What is the Definition of a Rough Gemstone?
An uncut un-shaped gemstone of gem grade is called ‘rough’. It is the stone in its natural form, often found in the ground, just as mother nature made. They are often called raw gems but the proper name is rough.
Tips for Buying a Rough Gemstone
When buying a piece of rough, be aware that once it is faceted to a gemstone shape you often only end up with one third of its original size.
When selecting a shape, you try to imagine the facet shape of the stone based on its rough shape. If you do not do this, you will end up loosing much of the gemstone material and the end result will be much smaller than anticipated.
How to Spot a Good Quality Rough?
Good quality gem grade is often something you can spot with the help of a torch. Using your torch, you look for a stone that doesn’t have too many cracks or marks inside. However, if you do see a crack, you can plan to cut down this line and form two separate smaller pieces of better quality with no visible flaws.
Occasionally, you don’t see the marks in a gem until you start faceting it. There are a number of things you can do:
- Keep the same pattern but decrease the outcome size to avoid the marks.
- See if you can make two stones out of the one.
- Leave the marks in, mother nature isn’t perfect after all!
