geodan-admin-english, Author at GeoDan Gemstones

How much do gemstones cost?

2019-11-132020-02-06

The value of gemstones, how much gemstones cost, depends on various factors. In addition to the type of stone, features such as size, purity and color also play an important role in determining the price. Therefore, the question “What do precious stones cost?” can not be asked as a generalized question.

Examples of gemstone costs

Alexandrite is a comparatively expensive gem

As mentioned before, the value and price of gemstones can vary greatly. Here are some examples of the prices of gemstones:

Alexandrite: about $450 to $60,000 per carat
Emerald: about $350 to $50,000 per carat
Sapphire: $200 to $20,000 per carat
Ruby: $100 to several thousand dollars per carat

As you can see, the price range is quite wide, making it hard to generalize an answer. However, as a rule of thumb, a gem is especially valuable if:

the piece is especially big
the color is intense and evenly distributed
the stone has few inclusions or damage
it is a rare or coveted gem

Rare gem examples: Charoite, Fingerite, Gottlobite, Larimar, Tanzanite
Valuable stones are for example: Sapphire, Emerald, Ruby, Tsavorite, Spinel, Alexandrite, and Tanzanite
Inexpensive gems are for example: Amethyst, Citrine, Ametrine, Blue Topaz and many of the more common red ones, like Garnet.

Furthermore, the processing of the stone plays a role in the value and price. If the cut has been executed particularly well, this can raise the price significantly. In jewelry, the complementary materials used, such as quality gold, can render a higher price.

If you want to know how much a particular gemstone costs, check out our gem list from A to Z. Note, however, that it is not possible to list exact prices for each gem, as prices per carat vary too greatly.

Size and price

Large, high quality gems are very rare

Gemstone price per carat is dependent on the size of the gemstone. Furthermore, a 1 carat gemstone fetches a higher price per carat than a 0.5 carat gemstone. Gems of high quality, which are relatively large are very rare.

Alexandrite as an example:

Alexandrite (of G 5/2 and R or slpR 5/3*) has the following prices per carat depending on its size:

up to 0,5 carat: 2,200 $ to 5,400 $ per carat
0,5 to 1 carat: 4,500 $ to 13,400 $ per carat
Over 1 carat: to 62,000 $ per carat

(* = A guide with more information on color saturation tone rating will follow soon)

What are gems worth?

The composition of the material, the crystal system, the type of crystal lattice, and the shape are essential for setting the price of gemstones. There are further factors such as:

Carat
Cut
Hardness,
Lustre
Density

precious stone facetted Diamant Edelstein Schmuckstein — *Diamonds are among the most expensive gemstones*

Inexpensive gemstone jewelry

Depending on the type of gemstone and the carat weight, gems can be quite inexpensive. More affordable gem types are, for example, Quartz, Topaz or Garnet. Of course, man-made stones are much cheaper than natural ones.

Examples: pale Amethysts or Tanzanites, brownish Garnets or Peridote, and blackish Garnets or Sapphires.

Beware! If the term Cubic Zirconia appears in the description, then it is a synthetic gemstone.

Synthetic gemstones have pros and cons. Often they can barely be distinguished from natural gems when viewed with the naked eye. However, natural gemstones are valuable for good reason. They have completely different properties than their man-made counterfeits.

High quality gemstone jewelry

Currently (as of 2018), a blue Diamond worth nearly $ 4 million per carat is one of the world’s most expensive gemstones. Previously, the so-called “Pink Star”, a pink Diamond, was the world’s most valuable gem.

The most expensive and precious gemstones include:

Blue Diamond (about $ 3.93 per carat)
Musgravite (about $ 35,000 per carat)
Jadeite (about $ 20,000 per carat)
Alexandrite (about $ 12,000 per carat)

Warning! If you want to buy high quality gems weighing more than 1 carat, make sure your purchase includes an independent certificate.

Independent certificate

Especially with high value gemstones, it is advisable to acquire an independent certificate so you can be sure that it is an authentic gem.

For more information about the certificate, please visit our Buying guide.

