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Quick poll I'm running
9 years ago
General
I'm trying to gauge interest in my stones and I want to know what kind of rough I should procure. The options are synthetic or natural. Synthetic stones are chemically identical to the natural material, not to be confused with simulated stones, which just look like the material in question. I'll go over the pros and cons of each below, then link to a twitter poll asking your opinion.
Pros:
-It's unique. Every natural gemstone has its own chemical makeup, altering the color and clarity slightly, making every stone one-of-a-kind.
-History. When you get a natural gemstone, you know that you might well be wearing something that's over a billion years old.
-It's an investment. Natural gemstones are a finite resource, and as they become more rare, their value increases.
Cons:
-It's expensive. Natural gemstones are rare and require a lot of time and labor to excavate, meaning they're very expensive compared to synthetic.
-They have flaws/inclusions. Internally flawless stones are extraordinarily rare, and by the same token, unbelievably expensive. Most natural gems have flaws and inclusions in them that affect their brilliance. Some stones, like emeralds, are almost impossible to find without these flaws.
-Size and shape. Natural stones come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, but the most common by far is inconvenient and small, in that order. With natural stones, you cut the best shape to give you the greatest yield, and the size is incredibly variable. This means that any jewelry you plan to put it into often has to be custom-made, since pre-made jewelry is usually made with regular, pre-determined size slots for gems, something that many natural stones don't cooperate with
Pros:
-Easy to commission. Synthetic rough comes in large, cylindrical boules that is then sawed/faceted into a finished stone. This means you can make very specific requests for a size/shape/type stone that would be all but impossible to fulfill with natural stones.
-Flawless. Natural stones grow in the earth, and are almost guaranteed to be flawed and included in the process. Synthetic stones are grown in labs and rarely have any such flaws. As such, their clarity and color are usually perfect.
-CHEAP! Synthetic stones are orders of magnitude less expensive than natural stones, especially at large sizes. A dark red, internally flawless natural ruby would probably run for $1000 per carat MINIMUM. More likely than not, for a 5 carat stone like that, you'd be looking at an excess of $10,000. For a synthetic ruby, it's $30-80/carat, depending largely upon the skill of the cut. Either way, for a 5 carat stone, it'll run you $400 absolute maximum, probably half that in most cases.
Cons:
-Variety. There are hundreds of types of natural stones, not so with synthetics. Most natural stones have to be simulated. For example, if you want something like peridot, which is a pleasant grass-green color, you'll usually have to go with a synthetic garnet or corundum that matches its color. While emerald and aquamarine (beryl species) can be grown synthetically, they are much, much more expensive than a garnet, corundum, or quartz of similar color.
-Lack of individuality. As I said above, natural stones are unique due to the imperfections in each stone. For example, both rubies and sapphires are the mineral corundum. Rubies are red because of chromium throughout the crystaline structure, while sapphires are blue because they have iron and/or titanium impurities. In synthetic stones, these impurities are homogeneous. In nature, you can get a mix of various minerals, causing a variety of colors that make more of a spectrum than the dozen or so commercially available colors.
-Value. Lower price means lower value, and since synthetic stones are manufactured and, therefore, have limitless supply, they will not appreciate in value over time like natural stones can.
Anyways, those are the pros and cons. I want to know which one most people would prefer. I may do jewelry commissions in the future, and I want to make sure I have the appropriate materials on hand. I already have some natural and synthetic stones, but I want to know if I should keep grabbing up all the nice natural stones I see, or save my money for bulk orders of synthetic rough.
Here's the link to the survey. If you read this after it closes, feel free to leave me a comment. https://twitter.com/Albeon_Draken/s.....35372395982848
NaturalPros:
-It's unique. Every natural gemstone has its own chemical makeup, altering the color and clarity slightly, making every stone one-of-a-kind.
-History. When you get a natural gemstone, you know that you might well be wearing something that's over a billion years old.
-It's an investment. Natural gemstones are a finite resource, and as they become more rare, their value increases.
Cons:
-It's expensive. Natural gemstones are rare and require a lot of time and labor to excavate, meaning they're very expensive compared to synthetic.
-They have flaws/inclusions. Internally flawless stones are extraordinarily rare, and by the same token, unbelievably expensive. Most natural gems have flaws and inclusions in them that affect their brilliance. Some stones, like emeralds, are almost impossible to find without these flaws.
-Size and shape. Natural stones come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, but the most common by far is inconvenient and small, in that order. With natural stones, you cut the best shape to give you the greatest yield, and the size is incredibly variable. This means that any jewelry you plan to put it into often has to be custom-made, since pre-made jewelry is usually made with regular, pre-determined size slots for gems, something that many natural stones don't cooperate with
SyntheticPros:
-Easy to commission. Synthetic rough comes in large, cylindrical boules that is then sawed/faceted into a finished stone. This means you can make very specific requests for a size/shape/type stone that would be all but impossible to fulfill with natural stones.
-Flawless. Natural stones grow in the earth, and are almost guaranteed to be flawed and included in the process. Synthetic stones are grown in labs and rarely have any such flaws. As such, their clarity and color are usually perfect.
-CHEAP! Synthetic stones are orders of magnitude less expensive than natural stones, especially at large sizes. A dark red, internally flawless natural ruby would probably run for $1000 per carat MINIMUM. More likely than not, for a 5 carat stone like that, you'd be looking at an excess of $10,000. For a synthetic ruby, it's $30-80/carat, depending largely upon the skill of the cut. Either way, for a 5 carat stone, it'll run you $400 absolute maximum, probably half that in most cases.
Cons:
-Variety. There are hundreds of types of natural stones, not so with synthetics. Most natural stones have to be simulated. For example, if you want something like peridot, which is a pleasant grass-green color, you'll usually have to go with a synthetic garnet or corundum that matches its color. While emerald and aquamarine (beryl species) can be grown synthetically, they are much, much more expensive than a garnet, corundum, or quartz of similar color.
-Lack of individuality. As I said above, natural stones are unique due to the imperfections in each stone. For example, both rubies and sapphires are the mineral corundum. Rubies are red because of chromium throughout the crystaline structure, while sapphires are blue because they have iron and/or titanium impurities. In synthetic stones, these impurities are homogeneous. In nature, you can get a mix of various minerals, causing a variety of colors that make more of a spectrum than the dozen or so commercially available colors.
-Value. Lower price means lower value, and since synthetic stones are manufactured and, therefore, have limitless supply, they will not appreciate in value over time like natural stones can.
Anyways, those are the pros and cons. I want to know which one most people would prefer. I may do jewelry commissions in the future, and I want to make sure I have the appropriate materials on hand. I already have some natural and synthetic stones, but I want to know if I should keep grabbing up all the nice natural stones I see, or save my money for bulk orders of synthetic rough.
Here's the link to the survey. If you read this after it closes, feel free to leave me a comment. https://twitter.com/Albeon_Draken/s.....35372395982848
Synthetic may be the way to go. For now at least.