Gemstones by Chris

04/03/2026

Yes, it has been far too long since I posted any Gemstones. I'm starting to get back into the swing again.
I finished this Garnet the other day but neglected to get it posted until now.

I wish to thank Matthew (Alaska) for providing me with several of these beautiful Garnets. With the exception of extremely tiny Rutile-like needles within the stone, it is absolutely Eye Clean and Free of any other defects. Said needles are difficult to see even under a 10x Loupe unless the lighting is just right.

This is a Malaya Garnet which is a Pyrope/Spessartine blend giving them a deep but bright red color. Sadly, my camera fails to illustrate it's beauty (at least until I decide to drag the Light Box out again).

This beauty measures 7.9mm X 10mm (Oval) and weighs 4.11cts.

03/01/2026

I have a client from last fall for whom I cut a couple Color Change Sapphires (Lab) for his Engagement Ring. I was actually just thinking of him yesterday and considered contacting him to see how his engagement went but he beat me to the punch and texted me first and informed me that She Said "YES".
You may recall that I cut a Shield shaped gem for him as well as a smaller SRB. He had the Shield set in a custom made ring and the SRB is currently being set (more pictures to follow when available).
This color changing Sapphire has a deep purple'ish blue hue under incandescent lighting but changes to a Cornflower Blue in the Sunlight.

So Congrats to Brent and Rachael who plan on being married during the latter part of 2026. I am very happy for both of them.

Note: The last 2 photos show the freshly cut gem in a placeholder ring (demonstration ring).

11/24/2025

This is just an Update and an Admission.

I don't know how many if any have checked out my website over the last few months but I personally haven't done anything with it since June of 2025. I did have a professional team greatly enhance my Google Listing Rating but then other work was done that killed some of the functionality of the site.
In truth, the site would never have been working at all had it not been for my friend "Marnie" who has spent hours working on the site before the so-called Pros got their hands on it. I owe her my utmost gratitude and hope that I can get her to help me again in the future IF I continue to have a website.

The fact is, I have put a lot of Time and Money into it and the site is barely usable as it sits. In fact, depending on your Antivirus Software, you might not even be able to get into the site because (for example) AVG Blacklists my site as being Fraudulent or a Fake E-Store. This is of course FALSE But ... obviously, it has Issues.

The site was even Hacked this summer which caused other problems as well which were supposed to have been dealt with by my web host but there continues to be lingering issues.

SO .. the long and short of it is .. the ENTIRE SITE needs to be Completely REBUILT from the Ground Up which is really what I should have done in the first place. It leaves me wondering if it's even worth the Expense which will surely be $2000+ just to get it working properly, leaving me with Weeks of Photographing (again) and Video taping and editing and uploading, along with entering the statistics for each and every stone I have .. which is a lot.
It all makes my head hurt just thinking about it which is why I have just ignored it for the last 2+ months.

With that said, I wish to apologize to everyone who has tried to view the site whether you got into it or not. I appreciate you.
IF I do spend the money, it'll likely be the end of January before the new site is fully functional .. again AND that also depends on me doing the above-mentioned Photographing and Video taping etc.
I LOVE CUTTING GEMSTONES but I'm not very proficient with Modern Website Maintenance even I completely built and maintained 2 prior business websites but they weren't E-Commerce Sites.

Anyway, to make a long story short(er), I'm just waiting to hear back from a Professional Web Designer and what she has to say will be the determining factor as to whether I have a new website or NO website at all.

Meanwhile, I appreciate your patronage and I greatly appreciate all of you who follow me. I hope to show you many more beautiful, well cut gemstones for years to come. Thank You to All of You.
Please Stay Tuned ;)

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11/08/2025

As a Coloured Gemstone Cutter, I am often in need of a specific type and/or size of Rough Stone to work with OR just to increase my stock of rough stones. There are several online sites and plenty of individual sellers to choose from.

Over the last few months I have bid on a few items (individual rough stones as well as Parcels) at "Gem Dragon Auctions" (www.gemdragonauctions.com) because there is often a savings to be had.
Every other week is Rough Gem material Auctions and the off-week Auctions are for Cut Gemstones. Of course, I'd prefer you buy your cut gems from ME but you may wish to check out what is available and maybe even bid on something. You never know how much you might save.

