State Of The Colored Stone Industry by Reggie Olson

[@justinmynatt896]

This was nice to hear. I've had similar sentiments for a long time now.

[@loydb512]

I haven't bought any new rough in years -- I have more than I will cut in my lifetime, and the prices just keep getting crazier and crazier.

[@richardhart2291]

Having had a store for 23 years, I saw antique platinum filagree rings that were in excellent condition that were 100 years old, and I saw contemporary platinum rings that were very badly abraded after only weeks. I realized that antique platinum rings were stamped out, which compressed the metal, and made it much harder. Today, platinum rings are mostly cast and as platinum does not abrade as gold does, being soft the metal moves and the sellers are taught to say, it develops a patina. This was not true for the antique pieces. Technology did not improve the quality of the product, quality declined. As far as colored gems, I have seen posts recently that rough is now sold by miners on the internet at all time high prices. If that is true, how is the U.S. facetor affected and what is the future as prices escalate?

[@gemstoneartist]

Technology and skills have gone up in every part of the jewelry industry, though *acceptable standards* have become highly variable. Price on rough have become wildly variable, also. And, also due in part to communications technology. A miner can photograph a stone the minute it's recovered and post to the Internet, where it's seen world-wide within minutes. It's often more cost effective now to purchase a badly-cut or damage stone than to purchase new-find rough material. This has been true of e.g. Topaz for some time. The future belongs to those who can both create and communicate a sustainable value proposition. This is something we discuss at Academy events. And the next three videos featuring Reggie (web-site-exclusive content totaling 70 minutes ) address some of these things. It's necessary to have very solid rough evaluation skills, to understand orientation in directional color material, management of multi-colored material, and how to use design elements to manage color and inclusions, while maintaining solid recovery and high precision to fit stones to metalwork. Meets and polish alone, no matter how good, won't keep a cutter in the game. We could say it's "more competitive", but also that the new technology in cutting methods and the interest in new materials - even glass - has opened the field wide for those who can maximize the value of the rough, deliver the interesting piece, and communicate the value of these things effectively to the customer. This makes technical education more necessary than ever.