Where to source wholesale gem cutting services?

[OpalAreYouPretty]

Hello,

I just came into possession of a considerable amount of very high quality rough opals. I have been looking through the internet for wholesale gem cutting services, but what I can find are websites from the early 2000's, gem cutters in Thailand who seem to be (according to their reviewers) stealing some of the stones they're supposed to cut or artisan gem cutters, who're far too expensive for the amount of carats I need.

Does anyone know any reputable and wholesale-priced (think max. 3$ per finished carat) lapidary services? Location is not of great importance. I would prefer cutters who charge their price in finished carats, as this gives a greater incentive to increase the yield of the stones.

[Bucket]

Hi OpalsAreYouPretty and welcome to the forum. I think you may struggle to find anyone at $3 per finished carat and there's a bit of work involved to polish a good quality stone. I have worked with opal and a couple of stones that run at around 2 carats finished, it took me around an hour of work to finish off from start to completion. At $3 per carat, that would work out at $12 per hour. With most opal there's usually colour bars and sand to take into consideration and this can take time to figure out and then cut. I have used one of the Thai cutters (Lamberts) with sapphire without a problem but of course, that's a choice you'd have to make. They do take a long time, so if you're in a hurry, they might not be an option anyway.