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But wait, gypsy rose has more going for it when it comes to appearance. Dyer, who cut our specimen stone, raves about gypsy rose garnet as much from a clarity as a color standpoint. “Stones can be cut to be consistently loupe-clean,” he says. “And that’s pretty amazing for a gem that is hard to find in eye-clean stones.”

No wonder Dyer bought as much of this material as he could when it was first offered to him in 2005. He is still working off that stockpile, and figures he’s got enough to meet current demand for several more years—cutting stones between 3 and 15 carats and selling most of them at prices that keep them from retailing for any more than $300 per carat.

We have our doubts about whether he will be able to handle orders once word gets out about this remarkable garnet and his remarkable stash of it. Criss splurged on eight stones between 5 and 7 carats each at last month’s Las Vegas Show and he sold half of them in rings before June had even busted out into summer. At this rate of demand, he figures he’ll soon be needing replenishment stock.

For the time being, fans of gypsy rose will probably be able to meet their needs. But lately rough is reported to be of lesser quality and quantity. Unless supplies improve, jewelers like Criss used to affordable top-notch material may suddenly find themselves in dire straits with dependable sources like Dyer when trying to plug holes in inventory.