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Private Clients

Byrex Gems receives private clients by appointment at its office in Toronto, where collectors and private buyers view coloured gemstones and natural fancy colour diamonds in person. Byrex is a wholesaler, founded in 1988, and most of its stones go to jewellers and designers. The same stones are open to a private buyer who wants to choose the stone first, with its laboratory report, and have it set by a jeweller of their own choosing. Prices are discussed in person, and every stone is shown as it will arrive.

Can I buy from Byrex as a private client?

Yes. Byrex Gems has supplied the jewellery trade since 1988, and more than seven thousand jewellers, designers and dealers have bought from the house over the years. Private clients are received as well, by appointment, and they see the same stones the trade sees: coloured gemstones and natural fancy colour diamonds, many with GIA, GRS, SSEF, Gübelin or other laboratory reports.

The private client Byrex suits best is someone who wants to choose the stone before the setting. That may be a collector adding to a collection, a buyer planning an engagement ring or an anniversary piece, or someone who has seen a stone online and would like to hold it. Buying loose from a wholesale house means the stone is selected on its own merits, with its report beside it, rather than already mounted in a setting that hides part of it.

Byrex is not a retail shop. There is no counter and no window display; Suite 407 is a private office where stones are brought out for the person who has come to see them. Nothing is priced in public, and nothing is sold online. A visit is a conversation about what you are looking for, followed by the stones themselves.

What happens at a viewing?

A viewing takes place at 27 Queen Street East, Suite 407, in downtown Toronto. Before you come, Byrex asks what you have in mind: the type of stone, the colour you are drawn to, a size range and the piece it is for. A selection is prepared from that, so the stones on the table are the ones worth your time.

The stones are shown loose, in good light, with a loupe and tweezers, and each laboratory report is laid beside its stone. You can compare several side by side, turn them, and see how each one reads from across the room and up close. Every stone has already been filmed in the office, unedited, so what you watched online is what you will find on the table.

It helps to prepare a little. Bring a photograph of a piece you admire, the ring the stone is meant to sit beside, or a note of the finger size. If you have a jeweller or designer, they are welcome to come with you or to join by video. There is no obligation to decide at the viewing, and many clients return a second time or ask to see a stone again on video before they choose.

Do I need my own jeweller?

No, although many private clients already have one. Byrex sells the stone loose, with its laboratory report, and the stone can then be set by any jeweller or designer you trust. Byrex works alongside that jeweller rather than in place of them: measurements, the report and the unedited video are shared so that the setting can be designed around the stone before it leaves Toronto.

Your jeweller is welcome at the viewing. Some clients bring a sketch or a CAD drawing from their designer and choose the stone to fit it; others choose the stone first and let the design follow. Either order works, and Byrex is used to both.

If you do not have a jeweller, Byrex designs and makes bespoke pieces around its own stones, from the first consultation and CAD render to casting, setting and a final check against the report. The bespoke jewellery page describes how a commission works. Whichever route you take, the stone remains the same stone, with the same report, and the choice of who sets it is yours.

How are prices handled?

Prices are not published on byrex.com. Approved trade buyers sign in with a one-time code sent to their email and see trade prices on each stone. Private clients discuss prices in person, at the viewing, or by WhatsApp or email when asking about a particular stone. There is no fixed minimum purchase; each enquiry is considered on its own.

Coloured stones and fancy colour diamonds are priced individually. Two sapphires of the same weight can sit far apart because of colour, clarity, cut, origin, treatment and the laboratory that examined them. A conversation about price is therefore also a conversation about the stone, and it is easier to have with the stone on the table and the report open.

When a stone is agreed, the terms are confirmed in writing before it is reserved. Stones travel insured, worldwide, and most are accompanied by their laboratory report. Byrex does not buy stones from the public and does not appraise stones bought elsewhere, but it can refer you to an independent appraiser for insurance purposes.

How do I book?

Send a message on WhatsApp to +1 (437) 450-3786 or an email to info@byrex.com. Say what you are looking for, roughly what size, and when you would like to come. Byrex will suggest a time and prepare a selection. Appointments are on weekdays at 27 Queen Street East, Suite 407, Toronto, Ontario, a short walk from Yonge Street and Queen subway station.

Viewings are by appointment only; there is no walk-in service. Private clients who travel can also be received in Hong Kong, Bangkok and Dubai, where Byrex arranges viewings by prior arrangement. If you cannot travel at all, a video call with the stone in hand is the next best thing, and the stone can then be sent to you insured.

If the stone you want is not on the site, say so. Much of the collection is not shown online, and what Byrex does not hold it can often source through its offices worldwide. Byrex Gems is a member of the American Gem Trade Association and the Canadian Jewellers Association.

Private Clients: questions buyers ask

Is there a minimum purchase?

No. There is no fixed minimum purchase for private clients. Each enquiry is considered on its own, whether it concerns a single small stone for a pendant or a pair of matched sapphires for earrings. Say what you have in mind and Byrex will tell you what it can offer.

Can I see a stone before deciding?

Yes. Every stone can be viewed in person at Suite 407 by appointment, or on a video call with the stone in hand. Each stone is also filmed in the office, unedited, so the video on the site shows it as it will arrive.

Do you ship outside Canada?

Yes. Byrex ships insured, worldwide, and has done so for the trade since 1988. A private client abroad can view by video, agree the stone in writing and receive it insured. Viewings can also be arranged in Hong Kong, Bangkok and Dubai.

Can Byrex set the stone into jewellery?

Yes. Byrex designs and makes bespoke pieces around its own stones, from a CAD model and render through casting and setting with its workshop partners. The bespoke jewellery page explains the process. You may equally take the loose stone to your own jeweller.

Will the stone come with a laboratory report?

Most stones carry a report from GIA, GRS, SSEF, Gübelin or another laboratory, and the report travels with the stone. Where a stone has no report, Byrex says so, and whether to obtain one is discussed before purchase.

Can I visit without an appointment?

No. Byrex is a private office, not a shop, and viewings are by appointment only. Write on WhatsApp or by email with what you would like to see, and a time will be arranged on a weekday at 27 Queen Street East, Suite 407.

Which cities can I view in?

Toronto first, at 27 Queen Street East, Suite 407. Byrex also arranges viewings in Hong Kong, Bangkok and Dubai by prior arrangement. Elsewhere, a video call with the stone in hand is offered, followed by insured shipping to you.

Do you buy stones from the public?

No. Byrex Gems is a wholesaler and does not buy stones from the public, nor does it appraise stones bought elsewhere. For an insurance valuation of a Byrex stone, the laboratory report is supplied and an independent appraiser can be recommended.

Byrex Gems, 27 Queen Street East, Suite 407, Toronto. Coloured gemstones and natural fancy colour diamonds for the trade since 1988, and for private clients by appointment.

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