First, I wanted to introduce myself. I’m Ashley, Ph.D. scholar, gemologist (GIA and ISG), jewelry designer and artisan, and rare gem dealer dealing only in natural, untreated gemstones and specimens.
Second, I am looking to expand my network and make connections with people who are wholesalers and dealers, those who have connections to mines, and other jewelry artisans who may need stones or who may want to collaborate in the future. I have stones to sell and I also have specific stones I need to procure for my customers, so building relationships with some of you could be fruitful for us both!
Third, I have a customer who’s looking for two specific stones and I wanted to put a call out in the forum here.
I’m looking for a natural benitoite crystal (not on matrix) for a customer’s custom jewelry piece. The crystal should have a natural formation (triangular if possible) and be gemmy.
The second piece I’m looking for is a gem-quality natural, untreated aquamarine rough specimen from Canada specifically. This will be cut into a gemstone so it needs to be transparent, light in color, blue or seafoam color, not green or too light.
I look forward to connecting with those in the trade and building relationships with you!
Those two stones are unique and challenging to find without matrix.
My first thought for Canadian material is Dan Hurd a content creator and prospector up north for possible aquamarine specimens. He has a few on his website, but is always out prospecting for more.
I have a few aqua crystals in my inventory but none are from Canada and only a few are facettable.
As for the Benitoite. That will be challenging. Dr. Robert Lavinsky and his team from irocks.com have a few mineral specimens and cut stones available. They may also have some not listed on the site, as they have a sizable inventory. There maybe some Canadian aqua in the vault as well.
Thanks so much for your detailed response to my post. It’s very helpful!
Yes, I checked irocks and only saw benitoite on matrix. I’ll reach out to them and see if they happen to have any single crystals in their inventory that’s not listed.
And thanks for the Canadian recommendation! I’ll reach out to him. My customer knows this will take some time, especially for the benitoite - it’s bordering on a unicorn stone that I may never find, but I’ll keep trying.
You are most welcome! I hope the contacts provide you with information or material, both of which I have purchased from in the past.
As for me, have been a hobbyist metalsmith / lapidarist for many years. Recently, have been building that hobby into something more. I keep a small inventory of rough and cut stones and occasionally have the familiar scenario of having to search across the globe to find what my customer desires for their commissioned pieces.
There are quite a few members here with dedicated experience in the trade, so I know they can provide better resources than I. Some even have their businesses posted in the IGS Business listing.
I landed here a while ago and have been learning a lot from the group. Great place to bounce ideas and explore the trade. I recommend (if you haven’t already) to check out Ganoksin Orchid, as well. There the focus is on all matters of jewelry and lapidary. A lot of good folk and information there, too.
A most curious request. Why Aqua from Canada???..... as for benitoite, well, I dig mine from Arkansas. Though gemmy, the crystals are not very big. I sell/trade them mainly for collections. A crystal big enough to be faceted is going to be primo expensive.
Thanks again for taking the time to help and recommending the Ganoskin site and forum - I hadn’t considered that, but I’ll poke around on there as well, thanks!
I’ve been a member for a long time, but under a different account, but never really used the forum. I’ll be on here more frequently as I really like community with related interests and passions.
I’m learning metalsmithing now actually. I’m starting with lost wax casting and having a blast so far, though I’m only doing the wax carving part (for now).
Where are you based? Do you work in silver or gold or both?
Hey there! Yes, my customer wants aquamarine from Canada. He has very specific requests for the origins of the stones he’s using. He wants stones from all corners of the globe.
As for the benitoite crystal, it will not be faceted. He will be setting the natural crystal in the center of his jewelry piece. I’m looking for a raw crystal with the classic natural benitoite triangular crystal formation between 1 and 2 carats (I don’t have the exact dimensions for the space the crystal will occupy in the piece).
If you have anything that could work, please feel free to share photos here or email me directly at hello@sanctuaryofstones.com
Lost wax casting is one of my favorite methods. Drawing out a design then carving and shaping the wax articles to be used in the final fabrication steps, is an art form using multiple disciplines. Add a generous dollop of thermal, mechanical, and material engineering knowledge, tempered with a layer of good luck, one develops a unique set of skills for life!
Have worked both silver and gold. Haven’t worked platinum, yet. But its on the bucket list.
Relocated from the dry southwest to the water-logged southeastern US a couple of years ago. Humidity does affect metalsmithing techniques and I have had to adjust how I formulate/apply patinas, pickling, investment casting, and most importantly, keeping all of the fabrication/forming and lapidary tools from rusting.
I hadn’t thought about the humidity affecting the process, but that makes total sense. Thanks for mentioning it. I’ll keep that in mind when I get to that part of the process. For now, I’m just working with the wax and having another company cast the pieces until I can build a formal studio here in my house with the necessary equipment.
I enjoy the art and handwork of doing it this way - as opposed to 3D printing the wax or using another more automated method.
Is there a huge difference between working with silver versus gold? I ultimately want to work in gold, but with gold prices so high I am considering learning to work with silver as well. It also seems that’s the direction the market, even the high-end jewelry market is going in because of the price of gold.
There are some working differences between the two metals but not too drastic. Melt points are at different temperatures, and several common heating points have different incandescent colors. The fineness of the metal (14K vs 24K gold / .925 Sterling vs .999 fine silver) will also change the behavior when being worked. Too many subtilities to list here, so I suggest the following reference books for the jeweler’s bench:
These can be found via some on-line book stores (including Amazon) but the links above come from one of my “go to” Jewelry Supply companies: Rio Grande
Hello Ashley, maybe I’m a little late, my name is Oskar and I live in Thailand, I’m recently wanting to start my Gems business, I’m associated with a miner and distributor from Sri Lanka. I’m trying to send you a picture of the aquamarine. Greetings
I apologize for not seeing this sooner. I just emailed you back via regular email - you can respond back to that! Looking forward to learning more about you and your business.
