Sell or Display Valued Stones

Answer:

Thanks Marcia! Yes, deciding how to proceed with the Gem Profiles was a bit confusing for me at first, but when I decided not to worry about the word "gem" and to just write about the rocks and minerals that we most often use in our wire jewelry designs, it became fun! (And it is helping me sort through the many piles of rocks in and around my studio, too!)

With regards to your question about rarity and pricing brought up by ocean jasper, well, I always tell my students that very special pieces deserve very special prices! As artists, usually when a special stone or cabochon catches our eye we have a definite idea of what we want to use it for. More often than not, the piece comes home with us and ends up in a special drawer, waiting for that day (and if you are like me, you find it again... years later!). Speaking from personal experience and choices, if and when I decide to use a very special piece or two in a jewelry design, I don't worry about the price of materials, I just make what feels "right" (meaning that sometimes a stone screams to be set in 14 or 18kt solid gold). When the piece is done, I don't worry about selling it, either! I believe that every piece has an owner (even though it may take years for them to find one another). This "show-stopper" becomes a centerpiece in my display cases at art shows, and it may spend a few months in one gallery or another, as an example of what I am able to create. Because of the attention it attracts, it often adds to my sales via customer orders (and I love wearing things like this to special events!)

With regard to pricing something like this, for example if the materials cost $300 wholesale, and I spent a week or so working on it, then my price could be from $1800 to $2500 or more. If it sells, fine. If not, that's fine too! The photo below is one such piece. "Dancing Stones" is made entirely in Argentium® silver and with the exception of the 4mm lab-grown ruby, all of the rest are AA grade natural stones (rubile tourmaline, peridot, chrome diopside, blue topaz, iolite, orange topaz, citrine, and 2 rainbow moonstone/white labradorite cabs custom cut by my husband just for this piece); as metal prices rise, so does its price. (On average, I sell one piece every six months for between $1200 and $1800.)