There are many reasons manufacturers all over the world are recutting gemstones, whether it’s because rough is difficult to acquire, or because clients want a particular aesthetic in their stones.
Sporadic supply is one reason behind the practice. Colored gems are found in small deposits, and manufacturers are always seeking alternate sources of raw material due to the unpredictable nature of gem-mining, export restrictions on rough, and fragmented supply chains between mine and market.
“Some governments in Africa have instituted laws stopping export of select categories of rough gems to develop their gem-cutting industry,” elaborates Dr. Cedric Simonet, an independent consulting geologist. The lapidary sector in these regions, however, is not yet sufficiently developed to support the law. “As a result, most rough is cut for weight retention and exported as faceted gems. These stones are then recut by the importer/manufacturer to meet market standards.”
A second reason to recut is the scarcity of top-grade gems from old deposits, which are considered premium goods. Top-quality, untreated varieties of emerald, ruby, spinel and sapphire from sources like Burma, Colombia and Tajikistan are primarily available through the secondary market, since the ancient sites that produced them have either dried up or become financially unviable to explore or mine further.
Third, advances in cutting techniques have changed perceptions of quality. The new market expectations of perfection are driving lapidaries to explore recutting.
“Today, the market for colored gemstones has become more sophisticated,” say-s specialist Dave Bindra of B&B Fine Gems. “Discerning collectors look at the rarity factor, but also want a stone that is beautiful in every aspect, including the cutting and polish. For me personally, recutting has become a passion, and although we started doing recuts three years ago, it now represents almost 60% of our stock.”
The diamond angle
The most popular stones to recut are emerald, sapphire, tourmaline, garnet and spinel. But the quest for lapidary perfection is not limited to colored gems.
“Diamonds in a pair of mid-19th-century ear studs would not be cut with the same perfect proportions that can be achieved today,” says David Warren, senior international jewelry director at Christie’s. “Lapidaries are looking for older cut gems they can buy to add value by recutting or slightly repolishing. A more complicated process is taking an old-cut, fancy-colored diamond and recutting it to strengthen the intensity of color. In that way, the value would increase significantly — blue, pink and green in particular.”
Yoram Finkelstein of manufacturer GemConcepts is a second-generation diamond specialist who has been researching historic diamond cuts for the bulk of his career. After his father’s passing, he discovered a treasure trove of old-mine emeralds, rubies and sapphires that his father had collected in the 1950s and ’60s. Employing his domain knowledge in diamonds, Finkelstein started experimenting with colored gems.
“I observed that I could add more light reflection in a gem through my cutting, which allows a play of light,” he recalls. “If a gem was cut for weight, all of a sudden after a recut, I would get the gem to glow. Not only did this enhance the gem’s appearance, but the stone also reacted better in varying light environments, especially in natural light.”
Possible pitfalls
Are there certain gem varieties that experts would advise against recutting? Bindra says stones that are tricky to cut the first time will also pose difficulties in subsequent attempts. Examples include alexandrite, tourmalines and sapphire.
“In exotic gems like Paraiba tourmaline, the beauty is in the mixing of the colors, and if you lose one color, the value may drop tremendously,” he explains. “In my opinion, probably the most dangerous stone to recut is a padparadscha sapphire. If you go too pink or too orange with a padparadscha, you are left with a fancy sapphire and all the value is gone.”
While experience in the field may be able to mitigate some concerns, the risk inherent in exotic gems is high. Stones like padparadscha and Mahenge spinels from Tanzania, which hold value because of their mixed hues, are more challenging. Most gems with even color distribution should be easier to recut, specialists suggest. For that reason, gems that are singly refractive of light, such as certain varieties of spinel and garnet, are popular candidates. Since light doesn’t split when it enters such gems, they tend to exhibit uniform color, with variations resulting mainly from differing degrees of saturation and tone.
Sometimes the original cutter will purposely have left a window in a stone, allowing for greater weight retention at the expense of beauty, says colored-gem specialist Mikola Kukharuk of Nomad’s. Recutting one of these can be risky, he notes, since rearranging the facet patterns or bringing in the angles for a narrower cut may magnify inclusions that were previously less noticeable. Pleochroic gems like tourmaline, which show different colors depending on the viewing angle, further complicate the process.
Like Bindra, Kukharuk points to sapphires as a particular challenge: “You must be especially careful of color banding. When cutting away excess weight, you may get a lighter stone or even an entire color shift.”
The business side
Besides the secondary market, a common source for previously cut material is old stock from another dealer or manufacturer.
“Buyers of stones for recuts are taking advantage of inefficiencies in the marketplace,” says Bindra. “At times, an individual may not have the skills or the inclination to further improve certain stones in his or her stock. The buyer is able to cash the seller out and recut the stone, achieving its full potential.”
Financial and technical constraints usually drive the selection of gem material, according to Kukharuk. “Any stone can be recut, but when recutting for business, we have to consider the original price, weight loss, and ensure the finished gem’s price is still competitive.” While the market allows for a small premium on well-cut stones, he says, a miscalculation of the weight or shape during recutting can push the carat price up too far, effectively pricing the stone out of the market.
As with manufacturing rough, recutting is a skill that takes years to develop. Great art and superior artists emerge from a desire to experiment, color outside the lines, take risks and invest the necessary time to perfect their craft. The current generation of artists in the recutting field is not only redefining our notions of beauty, but also stretching business margins, one incremental facet at a time.
Image: Nomad’sArticle from the Rapaport Magazine - May 2020. To subscribe click here.