The studio: how each stone gets graded before listing

Stones come to the studio in parcels — sometimes a dozen pieces from a single sourcing trip, sometimes hundreds from a long-running relationship. Every parcel goes through the same intake process before anything reaches the catalog. Here's what happens.

Step 1: Unboxing and logging

Each parcel arrives with documentation from the source — supplier invoice, country of origin, declared identity and treatment status. We log every piece by:

• Date received
• Source / supplier
• Quantity
• Declared identity and origin
• Declared treatment
• Initial photograph (record-of-condition)

This intake record stays with the parcel through every subsequent step.

Step 2: Sira's hand-grading

Sira (our studio lead) sorts every piece by hand. She separates:

• Display-grade — strong color, good clarity, intact surfaces — moves to catalog
• Working-grade — minor flaws, less-than-ideal cut, but usable — moves to catalog at appropriate price
• Sub-standard — damage, mis-cut, color issues, treatment inconsistent with supplier's claim — set aside for return or clearance

Sira's grading captures notes that become part of the listing: "slight veiling on the back", "asymmetric polish", "color zoning in the upper third." These notes go into the catalog so buyers see what we see.

Step 3: Lab verification (when relevant)

For stones with natural-origin claims at meaningful price points (above ~$300 retail), we spot-check at the lab. We use:

• GIA Carlsbad for general colored-stone verification
• GIT Bangkok for origin verification on stones from Asian sources
• GRS for high-end stones requiring detailed reports

If a verification doesn't match the supplier's declaration, the parcel goes back. We don't sell against unverified claims.

Step 4: Photography

Daniel photographs every stone individually under controlled north-window light, on a neutral substrate (linen, kraft, or plaster depending on stone color). We shoot multiple angles when relevant — top, side, and bottom for cabochons; front, side, and back for specimens.

Notes about our photography:

• No filters or color enhancement
• Same lighting conditions for every photo so colors are comparable across listings
• Reference rulers for size when not standardized
• Multiple stones from one parcel may appear in the same shot for comparison

Step 5: Cataloging and copy

Mira writes the listing copy. Every listing includes:

• Identity, declared and verified
• Origin, with as much specificity as our supplier could give
• Treatment status (or "treatment status unconfirmed")
• Dimensions and weight
• Notes from Sira's grading
• Provenance — when, where, from whom

The copy uses plain language. We don't use mystical claims, healing properties, or chakra references. We do use occasionally subjective notes like "deeply saturated" or "hand-cut" when accurate.

Step 6: Pricing and listing

Pricing is based on:

• Cost basis (what we paid)
• Reference pricing for similar stones in similar grade
• Notes from grading (a stone with a back fracture lists below a clean equivalent)
• Time-on-market expectations

Once listed, each stone is available for 30 days at the initial price. Stones that don't sell after 30 days are reviewed — repriced, moved to clearance, or returned to the supplier (depending on the relationship). We don't accumulate stale inventory.

Continue reading

• Thirty years in the trade: what changed since 1995
• Why we disclose treatments on every listing