Mention recutting a diamond and the first thought that comes to mind is: “How much weight am I going to lose?” Truth be told, the stone submitted for a recut is treated just like rough, with recommendations made during the planning stage to maximize weight retention while achieving the highest cut grade possible.
Provided your cutter can maintain your required size thresholds, the obvious choice is always to aim for the highest cut grade. If your request is to maintain a certain weight threshold, then it is quite likely the cut grade will be less than ideal.
In some instances, clarity gains are important considerations during the recut planning process, as this more than compensates for weight loss during the actual recutting. By the time the job is completed, your cutter should be able to confirm their estimates for cut grade, colour, and clarity. Based on your cutter’s estimate, you can then decide whether to send the stone to your preferred laboratory for grading and inscription. If you don’t have a relationship with a lab, your diamond cutter should be able to assist you. Each laboratory offers different report formats and, more importantly, different turnaround times.
Once the laboratory has completed the initial grading, the grader e-mails results for verification and/or confirmation to the cutter, who will then forward them to you. If you and your cutter are in agreement with the report, the lab will issue a printed report. However, if you disagree with the laboratory on any of the results, you may ask them to re-check the specific grading parameter. Once that’s done, the lab confirms the results with you prior to printing the report.
Finding the right cutter isn’t always about price, so it is important you do your research to verify their credentials through their membership in organizations, such as the Canadian Jewellers Association (CJA), American Gem Society (AGS), or Jewelers of America (JA). Most cutters offer incentive programs for members of these organizations and should be able to provide you with references from their customers. Most importantly, be sure to choose a cutter who works with a diamond grading laboratory you trust.
You get what you pay for
If you’re looking for a cutter, here are some considerations to keep in mind.
- Most cutters charge a different rate for round, fancy, and proprietary shapes. Fancy shapes normally cost anywhere from 25 to 50 per cent more than round, while proprietary shapes may be subject to additional charges. That said, be sure your cutter does not infringe on someone else’s design patent.
• For minor repairs and re-polish, expect to pay $150 to $200 per carat.
• For full recuts, including re-profiling, expect to pay $225 to $300 per carat. For challenging stones (e.g. multiple twinning, poly, etc), expect to pay an additional $75 per carat.
• For girdle faceting only, expect to pay $100 per carat. - Shipping and insurance costs.
- Grading and inscription varies from lab to lab and the documentation required.
- Always confirm the laboratory’s turnaround time, as some labs offer same-day grading, while others may have a backlog that may take months to get through.
Sentimentality and superstitions aside
When a cutter looks at a diamond, they see the potential for a piece of rough crystal, a broken diamond, or one that was badly cut, to become something spectacularly beautiful that’s going to become an heirloom, a celebration, a memory, and maybe even an ‘I do.’ Providing this service can not only help your bottom line, but more importantly, create lifelong clients.
Evert P. Botha is chief operating officer (COO) of Embee Diamonds in Prince Albert, Sask., a family-owned atelier established by master diamond cutter, Mike Botha, specializing in cutting and polishing Canadian diamonds. Evert can be reached via e-mail at evert@embeediatech.ca.
