Gemstone Starting Point
Loupe Factory starts gemstone businesses with a catalog built around loose stones, lapidary work, and the support supplies used to cut, polish, grade, and ship them. Default product names include stones such as African Amethyst, Aquamarine, Diamond, Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire, and workshop supply families for stone prep, polishing, testing, and packing.
Starter snapshot
| Setting | Gemstone starting point |
| Price basis | Per carat |
| Default weight unit | Carat (ct) |
| Product emphasis | Loose stones by variety, plus the workshop supply families used to cut, treat, test, and pack them |
| Measurement emphasis | Calibrated millimeter sizes by shape, cabochon domes, and carat weight bands |
| Workflow emphasis | Rough assorting, cutting, calibration, faceting, polish, grading, and packing |
Gemstones is the only starting point that prices per carat rather than per piece, so a parcel's value follows its weight the way the trade already quotes it. Admins can change these values and catalogs after setup.
Default inventory flow
flowchart LR
MS["Materials & Supplies"] --> R["Rough"] --> P["Preform"] --> C["Cut"] --> CAL["Calibrated"] --> POL["Polished"] --> GP["Girdle Polished"] --> F["Finished"]
This default route shows the main inventory states most gemstone teams use from incoming rough stock to sale-ready stones.
Inventory types
| Inventory type | What your team can track with it |
| Materials & Supplies | Dop wax, laps, grit, testing tools, safety gear, and packing materials used across gemstone production. |
| Rough | Unprocessed mined stones received and held before any cutting decision is made. |
| Preform | Rough-shaped blanks with a first workable outline, ready for precise cutting. |
| Cut | Faceted stones that still need their final polish. |
| Calibrated | Stones brought to precise standard millimeter sizes for matched sets and standard settings. |
| Polished | Fully polished stones waiting for a quality check. |
| Girdle Polished | Stones with the girdle rim polish completed. |
| Finished | Cut, polished, cleaned, graded, and measured stones with complete specifications, ready for sale. |
Finished inventory types
| Finished inventory type | User-friendly definition |
| Faceted | Stones cut with multiple flat faces to increase sparkle and light return. |
| Cabochons | Smooth, domed stones with a flat back, often used when color or optical effect matters more than sparkle. |
| Beads | Drilled stones prepared for stringing, strand work, or component assembly. |
Materials & Supplies categories
| Materials & Supplies category | User-friendly definition |
| Stone Mounting & Prep | Dop wax, holders, and prep tools used to secure stones before shaping and cutting. |
| Cutting & Polishing | Laps, saw blades, diamond grit, burs, coolants, and tumbling media used to shape and polish stones. |
| Cleaning & Maintenance | Cleaning fluids and maintenance supplies used to remove wax, oils, dust, and workshop residue. |
| Gemstone Treatments | Resins, oils, heat-treatment supplies, dyes, and coatings used when a treatment step is part of production and must be disclosed. |
| Measuring & Testing | Calipers, scales, sieves, grading lights, and gem testing tools used to verify size, weight, color, and identity. |
| Safety & Protection | PPE, waste-handling supplies, and protective equipment used to keep workshop work safe. |
| Packaging & Shipping | Parcels, jars, labels, moisture-control items, and shipping supplies used to store and dispatch finished stones. |
Production stages
| Production stage | User-friendly definition |
| Rough Assorting | Sort rough gemstones by size, color, clarity, and cutting potential before work starts. |
| Rough Cutting (Saw/Cleave) | Saw or cleave rough stones in the best direction to reduce waste and improve yield. |
| Preform | Create the first workable outline before precise cutting begins. |
| Dopping | Mount each stone on a dop stick so it can be held securely during cutting. |
| Coarse Cut | Remove extra material and establish the main geometry. |
| Calibrate to Size (MM) | Bring stones to exact millimeter sizes for matched sets and standard jewelry settings. |
| Faceting & Girdle (or Dome Shaping) | Cut facets and girdles for faceted stones, or shape domes and edges for cabochons. |
| Pre-Polish | Remove small scratches and prepare the surface for final polish. |
| Final Polish | Apply the final polish needed for the target luster and finish quality. |
| QA & Testing | Check dimensions, weight, symmetry, color consistency, and treatment disclosure before release. |
| Finish & Pack | Clean, label, and pack stones for storage, transfer, or shipment. |
Size and shape defaults
Size groups
| Size group | User-friendly definition | Example defaults |
| Round sizes (diameter) | Standard round size ladder for calibrated loose stones and bead-style work. | 0.8 mm, 0.9 mm, 1.0 mm ... 18.0 mm, 20.0 mm, Mixed sizes |
