Leopardite
Gemstone Quality Standard
About Leopardite
Leopardite belongs to the jasper group, being sedimentary rocks. The name of this group is derived from the Greek word “jaspi”, which means stained stone.
In the case of leopardite, its appearance of brown and gray spots does resemble the fur of this animal. These spots consist of accumulations of iron and manganese. Other names used for this stone are leopard jasper, and leopard skin jasper.
Rarity
Even though we don’t know how big the natural reserve of Leopardite is in Peru, it is not a rare stone.
Availability
Leopardite is readily available in great quantity. We sell it as rough rock, produce decor products, sell preselected jewelry-grade material (slabs), produce cabochons, and offer it in our jewelry.
Color
Shades of reddish brown, shades of gray, shades of yellow.
Jewelry-grade material:
For jewelry purposes we are selecting material with striking patterns and great contrast, as well as crispy lines in the pattern. Mor uniformly colored pieces or patterns that require bigger products to be appreciated will be discarded from jewelry material. Approximately 25 % of the rough rock can be used for jewelry according to our criteria of beauty.
Polishable
Leopardite can be polished to glass-finish
Cutting Quality
Challenges
The different materials being mixed in Leopardite have very different hardness. Too much carving and polishing effort on the hard spots may lead to undercutting in the softer parts and deforms de cabochon. Not a stone for beginner carvers.
Advantages:
Leopardite does not tend to break or chip. Experienced cutters therefore can obtain very sharp unchipped edges between the backside and bezel as well as between the bezel and dome.
Top-cutting-quality is characterized by:
- a polished backside
- a sharp unchipped edge between the backside and the bezel
- a very straight and even highly polished bezel
- a sharp unchipped edge between the bezel and the dome
- a well-shaped dome, not showing any deformation
- Top-quality polish
Be aware of wrongful quality grading
It’s commonplace in the crystal industry to cut cheap cabochons from any kind of Leopardite without applying any kind of grading for high-quality material. Frequently you can find cabochons made from completely unsuitable material full of brown impurities (see picture) or pores. Unscrupulous dealers take advantage of the lack of knowledge of crystal shops, jewelers, and final clients and market such low-grade material as Tripple A top-grade material.
Pricing
Adequate pricing must take into account the cost factors to obtain top-quality cabochons:
- Acquisition of top-grade Leopardite with strong color in the mine.
- Selection of material without impurities and discarding more than 75 percent of the rough rock as unsuitable for jewelry.
- A usual material loss of approximately 90 % of the selected material during the cutting and shaping process.
- The level of experience required by a cutter to produce a flawlessly shaped and highly polished cabochon.
- Market research
- Our Jewelry Grade (A)
- Our Top-Quality Jewelry Grade (AA)
- Our Premium Jewelry Grade (AAA)
The data in this sheet has been compiled by reviewing a great number of websites and sales platforms.
Material quality:
We can find all kinds of material qualities being used for cabochons without any objective grading being applied.
Cutting quality:
The vast majority of “cabochons” on offer show low cutting quality. All cabochons are cut with rounded corners (similar to a palmstone) which do not show any bezel. Surface polish is low in most cases. In other words: 90% of offered cabochons would need to be graded below the Gemrock Jewelry Grade (A)
Quality Grading
Most cabochons were offered as AA or AAA quality, which obviously does not represent the reality. Given the fact that there is no commonly accepted grading standard AA and AAA gradings are used as a marketing strategy without reflecting a real criteria of quality. This type of marketing must be viewed as misleading.
Pricing
The average pricing for Leopardite cabochons is 0.51 USD per carat (with a range from 0.13 USD per carat to 0.91 USD per carat).
We could not find a correlation between cutting quality or material quality and pricing. A higher price does not indicate a higher quality.
Jewelry Grade Material:
Strong color contrast and crispy patterns
Cutting Quality:
- Straight bezel (minor irregularities possible), 3 mm high
- Perfect dome (3-5 mm high)
- Edges between bezel and dome, as well as bezel and backside: sharp and crispy, minor chips on lower edge possible
- Backside flat at 280 grit, unpolished
Pricing:
Recommended Retail Price (A): 0.39 USD per carat
Jewelry Grade Material:
Strong color contrast and crispy patterns
Cutting Quality:
- Straight bezel, 3 mm high
- Flat and perfect dome (3 mm high)
- Edges between bezel and dome, as well as bezel and backside: sharp and crispy, minor chips on lower edge possible but very rare.
- Backside flat, at 280 grit
Additional Quality (AA+): Backside polished
Pricing:
Recommended Retail Price (AA): 0.69 USD per carat
AA+: 0.79 USD
Jewelry Grade Material:
Strong color contrast and crispy patterns
Cutting Quality:
- Only cut by our best master cutters
- Straight bezel, 3 mm high
- Flat and perfect dome (1-3 mm high)
- The edges between the bezel and dome, as well as the bezel and backside, are sharp and crispy, with no chips on the lower edge.
Additional Quality (AAA+): Backside polished to 3000 grit
Pricing:
Recommended Retail Price: 0.99 USD per carat
AAA+: 1.09 USD
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Shipping cost and logistics, Payment options, Product quality, Packaging, Shipping damage, Refunds, etc. ?
Cutting services
Do you need reliable high-quality cutting services for a reasonable price? Are you looking for a service provider that is willing to develop new products according to your requirements? Would you like to get expert advice in order to improve your product? Do you wish for someone to optimize the process and get the most out of your rough? Just talk to us.
Get in Touch
+51 994104206
gemrockinternational@gmail.com