Swarogem got the attention of many Bangkok fair-goers with a one-two punch of new products.
First was the company’s new line of machine-cut, calibrated, natural gemstones. The company promises gemstones cut and presorted to the highest standard: calibrated to the tenth of a millimeter, perfectly polished, precisely color-matched and available in large quantities.
The initial stones in the line are amethyst, citrine, iolite, peridot and rhodolite.
In another major release timed for the Bangkok fair, Swarogem also unveiled its new line of natural stones—with blue lapis, green malachite, red agate and black onyx in rose cut. While these are all natural stones, the resulting effect is that of brightly colored marcasite.
“This is perfect for flowers and animals [designs],” said Terry Lee, managing director of Swarogem (Thailand). “I think this really gives silver jewelry another dimension.”
The two new developments made the Swarogem booth a site of intense interest for many visitors to the jewelry fair.
“It’s been great,” said Lee. “We’ve had an incredible number of inquiries.”
While the rose-cut natural stone products should put some spark into what some feel is a stagnating market for marcasite, the company’s foray into machine cutting of natural gemstones is undoubtedly the bigger piece of news.
In the past, Swarogem and its Austrian parent company Swarovski have been well known for precision machine-cutting of crystal and synthetic gemstones. Now, the company is applying that same expertise to natural colored gemstones.
Peridot is available in one color, while amethyst, citrine and iolite are available in two colors. Rhodolite is available in three colors. Each variety is offered in 50 different shapes and sizes: rounds ranging from 2mm to 4mm, princess cuts from 2mm to 4mm, square step cuts from 2mm to 2.5mm, ovals and pear shapes in 5x3 and 6x4 and marquise and baguette shapes in 5x2 and 6x3.
“We are not trying to offer the lowest price, but rather the best value,” said Steven Kahler, Swarogem product manager. “For a 6x4 oval violet amethyst, in our top color, we charge $2.73. You may be able to find it for $1 less from a hand-cutter but it would not be the same quality.”
But what some local stone producers fear is not the quality, but the quantity of Swarogem machine-cut natural stones. One machine run might produce hundreds of thousands of pieces, quantities rarely seen in the gemstone business.
“We are operating at the same level as Swarogems,” say one local manufacturer, which does machine cutting of semi-precious stones. “We just can’t keep up with the presentation and the quantity.”
Said Kahler, “We need to enter the business on an industrial scale. We are a manufacturing company, and the machines need to be fed.”
Other stone producers have adopted a wait-and-see attitude toward Swarogem’s latest move, feeling that cutters who offer the widest selection and the lowest costs will still be more successful.
Competition will really heat up in the fall, when Swarogem plans to launch machine cutting of the big three—rubies, sapphires and emeralds. Currently, tests are being conducted in the company’s Innsbruck, Austria and while the program has not been finalized, the initial plan is to offer these materials in rounds and squares from 1.5mm to 3mm. Future plans also include machine-cutting of tourmaline and aquamarine.
Certainly, Swarogem will have its work cut out for it—literally—in changing the company’s reputation as a manufacturer of top-quality crystal and synthetics, to a cutter of perfectly calibrated, matching natural gemstones.
But, said Lee, Swarogem is entering the market for the long haul. “Of course, we can’t do this overnight,” he said. “But we’re trying to convince everyone that we’re a major player now.”
Editor’s note: In the Now-Dec issue of JewelSiam, we inadvertently referred to the new Swarogems product as “a new line of marcasite, called Queen of Color,” Queen of Color is actually a product name from a local silver manufacturer and the Swarogem product is not marcasite. The new product should have been referred to as “Swarogem’s natural stones, namely blue lapis, green malachite, red agate and black onyx in rose cut.”
Fair spotlight
Colombian emerald
A relative newcomer to Bangkok’s burgeoning market for emeralds is Colombian Emerald Co Ltd, which made its first local show appearance at the 15th Bangkok Gems and Jewelry Fair.
The company offered a wide range of emeralds, ranging from small lower quality pieces at $20-$25 per carat to a lustrous 30-plus carat emerald cabochon that was priced at $30,000 per carat. This cabochon was the centerpiece of a collection that valued more than $5 million.
“Basically, we are just coming to make contacts,” said Orlando Castro S., manager of Colombian Emerald’s Bangkok office, which was established two years ago. “But sales were very good as well.”
Don Francisco Andrade C., the company’s president, who travelled to Bangkok for the fair, was also enthusiastic. “This is the best market for big-size emeralds in the whole world,” he said.
In Don Francisco’s opinion, the Thai market for emeralds started to boom four years ago. Since then, he estimates, it has increased in size by 20 times.
According to Don Francisco, his company is the only Colombian-run importer of rough and cut Colombian emeralds in Bangkok, which gives them a price advantage over other competitors who get their supplies through third countries.
The world’s primary emerald-producing countries are Brazil and Colombia. While Brazil’s emerald deposits are metamorphic, Colombia’s are hydrothermal. The difference, in the opinion of gemologist Tony Laughter of Colored Stone Connection, can be seen in the quality of the stones. In Laughter’s opinion, Colombian emeralds are characterized by “brilliance and great color.” The Brazilian emerald “has a fine glow, but it doesn’t have that life.”
Another partner in Colombian Emerald who visited the Bangkok show, German Sanchez, is currently possessor of what might well be the biggest emerald in the world—a 3,275 carat piece of rough which has been named Furatena. Currently, the biggest emerald recorded is a 2,920 carat piece called The King, but there have been reports of several other bigger items.