long way for you. Since any
gemologist worth their salt can detect most enhancements, you might
consider striking up a professional relationship with a good one. At
my retail store, we offer gem ID to the trade for $20 (generally
speaking - difficult or significant stones can be more). Would it be
worth a few bucks to you to have another professional sign off on
your certificate of origin? Once you’ve established a reputation as a
cutter of fine, untreated your customers (whether dealers,
manufacturers, etc.) will accept your goods as untreated on your
word. Until then, you might consider offering them a guarantee that
your goods will withstand gemological scrutiny from any gem
laboratory. If you’re already established, you’ve already made it
there.
The other part of that is that if consumers get the idea that
treated is the standard to expect, they'll settle into that and
won't think it's worth buying stones that are untreated.
So far, the people who visit our store have been willing to pay a
premium for extra fine, untreated especially ruby and
sapphire. But that doesn’t go for all species of gems. For example,
we never keep a natural Moguk Old Mine estate ruby for long at
whatever price the market will bear, but there’s a stunning
chrysoberyl in a contemporary setting that almost never gets a second
look even though it’s totally natural.
The truth is that with the multitude of jewelry stores all over the
world, there just isn’t enough unearthed material that will stand
becoming jewelry without being enhanced in some way. People want
Tanzanite (for some strange reason), not brown zoisite. They want
red ruby, not dark bluish-Purple-centered Thai sapphire. They want
London blue topaz, not colorless material. People already know that a
great deal of gem materials have to be enhanced in some way, or there
wouldn’t be much of it to go around. They enter my place of business
asking about it. They will pay a premium to get (certain) untreated
gems if educated about them properly. No retail jeweler in their
right mind would approach the discussion of gem treatments with
customers for any other reason than to help them make informed,
educated choices. It also gives us the chance to put premium prices
on natural materials such as yours, and we all prefer making a better
living, don’t we?
Best of luck, and please let me know your solution for setting your
customers’ minds at ease about your natural
James S. Duncan, G.G.
James in SoFL