The cutting process: Buying Rough

The first step in a gemstone joining the Nomad’s family begins when a lot of rough crystals is brought to our buying table. An important thing that one must remember, is that when a parcel is shown it is almost never full of fine pieces. Parcels of “Mine Run” rough are production from a mine over a period of time, and these parcels contain a wide variety of sizes and colors. The higher quality pieces represent the bulk of the value in the parcel. Selecting these out of the parcel leaves the lower quality stones which are more difficult for the dealer to sell, as a result a premium is paid for the selection, since the overall value of the remaining lot goes down. 

This photo shows the “mine run” from a pocket of morganite that came to our buying table. Already in the selection process, our Master Cutter has already begun to sort out the different qualities of material from the pile in the center. The stones in the top right didn’t pass the color test and while the stones in the foreground would seem like the easy pick from their more saturated color, the rough was full of cracks and inclusions. This pile was actually the rejects. In the end, only the pieces in the top left were selected to begin the negotiation with the dealer. Its always a hard discussion, the value of the parcel lies in the stones we had selected and the remaining rough would be much more difficult for the dealer to sell. The dealer doesn’t want to be lose money and be unable to recoup their costs with the remaining parcel and we do not want to over pay for the selection, but at the same time all the parties must be treated fairly and in the end walk away having gained from the deal. The negotiations can take hours, days, or in some cases with more valuable parcels, weeks, with many pots of tea shared among all involved. The end result is that only the best material joins the Nomad’s collection.

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