Familiar with gems like scapolite, danbuite and benitoite? If you’re not, you may soon be in the minority, as lesser-known gems once prized only by collectors are entering the mainstream set in platinum, gold and diamond-accented fine jewelry.
Fueled by the down economy, coupled with growing concerns over enhancement treatments performed on many more popular gems like ruby, emerald and sapphire, more designers and custom jewelers are choosing the road less traveled.
“The trend for lesser-known gems has been gaining momentum during the past few years,” says Stuart Robertson, director of research for The GemGuide, a Glenview, Illinois–based gem price and market tracking service. “It became more noticeable in late 2008 and continued to grow through 2009. Initially, we observed it clearly as cases of color substitution motivated by price point, like red spinel in place of more expensive ruby. But that isn’t the only cause any longer.”
In recent years, Robertson believes the kiss of death for many retailers, especially large chains, was that all of their merchandise looked the same, with only price to differentiate them from their competitors. “With fewer potential customers during the recession, the lack of individualized inventory too often made the store’s selling point price alone,” he explains, noting that the price-based competition from the internet hasn’t helped either. “How heavily can this industry discount its products and still claim they are rare and valuable?”
Robertson adds that production for some mainstream gemstone products had also declined in reaction to the soft market, adds Robertson. This opened the door for lesser-known products to gain greater exposure. “We expect more attention on unusual gems this year,” he adds.
Open to ChangeNashua, New Hampshire–based gemologist and lapidary John Bradshaw, who has 30 years experience with minerals and gems, has seen a noticeable uptick in designers and custom jewelers purchasing stones like rhodochrosite, benitoite and scheelite. Bradshaw, who belongs to Coast-to-Coast Rare Stones International, a cooperative of stonecutters, says scapolite, in particular, is shifting from the category of rare collector’s stone to the jewelry landscape.
“It’s a very desirable and attractive gem,” Bradshaw says of the crystal that comes in colors, including yellow and purple, with pink shades considered most rare. “Yellow is common in commercial quantities up to 10 carats, but anything over 3 carats in purple is difficult to find.”
Among some of the more innovative designers using unusual gems are Andrea Rosenfeld of Wickatunk, New Jersey; Dara Dubinet of Venice, California; Melissa Joy Manning of Oakland, California and Kara Ross of New York City. These four artists in particular are embracing the interesting colors and textures presented by such gems as labradorite, kyanite, azurite, rhyolite, dolomite, olmite, amazonite, moldavite and sugilite.
Manning, who mixes a variety of metals, gems and found objects in her designs, explains, “I enjoy pushing people’s perceptions of what is precious.” Dubinet notes that the use of minerals and gem rough and crystals in fine jewelry design plays right into the desire for pieces that express individuality.
The current interest in bold, contemporary looks affords greater opportunity to experiment with the unique shapes and larger scale that stones outside of the “big three” can offer, advocates custom jeweler Becky Thatcher. “I appreciate not only variety of color, but also the wide range of visual dimension in alternative stones,” says the owner of the five-unit Becky Thatcher Designs based in Glen Arbor, Michigan. “Boulder opal is one example, especially in free-form shapes and splits for added texture. There are stones that glow like moonstone and chrysoprase, stones with internal intrigue like sunstone with schiller dancing inside of it or quartz with rutile jetting through it and stones that are virtual light shows like labradorite and spectoralite.”
Everyone who works with these lesser-known gems agrees that customers gravitate to them once they are educated about them, and see them firsthand. Thatcher says that while times are challenging in Michigan, her clients find great value in the wide range of beauty these gems provide to give a personal, lasting gift, to commemorate a special event or to express a visual message. “Many of these gems carry compelling price points, with no sacrifice in look,” she adds. Although they are typically in short supply, Bradshaw says demand for these stone, has not caused prices to escalate until recently.
But the tide is turning as more consumers gain a greater familiarity with these stones, says custom jeweler Eve Alfillé of Eve Alfillé Designs in Evanston, Illinois. “I now find more of my customers have heard of the rarer stones, mostly through online jewelry or gem sites,” says Alfillé. “There is a whole subculture of people who have become addicted to scouting for gems online. They tend to be women, but not exclusively, and well-to-do professionals. They are proud of their knowledge, which can be quite extensive.”
Among the unusual gems that resonate most with her customers, Alfillé considers labradorite almost mainstream, very popular, especially in fine German cuts. “For those who are not familiar with it, you just have to tell them it’s one of the moonstones, and familiarity sets in,” she explains. Also popular in her designs are blue zircon, blue kyanite and apatite, and Alfillé notes that men are especially attracted to rough stones and unusual meteorites for cufflinks.
Robertson points out that many of these gems have the beauty and value features consumers desire, adding: “A passionate jeweler knows how to convey these traits to his client, while one who isn’t sells the price, not the gem.”
Article from the Rapaport Magazine - February 2010. To subscribe click here.