[Jewelry making - Article 01194] - Re: [Orchid] [Source] small good quality diamonds

[Peter W . Rowe]

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>     I'm a hobbiest and am looking for small good quality diamonds (1
>     mm and 1.5mm). I found Hoover and Strong which looked great but
>     they only sell to businesses, which is understandable. Where can I
>     buy diamonds of that small size online if not a wholesaler?

    Last time I checked, Rio Grande carries diamond mellee, along with
    all sorts of other things (tools, displays, etc.). Decent firm to
    deal with, good consistant quality, good service, etc. Their diamond
    and other gem prices might not be the lowest you could find if you
    have access to true "wholesale only" dealers that businesses may
    deal with, but they are not that much higher, and of course way below
    retail. Their "middleman" prices are quite justifiable if you
    consider that they're happy to sell you just one or two stones at a
    time if you like, and they've taken the time to match and grade the
    things carefully enough so you're reasonably assured of getting what
    you expect. If you're not buying large quantities, they're a quite
    reasonable source. Where I work, as an example, we buy our mellee
    from any of several sources in New York and elsewhere, generally in
    larger quantities (at least several carats at a time), and Rio's
    prices are too high for our needs as a manufacturer. But in our same
    building are a number of diamond dealers who claim to sell
    wholesale, as well as to the public. Typical small office building
    non-descript offices who mostly deal with other local jewelers. These
    are mostly wholesale dealers, yet their prices are every bit as high,
    and often a bit higher, than Rio's when you only need a couple
    specific stones in a hurry (the "hurry" bit probably raises the
    price...." 

    Also, if you're in a somewhat larger city, it may be big enough to
    have some area with a sort of "cluster" of jewelry businesses (lots
    of larger cities have a small area the denizens of which might refer
    to it as the local jewelry ghetto, where lots of the local small
    wholesalers and custom jewelers and the like seem congregated. It
    makes it easy when you're working on something, need a part or a
    stone, and someone else in the building can supply it...). If you're
    near to such an area, just asking around that area can often find you
    various small businesses dealing in stones, or lapidary work, or
    other jewelry specific services and materials. Meet these people,
    introduce yourself, and you can find lots of convenient sources for
    things. Not just small diamonds. 

cheers
Peter Rowe
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