| Oval sizes (length x width) | Common oval size pairs used for calibrated loose stones. | 3x2 mm, 4x3 mm, 5x3 mm ... 20x15 mm, 25x18 mm, Mixed sizes |
| Square/Princess sizes | Square size presets used for square and princess-style cutting. | 2x2 mm, 2.5x2.5 mm, 3x3 mm ... 10x10 mm, 12x12 mm, Mixed sizes |
| Emerald cut (length x width) | Rectangle-based size presets for emerald-cut stones. | 4x2 mm, 5x3 mm, 6x4 mm ... 16x12 mm, 20x10 mm, Mixed sizes |
| Pear/Teardrop (length x width) | Tapered size pairs used for pear and drop-style stones. | 3x2 mm, 4x3 mm, 5x3 mm ... 16x12 mm, 6x8 to 9x13 mm, Mixed sizes |
| Marquise (length x width) | Long, pointed size pairs for marquise stones. | 6x3 mm, 7x3.5 mm, 8x4 mm ... 18x9 mm, 20x10 mm, Mixed sizes |
| Kite (length x width) | Geometric size pairs for kite cuts and directional layouts. | 6x3 mm, 7x3.5 mm, 8x4 mm ... 18x9 mm, 20x10 mm, Mixed sizes |
| Shield (length x width) | Geometric size pairs for shield cuts and side-stone layouts. | 6x3 mm, 7x3.5 mm, 8x4 mm ... 18x9 mm, 20x10 mm, Mixed sizes |
| Heart (length x width) | Heart-shaped size pairs for romantic and novelty cuts. | 4x4 mm, 5x5 mm, 6x6 mm ... 12x12 mm, 15x15 mm, Mixed sizes |
| Trillion (equilateral triangle) | Triangle presets used for trilliant or triangle stones. | 4 mm triangle, 5 mm triangle, 6 mm triangle ... 12 mm triangle, 15 mm triangle, Mixed sizes |
| Baguette (length x width) | Narrow rectangle sizes used for baguette cuts. | 3x2 mm, 4x2 mm, 5x3 mm ... 10x5 mm, 12x6 mm, Mixed sizes |
| Cushion (length x width) | Square-to-rectangular cushion presets used for softer-edged cuts. | 5x5 mm, 6x6 mm, 7x7 mm ... 11x10 mm, 12x10 mm, Mixed sizes |
| Cabochon sizes (diameter for round, length x width for oval) | Dome-style presets for round and oval cabochons. | 6 mm cab, 7 mm cab, 8 mm cab ... 18x13 mm cab, 20x10 mm cab, Mixed sizes |
| Specialty/unusual sizes | Extended presets for tiny precision stones and larger statement pieces. | 0.8 mm, 1.0 mm, 1.25 mm ... 350x250 mm, 400x300 mm, 500x400 mm |
| Mix | Broad mixed preset list used when one job needs several shapes and size formats at once. | 0.8 mm, 0.9 mm, 1.0 mm ... 400x300 mm, 500x400 mm, Mixed sizes |
Shape defaults
| Shape default | User-friendly definition | Linked size groups |
| Round | Standard round stones and round bead-style layouts. | Round sizes (diameter) |
| Oval | Elongated oval stones. | Oval sizes (length x width) |
| Square | Square and princess-style outlines. | Square/Princess sizes |
| Emerald Cut | Step-cut rectangular outlines. | Emerald cut (length x width) |
| Pear, Drops | Tapered drop-style outlines for loose stones and matching pairs. | Pear/Teardrop (length x width) |
| Marquise | Long pointed outlines with narrow ends. | Marquise (length x width) |
| Heart | Symmetrical heart outlines. | Heart (length x width) |
| Shield | Shield-style geometric side stones and center stones. | Shield (length x width) |
| Kite | Kite-style geometric stones. | Kite (length x width) |
| Trilliant, Triangle | Triangular stone layouts for accents or center stones. | Trillion (equilateral triangle) |
| Baguette | Narrow rectangular stones for accents and calibrated sets. | Baguette (length x width) |
| Cushion | Softer square-to-rectangular outlines with rounded corners. | Cushion (length x width) |
| High Dome, Flat | Cabochon profile options for domed or flatter finishes. | Cabochon sizes (diameter for round, length x width for oval) |
| Balls | Spherical bead or ball-style stock. | Round sizes (diameter) |
| Hexagon, Octagon | Specialty geometric cuts used when standard shapes are not the goal. | Specialty/unusual sizes |
| Mix | Mixed-shape jobs that need the full preset coverage. | Mix |
Default item attributes
Every gemstone inventory item starts with these item attribute keys as empty rows, so the details a buyer or lab report asks for have a home from day one. Teams can fill in what applies and add any other key they need.
| Default attribute key | User-friendly definition |
| Certificate No | The grading report or certificate number, such as 2205648917. Record the number itself, not the issuing lab. |
| Lab | The laboratory that issued the grading report, such as GIA, IGI, GRS, or AGS. |
| Origin | The geographic source of the rough stone, such as Burma, Colombia, or Sri Lanka. Do not use the supplier's country. |
| Treatment | The enhancement the stone has undergone, such as Heated, Unheated, Oiled, Fracture Filled, or None. |
| Clarity | The clarity grade or description, such as VS1, Eye Clean, or Included. |
| Creation Method | How the stone was formed, such as Natural, Lab Grown, Synthetic, or Simulant. |
To compare these values across several items, use Show attributes in an inventory table. Search also finds values such as GIA or Unheated while the columns are closed.
