Caramel Calcite

Gemstone Quality Standard

About Caramel Calcite

Caramel Calcite® was discovered in 2019. It features a beautiful mixture of different shades of brown, sometimes mixed with black patches.

After chemical testing, we know now that Caramel Calcite® is a limestone that was formed by extremely fine calcite grains settling on the seafloor hundreds of millions of years ago. The different shades of brown are layers of grains with slightly different sizes. And the mixed-up pattern originates from small microcurrents swirling up the layers before the grains finally settled.

This decorative stone has a beautiful polish and shows a slight phosphorescence. Under UV light the whitish contents of the stone do increase their contrast and after switching off the UV light they do show a weak green afterglow (phosphorescence).

Rarity

Caramel Calcite is only known from Peru.

Availability

We dont know how big the reserve of this material is. So far it can be readily delivered. We offer the sale of rough rock, preselected jewelry-grade slabs, cabochons, custom cut cabochons and finished jewelry.

You can buy our finished top-quality cabochons for jewelry makers.

National and international shipping from our US-based warehouse.

Buy your Caramel Calcite Cabochons here

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Ethical and environmentally friendly mining

Caramel Calcite is not mined but surface collected in the southern Peruvian desert. It occurs in nodes. No habitat destruction occurs.

drop shaped Master Cabochon made from Caramel stone

Color

A beautiful mixture of different shades of brown, sometimes mixed with black patches.

Jewelry-grade material makes up approximately 50% of the rough material and is characterized by a strong contrast of shades of brown.

Impurities

No impurities

Polishable

Beautiful glass-finish is possible.

Cutting Quality

Advantages:

Caramel Calcite 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

personalized jewelry silver pendant on carved caramel calcite crystal backplate

Pricing

Adequate pricing must take into account the cost factors to obtain top-quality cabochons:

Acquisition of top-grade Caramel Calcite.
Selection of material discarding more than 50 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 from such a soft material.

You can buy our finished top-quality cabochons for jewelry makers.

National and international shipping from our US-based warehouse.

Buy your Caramel Calcite Cabochons here

Jewelry Grade Material:

Well-defined shades of brown with strong contrast

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:

Well-defined brown shades with strong contrast.

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/c

Jewelry Grade Material:

Well-defined brown shades with strong contrast and beautiful pattern

Cutting Quality:

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 (AAA): 0.99 USD per carat

AAA+: 1.09 USD/c

To the best of our knowledge, Gemrock is the only Peruvian company offering Caramel Calcite

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Oval Master Cabochon made from Caramel stone

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.