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When buyers refer to gem stone mountings, it generally means that the buyer has one or more gem stones that need to be mounted in a gold or sterling silver mounting. Requirements for gold or silver gemstone mountings can be for single piece orders or could be for wholesale gemstone mounting orders. The issue gets a little complicated when the buyer has a specific gem stone that needs to be mounted AND the jeweler making the mounting cannot physically see the gemstone that is to be mounted.

An example would be where, the buyer gives dimension details like, 10mm x 8mm oval faceted garnet. The jeweler is expected to make a gem stone mounting in gold or silver with these specifications. The buyer receives the gemstone mounting and then visits a local jeweler to have the gemstone set in the gem stone mounting. The jeweler made the mounting without worrying about the depth of the gemstone! The gemstone mounting could therefore be made too deep or too shallow for the gemstone that the buyer owns. This transaction could cause problems for the buyer and the jeweler. The buyer’s local jeweler might not be able to easily fit the gemstone in the mounting. The jeweler would hold his ground and claim that the buyer provided incomplete details. When it comes to individual buyers, it is most likely that the buyer is not an expert in jewelry. Infact this is what every jeweler should expect for single piece jewelry buyers. It would therefore be the duty of the jeweler making the gemstone mounting to request for complete details. In this case, the jeweler could be held responsible for creating the wrong dimensions for the jewelry mounting.

Would the above issue have been better handled from the start if, the jeweler asked the buyer to ship him the actual gemstone when the order was placed? This would be an ideal situation where the jeweler would have complete control over all aspects of the gemstone, the chances of creating a wrong gem stone mounting would be small. However, there are a few facts which need to be understood. There would be multiple shipping charges, for the gemstone and then for the completed gemstone jewel. The buyer and the jeweler would need to agree on who would pay for what before the transaction is finalized. If the buyer was expecting to get a cheap silver gemstone mounting for a cheap gemstone, multiple shipping charges could ruin those expectations.

There is another interesting thing about a jeweler receiving gemstones from the buyer. Let us take a situation where the buyer purchased a fairly expensive ruby from a loose gemstone seller. The buyer was never a gemstone expert and never had the ruby checked and appraised after receiving it. The jeweler received the gemstone, made the gemstone mount, set the gemstone and honestly shipped the ruby ring back to the buyer. All should be fine now as the jeweler actually had the ruby gemstone to work with. The buyer gets the ruby ring and takes it to an expert for evaluation and appraisal. The expert finds that the ruby was infact a fake gemstone or, was worth far less than the buyer had actually paid for it. This is a terrible situation for the buyer and the jeweler who made the gemstone mounting for the ruby. The buyer had never checked the ruby before, therefore had no way of knowing whether the gemstone was a fake right at the start. The suspicion falls on the jeweler who actually did nothing dishonest, he just created a gold gemstone mounting for the ruby and shipped the jewel back to the buyer.

This is not an uncommon situation that occurs when ordering gemstone mountings. Many reputed jewelers do not even accept buyers gemstones for this reason. Buyers on the other feel that jewelers want to sell them the gemstone and the mounting and therefore do not accept their own (buyer’s) gems. It is a never ending story and is unlikely to end amicably. Our suggestion would be to deal with a jeweler in whom you have confidence and faith, it this is not the case then keep looking for other jewelers.

Wholesale gemstone mounting orders are a bit easier to handle. The buyer is not ignorant about various issues involved in gemstone jewelry. The information that the gemstone mounting manufacture receives is more complete. Both the buyer and the jeweler in this case are jewelry professionals, the transaction could be more objectively evaluated and neither would blame the other. This information is provided to help buyers and jewelers understand each other. The idea is not to force you to choose Kaisilver or any other jeweler for your gemstone mounting order. Read the complete report on gem stone mountings at this link: http://www.newsletter.kaijewels.com/gemstone-mountings.htm and also refer to the full Kaisilver jewelry newsletter at this link: http://www.newsletter.kaijewels.com/news007.htm Not many jewelers have the time or inclination to provide such detailed information and guidance, make the best of it. A well informed decision is your best chance of making the right decision.

It is very important to understand the pricing concept for wholesale jewelry. There is a big difference between the way in which wholesale jewelry and single custom made jewels are made. A custom made jewel would in most cases be made for personal use or be made to be gifted to a close friend or relative. The emphasis is on quality and personal preference.  However, wholesale jewelry is always ordered for resale. The buyer wishes to buy larger volume at a wholesale price and then resell the jewelry in retail at a higher price.

When you order a jewel, the production process involves making a wax mould, a silver mould and then the final jewel in the metal of your choice. The design and moulding expenses are to be borne by the jewel being made. In the case of wholesale jewelry, these overheads are spread over the large volume of the order. However, in the case of single piece jewels the price tag for that single would include these overheads. So the larger the volume that you produce, the lower the overheads per order.

Another interesting issue is about what defines wholesale quantity for a jewelry order. There is no fixed standard for defining wholesale quantity but, here are some figures to guide you along. In the case of wholesale silver jewelry a fairly significant drop in prices will be noticed for orders that are bigger than 25 pieces, this ofcourse assumes that the 25 pieces are the same design. A single custom ring could be priced as high as 250 U.S$ but, order 25 pieces of the same ring and price would drop to around 60 U.S$ per piece. Push the wholesale silver jewelry order to about 150 pieces and you could see a price tag of around 35 U.S$ per piece. In the case of gold, expect wholesale price levels for orders that are for 10 pieces and more.

The Kaisilver research team has prepared a detailed report on wholesale jewelry, spend some time with the report and you will better understand the pricing concept: http://www.newsletter.kaijewels.com/wholesale-silver-jewelry.htm