Note
Cut is not an attribute here. It is recorded as the item's Shape, so it stays searchable and filterable across the inventory table.
Default cost components
Gemstone businesses start with these cost component types, so a parcel's cost can be built from the stone, the shop time, and the outside services that went into it instead of one flat number.
| Cost component | What it covers |
| Gemstone | Loose cut or polished stones measured by carat or piece, such as melee, calibrated rounds, or single stones. |
| Stone | Rough material, beads, or ornamental mineral pieces that are not your main faceted product. |
| Metal | Findings, mount metal, or small metal parts costed with the gem line, such as clasps, cups, or chain snippets. |
| Alloy | Named alloys or blended metal products billed separately from plain metal, such as solder or pre-mixed karat stock. |
| Packaging | Boxes, pouches, inserts, labels, and presentation materials shipped with the goods. |
| Labor | Shop time rolled into the stone, such as cutting, sorting, repair, prep, or handling charged at a rate. |
| Freight | Shipping, courier, or customs charges assigned to the item. |
| Overhead | Shared cutting room, sorting, utilities, admin, or handling costs allocated to the order. |
| Subcontracting | Outside lapidary, treatment, lab service, or finishing work charged back to the order. |
| Duty | Import duty, customs fee, or clearance cost on rough, stones, packaging, or shipment. |
| Tax | Recoverable or billable tax applied to materials, services, or the finished sale. |
| Certification | Gem lab report, origin memo, grading certificate, or sealed parcel documentation. |
| Inspection | Sorting, grading, measurement, color matching, or quality review before release. |
| Design | Custom layout, matching plan, cut plan, recut plan, or parcel planning work. |
| Setup | Job setup for dops, calibration, sorting trays, templates, or first-piece preparation. |
| Markup | Pricing uplift added above cost for the order or invoice. |
| Wastage | Expected cutting loss, breakage, dust, or unusable weight from processing. |
| Scrap | Recoverable offcuts, chips, or residual material tracked apart from finished stones. |
| Discount | Customer discount, trade allowance, or pricing adjustment applied to the build. |
| Machine | Machine time for sawing, cutting, polishing, drilling, sorting, or other shop equipment. |
Typical starter teams
| Typical starter team | What this team owns | Example roles |
| Rough Assorting | Sorts incoming rough by size, color, clarity, and cutting potential before routing work. | Operator, Assorter, Assorting Supervisor |
| Preforming | Creates the first workable outline before precise cutting. | Operator, Senior Operator, Preforming Supervisor |
| Dopping | Mounts stones securely for stable handling and angle control. | Technician, Dopping Supervisor |
| Cutting | Handles rough cutting and coarse shaping. | Operator, Cutter, Cutting Supervisor |
| Calibration | Brings stones to target millimeter sizes for matched lots and standard settings. | Operator, Calibrator, Calibration Supervisor |
| Faceting & Girdling | Builds final geometry for faceted stones before polish. | Faceter, Senior Faceter, Polishing Supervisor |
| Polish | Performs pre-polish and final polish work. | Polisher, Master Polisher, Polishing Supervisor |
| QA | Verifies size, symmetry, finish, weight, and disclosure details before release. | Inspector, QA Lead, QA Supervisor |
| Finishing & Packing | Cleans, labels, packs, and stages stones for storage or shipment. | Packing Associate, Packing Lead, Packing Supervisor |
| Planning & Production Administration | Coordinates schedules, priorities, and shop handoffs across the core production teams. | Planner, PPC Manager, Production Manager, Production Supervisor |
| Procurement | Sources rough, parcels, and workshop supplies, and judges what is worth buying. | Gemologist, Buyer, Sourcing Manager |
| Warehouse & Logistics | Controls parcel storage, movement, and dispatch readiness. | Storekeeper, Logistics Coordinator, Warehouse Manager |
| Business & Shop Support | Keeps the shop running around production: maintenance and tooling, sales, finance, people, safety, administration, and systems. | Shop Lead, Sales Executive, Accountant, HR Manager, EHS Officer, IT Manager, Operations Manager |
Customize this setup from Product Settings, Inventory Settings, and Production Settings.
Next Steps