What kinds of gems can novice faceters cut to make a profit? Learn which gemstones make money reliably and which ones have limited potential.
2 Minute Read
First, you'll make money cutting natural, commercially known gemstones with name recognition.
Generally speaking, this group includes the following:
You can cut and sell a stone like spinel, but that's hard to do. Most jewelers don't know this gemstone and/or don't really have a market for it. However, markets change. Spinels are gaining in popularity but still aren't as well-known as the stones listed above.
Next, you can only make money on gemstones that you acquire as quality rough or as native cuts for recutting.
Please note: I didn't say cheap rough. There's no such thing as cheap quality rough.
Yes, occasionally, you can get lucky and score a great deal. However, most of the time, you'll have to pay good money for good rough. Don't let this bother you. All you need to know is that you can make money after you have cut the stones.
That being said, you won't be able to get some gemstones as rough at all. Even if you can get the rough, you just won't have any profit margin after cutting it. Sapphire is a classic example of this. You'll seldom, if ever, find sapphire rough in commercially popular colors (blue and pink) you'll be able to cut profitably.
Some gems are in such high demand as rough that they can be bought commercially cut for about the same price. Top-quality rhodolite garnet is a good example of this. Again, markets do change over time.
So, based on my experience, I've narrowed down that initial list. These are the stones you'll generally be able to cut for a profit:
You can make money cutting the following stones, but your opportunities for profit will be more difficult.
When you join the IGS community, you get trusted diamond & gemstone information when you need it.
First, you'll make money cutting natural, commercially known gemstones with name recognition.
Generally speaking, this group includes the following:
You can cut and sell a stone like spinel, but that's hard to do. Most jewelers don't know this gemstone and/or don't really have a market for it. However, markets change. Spinels are gaining in popularity but still aren't as well-known as the stones listed above.
Next, you can only make money on gemstones that you acquire as quality rough or as native cuts for recutting.
Please note: I didn't say cheap rough. There's no such thing as cheap quality rough.
Yes, occasionally, you can get lucky and score a great deal. However, most of the time, you'll have to pay good money for good rough. Don't let this bother you. All you need to know is that you can make money after you have cut the stones.
That being said, you won't be able to get some gemstones as rough at all. Even if you can get the rough, you just won't have any profit margin after cutting it. Sapphire is a classic example of this. You'll seldom, if ever, find sapphire rough in commercially popular colors (blue and pink) you'll be able to cut profitably.
Some gems are in such high demand as rough that they can be bought commercially cut for about the same price. Top-quality rhodolite garnet is a good example of this. Again, markets do change over time.
So, based on my experience, I've narrowed down that initial list. These are the stones you'll generally be able to cut for a profit:
You can make money cutting the following stones, but your opportunities for profit will be more difficult.
