Custom Design 102: Sourcing Your Gemstone
If you are lucky enough to have an heirloom gemstone that you are happy to use in your custom design, you can skip this step. Most people, though, will start their custom engagement design process empty handed and in need of an anchor gemstone to tie their design together. At Alx&Co., we provide full gemstone sourcing services for our clients and are happy to walk you through purchasing the perfect center stone for your design. That being said, we do our gemstone sourcing a little differently than most jewelers, so here is a helpful primer on how we do it:
We don’t keep an inventory of diamonds; rather, all of our gemstone sourcing is done on a custom basis.
While some people might expect to see a collection of available diamonds at our first meeting, this simply isn’t how we work. When we work with a client, we take the time to talk through your lifestyle, design, and budget to develop the best recommendation for your piece. Our first meeting covers all these basics and, from there, we schedule our Gemstone Consultation where you will be able to sit down with multiple options to compare. At our first meeting, we discuss what you are interested in: sapphires? Diamonds? Lab diamonds? We will discuss the shape you prefer, and if you aren’t sure yet - that’s ok! We will discuss different styles and come up with a plan to help you see what makes sense for you. The benefits of this model include:
You’ll only look at diamonds or other gemstones that fit your budget and style preferences. This means we won’t try upselling you on a more expensive option that you aren’t actually comfortable buying, and we won’t try to convince you to purchase a cut that you don’t love simply because it’s what we have available.
You get a clear-eyed opportunity to review the gemstones without feeling pressured to make a selection on your first visit to our shop.
When you come for a Gemstone Consultation, you’ll review multiple options with your Lead Designer
We believe in educating our clients in order to allow them to make the best decision for their own design. When we order gemstones for your review, we get in a nice range of color, clarity, and sizing options so that you can see how your preferences compare to other options. You may land exactly where you expected, or you might fall in love with an option that is outside of your original expectations. Often, when clients first sit down to a Gemstone Consultation for diamonds, they feel like every diamond in front of them looks the same: white and sparkly. By the end of your meeting, however, you will have examined each option thoroughly and learned what makes each diamond unique. At that point, most people are able to tell on their own which diamond is an F graded stone and which is a D, and they’ll be able to decide which option is best for them. Honestly, looking at gemstones in a vacuum is virtually useless for most people. Taking the time to compare and contrast each option will give you the opportunity to learn about what is usually the most expensive portion of your design, and give you the confidence to select the gem that fits your own preferences best.
We can source virtually any gemstone you like
Interested in moissanite? Lab diamonds? Green sapphires? Salt & pepper diamonds? Recycled diamonds? Old Mine Cut Diamonds? Rubies? We could go on… but suffice it to say, yes, we can source them. And if we can’t, we’ll tell you why.
We work with many different vendors for our gemstone sourcing process. Over the years, we have built up great relationships with our sources that enable us to get in amazingly curated options for our clients. Also, rather than emphasizing a diamond-only approach to design, we are happy to work with alternative options for your design and work with you to develop options to fit your budget and lifestyle. We can walk you through what you want to achieve out of your look and the durability difference between certain options, but in the end the decision is yours to make. Some of our favorite designs are set with alternative gemstone options!
We offer an Expedited option for clients who prefer a more streamlined selection
If the thought of a full Gemstone Consultation feels a bit much for you, don’t fret: we’re still happy to be a resource for your project. If you are in the market for a Modern Round Brilliant diamond or certain Emerald Cut diamonds, we can select the best diamond for you based on our own professional opinion (plus, taking into account any goals you may have for your gem, such as extra sparkliness or opting for the largest option within your budget). If you pursue this option, our diamond prices are very much in line with what you will find online more generally, so this is also a great way to achieve more efficiency with your budget. If you’re interested in this route, check out our post all about our Expedited Diamond option.
Good to know: We don’t offer financing options for gemstone sourcing
This might not work for everyone, but we unfortunately don’t offer a financing option for our custom-sourced gemstones, nor do we allow an extended payment schedule. Simply put, this is because we must pay for your gemstone in order to secure it from our vendor, which means we then take on the risk that you might… I don’t know, drop off the planet before completing your full payment. As a very small business, we simply can’t take on that type of risk, so we always have our clients pay in full in order to secure their preferred pick. You can pay with a credit card, a check, or cash, but payment must be made.
For the design portion, we can be more flexible with our payment terms so if you would like to split your design invoice into two parts, we can often honor an extended payment cycle. But, we always wait until your invoice is fully paid before getting your piece into fabrication. Remember, we are a small business where every single dollar matters week to week, so we appreciate our clients’ prompt payment for the work we do.
As always, if you have additional questions about how we work, don’t hesitate to reach out to us directly. We are always happy to walk you through our services and how they can best suite your own project needs. We look forward to working with you!