| Before | After |
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| Before | After |
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From the very formation of the Collectors Edge, our management has been committed to researching, developing, and implementing leading-edge laboratory processes for the trimming, cleaning, and repair of mineral specimens. One of the key strengths of the Collectors Edge is the ability to examine a mineral specimen with potential and to be able to transform that specimen into a true treasure! The Collectors Edge has been honored to have performed cleaning, trimming, repair, and restoration work for many of the worlds leading private collectors, dealers, and public institutions.
Our lab staff has had the opportunity to improve the appearance of thousands of mineral specimens for our clients, including many of the most highly revered mineral specimens ever discovered. World-class phosphophyllite specimens from Bolivia, numerous matrix specimens from the fabled blue-cap tourmaline pocket at the Tourmaline Queen Mine in San Diego County, California, rhodochrosite specimens from the Sweet Home Mine in Colorado and from the NChwaning mine in South Africa, amazonite and smoky quartz specimens from the Tree Root Pocket in Teller County, Colorado, native silvers from Kongsberg, Norway, fabulous crystallized gold specimens from Californias mother lode and many more have been successfully prepared in our laboratory.
The Collectors Edge has developed and instituted the most rigorous set of procedures
for the documentation of repaired and restored specimens in the mineral preparation
business. Additionally, we have recently created and brought on-line, a cutting-edge
Laboratory Information Management System which enables us to efficiently track the
status of all specimen preparation work being performed in our laboratory. The near-term
future promises even more exciting advances. We are formulating plans for the development
of a brand-new, mineral specimen certification process which will create a new industry-standard
for customer assurance.
~ Facility and Staff ~
The Collectors Edge maintains a world-class mineral cleaning and
preparation facility at our company headquarters in Golden, Colorado. Our laboratory
has state-of-the-art specimen preparation equipment and our staff is armed with
advanced, proprietary cleaning / trimming techniques designed to bring out the full
beauty of the mineral treasures upon which we are asked to work. Our laboratory
management and staff are highly skilled craftsmen, who take great care (and pride)
in the preparation work they do for our customers. Visitors to the Collectors Edge
facilities are always welcome to take a tour of our spacious (over 2,500 sq ft)
laboratory. We have recently added a full-time, customer service liaison, Richard
Jackson, who is responsible for working with our lab services customers to insure
that the customers vision of the finished specimen is brought to fruition in the
laboratory.
All laboratory service charges are calculated by the actual number of man-hours
of work required to achieve the desired look of the piece. We do not charge for
the time the specimens are in cleaning solutions, nor do we charge separately for
materials/supplies needed to do the work. Our hourly rate for laboratory services
is $150.00. Our laboratory service work is always in great demand by collectors,
dealers, and institutions. When specimens are submitted, we will offer our best
estimate of the completion date and the costs for the desired work. Please be aware
that we view each laboratory service job as a custom-tailored project (there is
no cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all solution to this work). While we will do everything
in our power to complete these projects at or under the cost estimates and return
the pieces to you on schedule, please be aware that there may be some variability.
Also, be aware that not every specimen will be worth the investment of our time
and your money to adequately prepare. We will apprise you candidly when we are presented
with specimens which experience tells us will not improve greatly, are too risky
to work on, or will require huge amounts of laboratory time to complete.
For more information about our laboratory services or to inquire about the status of a submitted laboratory service job, please contact Richard Jackson via email at richard@collectorsedge.com or by calling him at 303-278-9724 x-13. We strongly encourage you to have a thorough face-to-face discussion with Richard, Steve Behling, or Bryan Lees along with your specimen(s) so that we fully understand your vision for the piece(s). Good places to have this sort of one-on-one discussion are at our company offices in Golden, Colorado or at our Gem Show booths / rooms. Where distance makes this impossible, we communicate with digital images of the specimens and lots of email or telephone interaction prior to accepting the work.After we agree that the specimen preparation work should be tackled, the customer will be asked to sign a CEMI Laboratory Job Receipt which will:
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- provide us with your contact information
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- list the specimens submitted and a synopsis of the work to be performed
- list the terms of our services
The customer will be given a copy of the completed Lab Job Receipt, signed by the CEMI representative who has accepted the work, for your records. You can print a blank copy of the Laboratory Job Receipt below.
