Amy Raymond, Tim Raymond, Jeff Nechka at home gem party

If diamonds are a girl’s best friend, a boy’s best friend must be a certified gemologist.  Preferably one that makes house calls, especially around Valentine’s Day.

It’s a chilly evening in the southeast community of Auburn Bay, a week or so before Valentine’s Day.  In a lit case near the living room velvet risers covered with precious stones twinkle in the light from the fireplace.  Distributed around the dining room table are posters describing the characteristics of gems and jewels.  Young couples cluster about the microscope, oohing and aahing, while a few toddlers play amongst the adults.

Moving amongst the dozen or so people gathered at a friend’s house is certified gemologist Jeff Nechka, answering questions about custom-cut gems and custom-designed jewellry.

This is a house gem party.  Or as Nechka calls it, a “private showing.”  It’s a new wrinkle on a growing trend. 

Home parties have been around for decades.  Our mothers trooped off to Tupperware parties when we were kids and today just about any kind of product can be bought and sold in the comfy confines of someone’s home.  But gem parties are relatively new, says Nechka.

Custom pendant on display at home gem party

Couples today are interested in unique jewellry, something with character that isn’t bought from a mall store.  Amy Raymond’s engagement and wedding rings were custom-made and she sees that trend growing among her friends.

“I like it because we can personalize it and add the details we want,” she said. 

Corey Johnstone, host of the party, agrees.  “Me and my wife got married two years ago.  I know we went to all the diamond stores and looked at different rings, the big thing is that there was nothing exactly like what she wanted,” he said.  “We went custom…I think a lot of our friends are in the same position we were.”

Raymond says home gem parties help jewellry buyers educate themselves so they can make even better purchases.  “It is important for future creations we’d like to have made, get a little big more knowledge about what we’re wearing and what we like,” she said.

Amy’s husband, Tim, was interested in the international gem trade.  Nechka says Canada is the third largest global diamond producer and is ranked second by value.  He adds that most of the world’s most valuable stones are cut in Israel, New York and Belgium.  Smaller, less pricey gems are sent to India or China to be cut. 

Nechka travels abroad to buy gems and build relationships with suppliers.  Those relationships allow him to offer his clients exceptional value, he says, adding that because a gemologist like  himself doesn’t have the overhead and inventory costs associated with a traditional jewellry store, buying custom pieces can actually be cheaper. 

“If you come to the gemologist you get a lot more value.  A gemologist is able to access a wider variety of gems and you can really customize it to suit the lifestyle and personality of the customer,” he said. 

Couples attending the party learn about the four qualities of gem stones: cut, colour, size (carat) and clarity. 

“There’s four or five different stations set up and each one will show some aspect of the gem,” Nechka said.  “For instance, on the colour station they’ll be able to see diamonds side by side and compare the colour.  And at the clarity station they’re looking at diamonds under the microscope and seeing where the inclusions are located within the diamond.”

Gem parties are particularly suited to Valentine’s Day.  Couples can meet the gemologist and learn about the gem and setting options available to them.  If they want to buy a special piece for Valentine’s, the gemologist can cut a gem that suits just the look they are searching for.  Nechka works with a jewellry designer to create custom settings.

The evening ended with each person receiving the chance to enter a draw for a custom-cut diamond from Nechka’s company, Premier Gems.  And to make the education a little more interesting and fun, couples were given the opportunity to pick out the real diamond amongst a group of cubic zirconias (artificial diamonds) and if they were successful received an extra ballot for the draw.

Gems on display at home party, where couples interested in custom-made jewellry could educate themselves on the qualities of precious stones

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