Gem Cutting Service in Europe from Portugal: Cabochons and Faceted Cuts
If you are a goldsmith, a dealer in precious stones, or if you simply have one or more gems and want to cut them, our Gem Cutting, Recutting and Repair service may be for you.
At Oscar Bautista we provide our Gem Cutting service to individual and business clients from Portugal.
Therefore, if you are in Europe and are looking for a Gem Cutter, you are in the right place.
With more than 20 years of experience, here we are going to answer the following questions:
Let's get started!
What does Gem Cutting mean?
Gem Cutting is an art and craft that allows you to transform a rough stone into a cabochon or faceted gem.
The objective is to highlight the beauty of the gem as much as possible so that it can be used in goldsmithing, in design projects or as a collector's item.
At Oscar Bautista we cut practically all gems: beryls, corundums, quartz, garnets, opals, tourmalines, lapis lazuli, onyx and many more, except diamonds.
Do you have a gem that has not yet been cut and you want to give it a particular shape?
Steps in Gem Cutting: Discover what we do with your gems!
We know that Gem Cutting seems simple, but it is not. In reality, it is a complex process that involves key steps such as:
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Initial analysis based on the stone and the type of cut
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Cutting and preforming the gem
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Grinding with diamond blades of various grains
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Faceting or total smoothing of the surface depending on the cut
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Polishing with Cerium oxide or Diamond powder depending on the hardness of the gem
Based on your needs, Gem Cutting may involve calibration of gemstones or additional services such as drilling.
Are you in Europe and need Gem Cutting, calibration or drilling services?
When is Gem Recutting used?
Gemstone Recutting is used when a gem that has been previously cut:
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Needs to be repaired because it is scratched or broken
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Needs to modify the original cut for commercial or design reasons
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Needs to change its size or shape to fit a piece that is already made
Depending on the causes and the objective, Gem Recutting can be partial or total.
Do you need our Gem Recutting service to modify the cut or repair a precious stone?
Our value promise
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We work with great precision and speed, because we use a Jamb Peg type gem cutting machine: the same one we use to cut Colombian emeralds!
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To offer you our best price, we quote our services according to the type of gemstone, its quality, size and cut, regardless of its carat weight.
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On our website you always find some base prices for gem cutting, which allows you to know how much is the minimum you are going to pay for each gemstone.
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We welcome you to our workshop in the city of Marinha Grande, Portugal, or we send you some photos of the stones so you can see how they change during the cutting process.
What cuts can be made to gemstones?
Gem Cutting is such a broad art with so many possibilities that it is impossible to define all the cuts in a list.
However, we can say that Gemstone Cuts can be classified into two large groups according to their characteristics: Cabochons and Faceted Cuts.
Cabochons
The Cabochon is the most basic cut and is characterized because the presence of facets is optional. Because of this, it is possible to make Smooth Cabochons (without facets) and Faceted Cabochons.
The Smooth Cabochon is the most common and is used in opaque gems such as opal, lapis lazuli, labradorite, tiger's eye, turquoise, malachite, as well as certain emeralds and rubies.
This cut is also used in gems with optical effects such as asterism or chatoyance, and is common in crystalline gems such as amethyst and ametrine.
On the other hand, we can say that the Faceted Cabochon adapts easily to opaque stones such as onyx.
Cabochons can be made in various shapes depending on the characteristics of the stone and your needs: round, oval, square, teardrop, heart and obelisk, among many more.
Do you want to turn your gems into Cabochons?
Faceted Cuts
Faceted Cuts are those you find in gems that have transparency such as aquamarine, morganite, emerald, sapphire, ruby, zultanite and alexandrite.
They are also used in stones such as topaz, garnet, tourmaline, amethyst, citrine, sphalerite, moissanite, spinel, iolite and peridot, just to name a few examples.
In general, Faceted Cuts can be differentiated between the Classic Cut and the Fancy Cuts.
