AlternativesLapidary
Announcement
Quick Announcement -- As of July 2022, I am primarily offering shipping to the United States and Canada. If you are an international buyer, please contact me before ordering to ensure I'm able to ship to your country. Thanks!
Superlative quality loose faceted gemstones and jewelry, crafted by hand. Alternatives Lapidary provides a variety of natural and lab created stones for engagement rings, fashion and statement jewelry, daily wear and special occasion pieces. All stones (except for diamonds or accent stones) are cut in-house.
I offer custom gemstone cutting primarily in lab created sapphire, ruby, spinel, emerald and moissanite. Some other lab grown materials may be available on request. I offer custom jewelry services as well. Send me a message to discuss your project!
Please be sure to read over my shop policies before completing your purchases, and let me know if you have any questions about my stones, jewelry or policies. I'll be happy to answer them!
Items
Featured items
All Items
Reviews
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Amanda on Dec 6, 2022
5 out of 5 starsWe are so grateful to have found Phil! We are still entranced by how beautiful my engagement ring turned out. Phil was an absolute joy to work with - it was so fun to be included in the creative process to make the perfect ring for us. He kept us informed the whole way through and helped us understand the process and timeline. HIGHLY recommend!! Thank you!!
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David on Nov 30, 2022
5 out of 5 starsThe seller helped me with all my questions and gave me many different options to choose from. He was very informative and friendly. To be honest it was probably the friendliest interaction I had with a any online store ever. When I received the ring it came with a nice box, a certificate, nice presentation cards and a handwritten note by the seller. The ring itself is gorgeous. I was genuinely shocked at how amazingly beautiful the ring and stones turned out. I knew my gf (now fiancé) would love it the moment I saw it with my own eyes. The seller also gave me tips on the proper care of the ring and was very attentive all the way. I highly recommend AlternativesLapidary for anything ring or stone related. I am extremely pleased with them, even recommended them to my family. I appreciate the work/art done for this ring!
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Neal on Nov 12, 2022
5 out of 5 starsI contacted Phil with a really basic idea of what I wanted for an engagement ring. I had never purchased jewelry before and Phil walked me through every aspect of choosing a gemstone, shape, side stone, ring design, setting design, ring material, etc. We probably exchanged 50+ messages throughout this process and I was blown away by Phil’s professionalism and passion. The gemstone and ring came out absolutely incredible and my fiancé and I love it! Thanks Phil!!!!!!!
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Connor on Nov 6, 2022
5 out of 5 starsPhil is great to work with. He answered every question I had in detail and was able to cut a stone that matched all of the specs I asked for. Once we confirmed the specs for the stone, he cut it and shipped it all within the week. I'm incredibly happy with the final result and looking forward to working with Phil again!
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Yenny on Nov 6, 2022
5 out of 5 starsWow! Phil's work here is nothing short of mastery. A few months ago, we approached him with an idea for a wedding band and provided a reference image. He truly brought those mountains to life. The textures and contours perfectly captured and evoke that special place in the mountains. Thank you so much Phil!
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Wei Huang on Nov 3, 2022
5 out of 5 starsThe ring is absolutely stunning in person. I had bought the center stone from Phil, and had reached out to him regarding a setting. He promptly responded and throughout the whole experience Phil was patient and provided his expertise in every step of the way. Thank you Phil.
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redbeanmoon on Nov 2, 2022
5 out of 5 starsThe scintillation and sparkle on this ruby is excellent. The blinding flashes of fiery red in sunlight can’t be captured on camera. It was a pleasure to work with Phil from beginning to end on this ring from design to construction.
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Stephanie on Oct 27, 2022
5 out of 5 starsI absolutely LOVE these Montana sapphire side stones. They’re the most beautiful shade of sea foam green and will look perfect in the ring I’m designing. Phil was amazing at answering all of my pre-purchase questions. This was the first item I’ve bought from this store but I’ll definitely be coming back.
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chandler berney on Oct 6, 2022
5 out of 5 starsThe ring came out more beautifully than I could've imagined. Genuinely amazing work from Phil and captured all the aspects that my fiance and I had envisioned.
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Courtney on Oct 5, 2022
5 out of 5 starsBeautiful color and unique cut! I can't wait to get it set in my ring!
About AlternativesLapidary
Choosing the Extraordinary
From the time I was a child, I've loved two things above all -- gemstones, and things made by hand.
