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Quality And Value Of Gemstones in Today's Market
Becoming an educated consumer is not easy when dealing with all the variables related to purchasing a gemstone. These many variables will determine the quality and, therefore, the price.
In general, the quality and value of a gemstone are determined by a combination of what they are called the "Four C's": Color, Clarity (degree of flawlessness), Cut, and Carat weight.
Treatments should also be added to the list, as they play an important role in evaluating quality and price today. In a modern market filled with treatments of all sorts, a stone left untreated generally acquires a much greater value than a gem that has been treated.
Clarity is the degree of flawlessness. Generally, clear transparent gemstones with no visible flaws are the most valued. GIA (Gemological Institute of America) classifies colored gems clarity into three types:
-Type 1 gemstones, "virtually inclusion-free," such as aquamarine, topaz, green tourmaline, tanzanite, citrine, and danburite.
-Type 2 gemstones, "usually included," such as rubies, sapphires, garnets, peridots, amethysts, zircons, cat's eye chrysoberyls, pearls, and corals.
-Type 3 gemstones, "always included," such as emeralds and red tourmalines.
Some gemstones are valued for their inclusions. Phenomenal gemstones owe their stars and eyes to inclusions. Tiny inclusions reflecting light back form the eye in "cat's eyes" and the star in "star sapphires".
Inclusions can also be a birthmark, telling us where a particular gemstone was mined.
As a general rule, look for eye-flawless stones. If the inclusions are too numerous, too visible to the naked eye, and distracting, avoid such stones.
Color is another key factor. A common misperception in judging gems is that people assume that the darker the color, the better the stone. That isn't true: color can be too dark, like some "blue" sapphires that look more black than blue.
If a gem is too dark, its appearance is lusterless, subdued, and lifeless. It loses value.
A much better rule of thumb is that the brighter, richer, and more vivid the color, the more beautiful it becomes. It acquires value.
In general, within each gemstone variety, a medium to medium-dark tone, along with an intense and saturated primary color, is the most preferred.
Muted colors or colors between hues, which you might find very attractive, are usually a bit less expensive. Look at the color in different kinds of light. Gemstones naturally change intensity and hue depending on the lighting environment (full sun, cloudy, incandescent light, fluorescent light, LEDs, etc).
Of note are the color-change stones, where in daylight, a gem shows one color, and in incandescent light, another. These color-change gems are usually very attractive and, in most cases, expensive. (Alexandrite is the most well-known example, but sapphires, garnets, and spinels can also change color).
Cut. It used to be that a good cut was something that didn’t cost more. Nowadays, a well-cut stone is worth more than a poorly cut one. A savvy consumer knows that a well-cut gemstone can significantly enhance or detract from its beauty. And beauty is what we pay for in a gemstone.
When held face up, a well-cut, faceted gemstone reflects light evenly across its surface area. The yellow sapphire oval below is a clear example of a well-cut gemstone. If the stone is too deep and narrow, some areas will appear dark. If it is too shallow and wide, the stone will look washed out and lifeless, with no sparkle and luster (the so-called "window," as seen on the emerald cut hessonite below, on the left). The best way to judge the cut is to compare similar gemstones side by side.
The carat weight of a gemstone is measured in carats and points. There are 100 points in one carat, and one carat equals one-fifth of a gram. As a rule, the price increases per carat as we move from smaller to larger stones since larger stones are more limited in supply. However, the price does not increase proportionately—there are disproportionate jumps. The larger the stone (all else being equal in terms of overall quality), the more disproportionate the increase in cost per carat can be.
