Wholesale Gemstones for Wedding Ring Production: Tips, Advice & More

As a designer and creator of wedding rings, you need gemstones that will look amazing when the happy couple gets engaged and which will remain beautiful and lustrous decades into their marriage. Whether you work with diamonds or other equally beautiful stones, it is important to choose ones that are both beautiful and durable. Shopping for wholesale gemstones is a good way to manage your costs and maximize your profits, but there are a few important things to keep in mind. Here are a few tips and some helpful advice for buying wholesale gemstones for wedding ring production. 

Consider Different Options

When designing wedding rings, your first idea for a stone is probably a diamond. While they are the classic choice, there are several other options that are also suitable. Choosing a diamond alternative allows you to create breathtaking bridal pieces for a fraction of the cost. Doing so also enables you to provide your customers with unique choices they wouldn’t find elsewhere.

Feminine, romantic, and breathtakingly beautiful, morganite is a popular choice for wedding rites. Its light pink hue is stunning, and it pairs beautifully with rose gold. Faceted amethyst is another excellent choice. While not quite as hard as diamonds, this purple stone is still extremely durable and well-suited to everyday wear. Other popular options include rose quartz, sapphire, emerald, and garnet. Even freshwater pearls can be used to create captivating engagement rings.

When it comes to choosing the gemstones for wedding rings, there’s no reason to limit yourself to diamonds and clear stones. Colored gemstone wedding jewelry is becoming increasingly popular, and offering it is a great way to grow your customer base. 

Understand Gemstone Grading

You probably know that diamonds are graded, but you may not realize that there is a grading system for many other types of stones as well. Just like the diamond grading system, the system for grading colored gemstones is based on four factors known as the “Four Cs.” These factors include clarity, color, cut, and carat weight.

Common gemstones fall into three categories: Type I, Type II, and Type III. Type I stones are generally inclusion free, Type II stones usually have inclusions, and Type III stones almost always have inclusions. Stones are grading according to their clarity within each category.

When you are shopping for wholesale gemstones for wedding rings and engagement rings, you want to select stones that have minimal inclusions. It’s important to note, though, that Type II and Type III stones may be impossible to find without inclusions.

Emeralds, for example, are a Type III stone, and within that category, VVS, or Very-Very Slightly Included stones are defined as those with noticeable inclusions that are easy to see under 10X but nearly invisible to the naked eye. A Type I stone, such as aquamarine or topaz, with the same degree of inclusions would likely be classified as SI1-SI2 Slightly Included. In other words, a “perfect” Type III gemstone simply is not as clear as a “perfect” Type 1 stone. 

Be Picky About Vendors

Gemstones aren’t all created equally, and neither are vendors. When you are looking to purchase wholesale gemstones, it is important to choose a vendor you can trust. Whether you are in the market for diamonds or any other type of precious or semiprecious stone, do your due diligence to find out about the vendor’s purchasing practices. Unfortunately, gemstones are often mined under inhumane conditions. If you find an exceptionally low price, it’s likely that the vendor purchases from an unethical supplier that may use questionable tactics.

Also, read reviews to make sure you can depend on the vendor to meet your needs. Shopping for wholesale gemstones means making large purchases, and you don’t want to buy from someone who misrepresents their items or, even worse, fails to fulfill orders. Make sure the company you choose has a reputation for living up to its claims to avoid potentially costly delays, fake stones, and other serious problems. 

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