By definition, the Classic Cut refers to the Brilliant cut. Although within the traditional, we can also mention the Staggered Baguette and Emerald Fancy Cuts.
The other Fancy Cuts include the Cushion, Heart, Teardrop, Princess, Shield, Marquise, Oval, Trillion, Briolette and many more.
Are you interested in the Classic Faceted Cut or Fancy Cuts for your gems?
What is Custom Gem Cutting?
Custom Gem Cutting is the ideal service if you have precious stones and want us to cut them following a unique design provided by you.
As this is a personalized service, we must first analyze the design to be sure we can do it and give you a quote.
Do you have a project that requires a Custom Gem Cut?
How much does it cost to cut a gemstone?
The cost of Gemstone Cutting depends on several factors. But so you know how much is the minimum we charge, here we share a list of base prices.
These base prices are only a reference and may increase depending on the gemstone hardness, its quality, the type of cut and its size, regardless of its carat weight.
For this reason, it is important that you always ask us for a quote.
Now, find out how much is the minimum we charge for cutting gems with a maximum size of 7 mm (if the stone measures more than 7 mm, the base price also increases):
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Smooth Cabochon: from €7.00 + VAT each stone
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Faceted Cabochon: from €10.00 + VAT each stone
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Faceted cuts for quartz: from €15.00 + VAT each stone
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Faceted Cuts for aquamarine, emerald and other beryls: from €25.00 + VAT each stone
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Faceted Cuts for alexandrite, ruby, tanzanite, sapphire and zultanite: from €35.00 + VAT each stone
Do you want to receive a quote for the Cutting of your Precious Stones?
Who is this Gem Cutting service in Europe for?
At Oscar Bautista, we provide our Gem Cutting services to both private and business clients.
We have cut stones that our clients have received as heirlooms, that they have found on the beach or in the mountains, or that they want to give to that special person.
We have also worked with jewellers, designers and merchants from Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Belgium, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
On several occasions, we had the pleasure of receiving clients from Europe, the United States and Latin America directly in our workshop.
So, as you can imagine, there's a good chance that our Gemstone Cutting service is for you too!
Do you have a project with your gemstones and want to talk to us?
How does this Gem Cutting service work?
Our Gem Cutting service has some steps that you should take into account:
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Quote: to give you a quote, tell us what gemstones you have, what their sizes are and send us photos or videos with good quality. If the images do not allow us to estimate, we must see the gems directly in our workshop in Portugal.
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Shipping the gemstones: you can use your preferred courier service to send the gemstones to our workshop in the city of Marinha Grande, in Portugal. You can also come in person and we will be happy to welcome you.
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Start of cutting: to start the cutting process, we ask you to make a payment of 50% of the total price.
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During the process: we send you some photos so you can see how your gemstones are changing.
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At the end of the cutting: when the Gem Cutting process is finished, we will ask you to make the payment of the remaining 50%.
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Return of the stones: you can use the courier service of your choice or come personally to collect them.
Gems of high commercial value: as long as they are stones with high commercial value, we will ask you to bring them and collect them in person.
Metals: if you need custom cuts and you are going to send us a mould of a piece of jewellery, make sure it is made of silver, bronze, copper or another material. We don’t receive platinum or gold moulds.
Do you live outside of Portugal, but would like to come for a walk and bring your gems personally?
We have clients who come to Marinha Grande and stay in local hotels while we cut their gems. We can arrange our schedule if this option appeals to you!
Do you want to receive a quote or would you like to organize your trip to Marinha Grande to have your precious stones cut? Contact us!
Do you have a parcel of gemstones and want to know which ones can be cut?
At Oscar Bautista we provide the consulting service if you have a parcel of precious stones and you want us to select which ones can be cut.
This service has a price of €30.00/hour (VAT included) and is performed in person in our workshop in the city of Marinha Grande, Portugal.
If you are outside of Portugal and require this service before sending your gems, we can do the consulting online if the quality of the video and images are good enough.
Are you interested in moving forward with this consulting service?