Gemstone geodes and druses

The price and value of geodes and druses depend mainly on the size of the gemstone piece. They can be a few inches to several feet tall. In addition, the nature of the mineral plays a role, where Agate or Amethyst geodes or druses are concerned. Small druses and geodes are available at very low cost, while larger pieces can cost several thousand dollars.

Articles

New research on Lapis Lazuli

2019-05-242020-01-21

Research on Lapis Lazuli from the Max Planck Institute

Lapis Lazuli traces found in the tartar of a nun’s dental remains reveal information about her life in the Middle Ages

Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History have analyzed the tartar of a well-preserved skeleton in Jena, Germany. Actually, the American anthropologist and group leader at the Max Planck Institute, Christina Warinner, was investigating the periodontosis infestation of the time.

But instead, the researchers made a different, very interesting find: they discovered Lasurite, a component mineral in Lapis Lazuli, in the tartar of the remains of a woman. She was a nun who lived about 1000 to 1200 AD and was buried in the cemetery of the Dalheim monastery (near Paderborn/North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany).

This is interesting in that Lapis Lazuli was extremely precious at that time – as valuable, or perhaps even more valuable than gold at the time. Furthermore, a single source for this mineral was known: a mine in Afghanistan!

All the more reason the discovery was so puzzling. To find Lapis Lazuli in the tartar of a nun’s teeth, so far from the origin of the mineral, in central Germany, implies she had somehow been in close contact with it.

The most reasonable theory, according to these researchers, is that the nun used the mineral in her work. They suspect that she was an artist who illustrated precious books such as Bibles. The Lapis Lazuli residues could have come about by regular licking of the paintbrush tip, to allow a more precise application of the color.

Other theories are that the nun may have taken the stone as medicine or worked with it for some other purpose. However, researchers doubt such scenarios, since Lapis Lazuli was much too valuable at that time to be used ‘regularly’. Besides, the residues were found only in the woman’s tartar and nowhere else in her remains.

Women in the Middle Ages – secret works?

Women did not have many rights in the Middle Ages. As a rule, they gave birth and raised children. The illustration of precious works and the use of valuable materials such as Lapis Lazuli was only really an option for men of high social or religious ranking – at least, according to our general knowledge, and based on many Historians’ research.

But the nun from the German monastery could shed light on this assumption. Some researchers and Historians have been hypothesizing for some time that women were, indeed, involved in book production, especially in Germany, but did not sign their works out of humility. With this new find, however, concrete evidence could be collected.

Source: http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/5/1/eaau7126

More about Lapis Lazuli

Buyer's guide

Why are gemstones so valuable?

2019-05-242020-01-02

The Blue Moon Diamond is the most expensive diamond in the world. The 12-carat blue gem was sold for a world record price of over 48.4 million dollars. But what makes gems so valuable?

Gems are rare rocks and minerals that formed over millions, if not billions of years. They are therefore not easily recreated, or copied synthetically. Of course there are also synthetic gemstones. However, these are worth much less and also have completely different properties to real gems.

Since time immemorial, people have been fascinated by colorful and aesthetic jewels, leaving them in high demand. Thus, the relationship between supply and demand also plays an important role in the value of the gems.

Alexandrit Farbenwechsel Edelstein Schmuckstein — *Alexandrite is a very rare and precious gemstone*

Other factors that play a role in gem value are the processing of the stones (grinding, shaping, polishing, cutting and so on) as well as the production of the piece of jewelry including the other materials used (Gold, Silver, other precious metals).

Sensitivity, creativity, craftsmanship and experience are just a few of the attributes that make up the masterpiece. Goldsmiths concentrate on jewelry that is often even smaller than the dials of watches. Grinding, filing, soldering and casting are just as important as physics and chemistry in this field.

The craft was one of the most respected professions in the Middle Ages. Even today we have Goldsmiths to thank for all their beautiful treasures in the world, the sparkling unique and rare pieces. Here you will find information and products from the Goldsmiths we trust.

Find more information in our guides What do gems cost? and Quality features.

Author: <span>geodan-admin-english</span>