We live in a time of inexpensive mass production. Taking the time to lovingly craft something by hand has become the exception rather than the rule. This is true of the jewelry industry as well!
99% of commercially available gemstones are cut overseas, in mass production workshops or factories. The stones are often uneven, deeply windowed, and have a lackluster polish.
With my work, I try to offer people a chance to choose the Alternative to commercial mass production, to choose a stone that was hand selected and hand cut to be the most beautiful stone possible from the rough rock.
It all started with my rock collection as a kid. At around 10 or 11 years old, my parents started taking me to the gem and mineral shows that came to town a few times per year. I gazed upon tables of glittering polished stones and my young brain realized there was a process by which I could go from the rocks I'd been collecting to a bright polished stone and I said, "I want to learn how to do that!"
And so I did.
I learned how to cub cabochons at around 12 years old, and took my first faceting class at 16. At 20 I bought my own faceting machine and have been cutting ever since. In my late twenties I started messing around with silversmithing, because I wanted to learn how to set my own stones. I managed to get a job at a local jewelry store and worked there for six years while I learned the trade, before transitioning to being a fully independent custom jeweler.
Shop members
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Phil Lagas-Rivera
Owner, Maker, Designer
Born and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina, the son of two artsy people, a love of handmade things, underdogs, and doing things the hard way was instilled in him. He was pretty much doomed from the start.
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Hana B
Guest Poster
Lived all over the place, currently lives in the hottest city in the US. Loves to make things by hand. She is new to both lapidary arts and silversmithing, and is making up for it by being obsessive in both collecting and learning.
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Djinn aka Doodles
Shop Dog
Almost indistinguishable from a large ball of lint most days, DJ is a nine year old rescue toy poodle. He's more than a little neurotic, but precious. His favorite things are walks, scritches and puppy play time.
Production partners
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Best in Gems
Dublin, OH
Manufacturer of semi-mounts.
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Brilliant Earth
LA, CA
Diamond Retailer
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Custom Jeweler
Lebanon, PA
This ring was a collaboration between me and a fellow jeweler friend of mine. He loved this stone and designed this stunning unique platinum ring with it.
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Jewelry Appraiser
Raleigh, NC
Certified Jewelry Appraiser
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Lab Grown Diamond Supplier
NY, United States
Supplier of lab grown diamonds.
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Rio Grande
Albuquerque, NM
Jewelry Supplier
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Casting House
Raleigh, NC
Full service casting, engraving and finishing house.
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Stuller
Lafayette, LA
High quality manufacturer and supplier.
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Casting House
OR, United States
Specialty platinum casting house.
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Casting House
Waltham, MA
Does 3d printing of digital design models and lost wax casting in precious metals.
Shop policies
Why buy from us, when commercially cut stones are so much cheaper?
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There are several reasons. Here you will find only top quality, custom, hand-cut gemstones. You may be used to seeing commercially cut gemstones that are lopsided, poorly polished, and mostly lifeless. Commercially cut stones are a function of mass-production; they are cut for speed and weight, without attention to quality craftsmanship. Our concern isn't churning out product as quickly as possible, but to bring out the best the raw material has to offer. Another reason to buy from Alternatives Lapidary is to help support local, American creators. Too many jobs in all sectors are being shipped overseas. It's important we don't lose all of the skills we're now outsourcing, and buying from an American craftsman helps keep money and jobs here.
Are your stones natural? What about treatments?
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We offer a mixture of natural and lab created stones. All stones that are lab created will be CLEARLY marked as such in both the titles and descriptions. Often when we buy rough, treatments are not disclosed to us, but whenever a stone we offer is known to be treated, that treatment will be clearly and visibly disclosed in the item listing. However, it is important to realize that in this day and age, nearly 100% of gemstones are heat treated before they ever reach the cutter's table. Heat treatment to enhance color is a common practice, in almost all cases stable for the life of the stone, and does not mean that a stone is less valuable.
Accepted payment methods
Returns & exchanges
Payment
I accept PayPal and direct payment through etsy.
Shipping
All orders under $100 will ship without tracking or insurance. All orders over $100 will be shipped by USPS Priority Mail with tracking and insurance to the value of the order. If you would like to upgrade or modify your shipping, please get in touch before placing your order so we can make arrangements.
We are not responsible for any items lost or damaged in the mail, and will not offer refunds in the case of either situation.