Anyway, I am posting today because when I received a parcel this week of my last couple auction winnings, I was surprised to see a Free T-Shirt included in the parcel. So I figure the least I can do is post a couple pics in support of Gem Dragon Auctions which is owned and operated by Joe Henley Rough & Gemstones at (www.joehenleyrough.com)
If you are a gemstone cutter but have never purchased from Joe Henley's site, have a look at his wears.

11/02/2025

For those who are new to my page and wish to see more of my cut gemstones, please see my Website at
www.gemstonesbychris.ca
Also, because my website has not been working all that well, I intend to have it completely rebuilt hopefully before Xmas. Until then, I also have about 50+ more gemstones to add to the site when it's working properly. If anyone is looking for a specific gem but can't find it on my site (because it isn't there or do to the lack of site functionality), please do inquire. I may already have what you are after OR I can custom cut for you. I do keep a good stock of rough gem material and if I don't have it, I can surely get it.
Thanks to all those who follow and/or comment. Have a great week. :)

Beautiful Gemstones for All Budgets. - Gemstones by Chris

11/02/2025

I've got a few stones lined up for the coming week .. or three the way it goes around here.
I already have the first in the quill and ready to go. As long as it doesn't go flying off the dop, I hope to have a "small" Step Cut (rectangular) Chrysoberyl which has a pretty high Refractive Index .. meaning it should be quite sparkly :)
After that will be a Pear shape from another piece of Chrysoberyl. It's the two smallest pieces I have but none are huge.
Then in no particular order will be a Square Shaped Morganite (Pink Beryl) which I hope to have a Brilliant cut but it could also be Stepped.
And finally, another piece of Sunset Tourmaline (I posted a small SRB one week ago or so) which I intend to cut an Oval with a Combo-Cut (step cut pavilion and brilliant cut crown).
So if you don't hear from me for a while (as is often the case), please stay tuned for the big reveal when they are finished. :)

10/31/2025

Last week (Oct. 24th) I posted photos of a Colour Shifting, Round Lab-made Sapphire that I was commissioned to cut for a client.
As it turns out, the same client wanted one more gem from the same material and fortunately, I was able to get a tiny bit more colour into the Culet resulting in the entire stone taking on a bit more colour.
This gem is cut in a Shield shape. The design is call the San Diego Shield (unknown designer) but I modified it by NOT cutting a Table, leaving more of a Rose-Cut style Crown.
The finished result is a gem measuring 8.2mm and weighing 2.5ct.
The first photos are taken outside (natural day light) where the stone shows a strong Cornflower Blue colour.
Inside the gem is more of a light Purple Blue under Daylight LED and Incandescent lighting.

10/24/2025

I recently acquired some Sunset Tourmaline which has a rich Honey colour.
I decided to cut one of the smaller pieces which resulted in a SRB of 5.9mm and 0.75ct.

10/24/2025

I recently cut gem for a client who wanted a Sapphire. In this case we chose a Synthetic (lab-made) Sapphire.
This gem is 7mm in diameter and weighs 1.53 cts but the best part is (to my surprise) is that it's a Color Shifting Sapphire.
The first 5 photos (with my finger in the background "trying" to focus) are under my daylight LED bulb where is shows a Purple/Blue hue.
The next 2 photos are under Incandescent light where the stone looks a deep, dark Grey/Purple.
The last shots (the money shots) are taken outside in daylight where it exudes a strong Cornflower Blue hue.

10/05/2025

I bought some really nice Tourmaline about a year ago or so. I Figured I should cut some. So here's the stone I finished today. As usual, the photos don't do it any justice. This stone has a Deep Pink colour with a very light hint of Orange. You will see from the Daylight LED lights that it is very much Pink but my camera makes it look very Orange under Incandescent lighting. The first few photos are taken outside (natural light).
This measures 7.7mm (square) and weighs 3.0ct.
Some call this a Pixel Cut. The name in this case is the Easy Opp Square (optimized for Tourmaline).

09/24/2025

Before I begin a couple commission jobs I have, I figured I'd cut one more Orange Zircon (Tanzania).
This little beauty is 6.9mm sq. and weighs 2.63ct.
Her girdle is a tad thick, but I won't hold that against her. ;) It's Less likely a Jeweller would break it while mounting.
Photos taken with my phone under Incandescent and Daylight LED.