Coloured Stones: How To Write A Brief A Factory Can Actually Buy Against

Sapphire: Specify Tone, Not Just Colour

Most disappointing sapphires are not the wrong hue, they are too dark, and a dark stone reads black across a room. Sri Lankan, or Ceylon, material is sought after precisely because it runs lighter and more open. The sapphire in this range is described as a nice blue that reads blue from a distance rather than dark. Write that into the brief: how it must look at arm's length, in daylight and in evening light.

Emerald: Assume Oil, And Protect The Stone

Almost all natural emerald on the market is oiled to improve apparent clarity, and emerald is softer and more included than sapphire. Ask for the treatment disclosure, and design around the fragility: on the emerald bracelet in this range the diamond cluster frames sit proud of the emerald so the metal takes the knock. Never ultrasonic clean emerald; it drives the oil out.

Pearl: Lustre First, Then Surface, Then Size

A large dull pearl is worth less than a smaller brilliant one. The pearl work in this range states that only perfectly clean, lustrous pearls are selected. Remember that matched pairs come out of a larger lot, which is why earrings cost more than twice a single pearl piece. And a pearl is drilled exactly once.

Multi-Stone Colour Runs Are A Layout Problem

The rainbow sapphire band in this range carries thirty square sapphires in a colour sequence that has to close where the circle meets. Specify the sequence before setting and ask for a photograph of the bench layout. Changing it afterwards means unsetting the row.

What A Good Brief Contains

Stone, size in millimetres, the tone you want in plain words, the treatment you will and will not accept, whether certification is required, and how the piece will be worn. That is enough for a factory to buy against per order rather than set whatever is already in a drawer.