Selling Stones with Issues

[GKJdesigns]

I just listed my first cabochon for sale. (I use my opals in my own jewelry creations and haven't yet decided to start selling finished opals.) It's not a perfect stone: it has some cracks. I've disclosed that in my listing, but I'm wondering how other cutters feel about selling stones with integrity or value issues that affect potential use in jewelry.

Sigh - this one is a real heart breaker! When I noticed the cracks a few years ago I wasn't worried because the rough had a thick, multilayer color bar. I had hoped that the cracks were limited to the very top layer, but it wasn't the case. In the listing I suggest that a fair price without cracking would be $400. As cut, I can tell you that it isn't half the stone that it would have been (in brightness and pattern and carat weight) had I been able to stop cutting sooner.

Just interested if you have thoughts...
Gary

https://www.etsy.com/listing/245067144/bright-australian-opal-red-orange-yellow

[DivaVitaDesigns]

I think you've gone out of your way to disclose the issues, so you should be fine.

That said, I'm curious what others think since I'm new at this and my cabs aren't necessarily perfect either.

I have to say I find this one tempting for myself. I usually cant afford real opals.

[GKJdesigns]

Thanks, J-Lew. Full disclosure of gemstone quality or flaws is not something that I see very often on Etsy. With this opal I'm also offering for sale "raw material" with finished product (jewelry) in the same shop. Others do that but I think it's best to not mix supplies and finished products together.

My characterization of this opal as "not a perfect stone" wasn't meant literally. I should have said , "This is a flawed stone: ..." or "This stone has flaws: ..." How can any cab be "perfect" other than as in "perfect for this use or jewelry"?

[StoneTemple]

That's a tough one and lapidary can be very frustrating. We have this notion that a stone must be perfect but we're working with rocks and crystals from the ground that often have fractures, voids, soft spots etc.
I have literally hundreds of stones in various stages of completion, many set aside when I encountered an unforeseen issue. They get completed eventually but it's often a long process and one of the reasons I usually turn down custom orders.
Maybe I should sell my problem stones as preforms in my other shop :)
By the way, that was a beautiful stone Gary!

[GKJdesigns]

Thanks, Mark.

Every year I spend one day at a local high school taking over a friend's metalworking and sculpture classes, teaching about opal, lapidary and jewelry making, including demos of my lapidary equipment with hands-on by some of the students. It's a lot of fun and some get excited about lapidary.

I always donate some of what I call my "student grade" opals that I've saved during the year. Most of these didn't quite measure up, too little fire or very weak fire, but there's usually a couple of nice opals that have structural issues or maybe objectionable defects.

I'm with you on the various stages of completion. I have numerous doublets that seem to always be waiting to be cut, some stones for which I haven't figured out the best cutting strategy, and lots of "not sure it's good enough to cut but it's certainly too good to toss" pieces.

BTW, I'm wondering why you didn't slice that new listing with the garnet crystals down the middle to make two stones from front and back?

[StoneTemple]

Good question, there's actually 3 flat faces on it that would make nice cabs. It was in a drawer with many other crystal specimens all slated to be cut. Really just thinning the herd. Perhaps if I still have it by the time the listing expires I'll slice and dice.
I have a yard full of "tossed" garden rocks, sometimes they migrate back to the cutting pile.

[DivaVitaDesigns]

What is your other shop mark?

[Former_Member]

This one! Though it's been quite some time since I've added new material, I do have stones I want to list, just not a priority now.

[Former_Member]

I like ALL your perspectives and thought I would add mine...I have cut turquoise mainly for 45 years but cut and facet all stones also including opal and I also own several turquoise mines so I deal in thousands of pounds..and also I am a jewelry artist and build my jewelry in volume over my 45 years and do see many perspectives...
from an artistic perspective and artist can see and use crazed opal and works with that look...as an artist myself and as I have gotten older I see beauty in flaws.. hate that word..!!!..Matrix in turquoise was for years considered flaws now is what gives top value .I Iike the word "character" ....and many stones have it and are my favorites... now I even set stones not cut at all and use the natural shape found in the ground..some are polished with natural shape intact..very hard to set and challenging...
for some stone use the artist input and work is where the value comes from and not the stone..!!!! and we use character flaws to create certain looks we are after...I love in my work to find surface textures to work off of on both metal and stone.. from an opal perspective look at the thin layer of cracked opal found on the surface of the fossil ammonite shells and cuts awesome pricy cabs...but is actually thin cracked fragile opal...boulder opal for all time until recently was worthless also.... all it takes is just seeing stone a little differently than the standard narrow accepted view

[StoneTemple]

Totally agree, I've cut some beautiful stones from the heavily included "waste rock" that I trimmed off of chalcedony nodules. I always try to keep an open mind when looking at rough to buy, it may not always be what I'm looking for but can often be just as good or better.

[StoneTemple]

Talk about imperfections, but I like it!
https://www.etsy.com/listing/264259432/large-chrysoprase-designer-cabochon-44-x?ref=shop_home_active...

[Former_Member]

Hi Mark...As a jewelry designer I like stones with I hate the word used with stones Flaws..I like charecter in stones and frankly very tired of all the perfect stone's of the world...boring..!!!..In the turquoise world I work primarily in..so many opinions on the internet and most are behind the times..I can remember for many years (decades) That green turquoise was not accepted and Variscite was even looked down on..My main focus is my jewelry and cutting stones for me allows me the freedom to express myself fully with any stone picked and textures and qualities in each stone I choose to use and then of course to use stones that have unique character in them. Funny the most boring stones right now are the ones cut to a perfect oval to a standard cut template. I see a lot of cutters have thrown that old fashioned look behind and have embraced free form cut stones. I think we original turquoise cutters were the original of that concept of cutting stones ( free form). And the very thing that give turquoise today highest value and its beauty are all the matrix and colors of mixed in materials. We went beyond calling these inclusions and use the word matrix. Turquoise without matrix is again boring..How ever there is a beauty in pure color and perfection in stones..but not the only standard of perfection or quality..Glad you are embracing difference..I think you will find success with it as I and many more do. There are still those critics who like to push their perfection ideal's though. They need to listen to the customers who want character in stone. Keep up the good work..!!!