A precious gemstone becomes priceless when it has sentiments and stories attached to it. But have you ever wondered what makes a gemstone precious before it becomes priceless? Well, many factors are behind the worth of a gemstone. If you’re planning to buy a loose gemstone or gemstone jewelry, then don’t base your decision on the cheesy sales pitches of sellers.
But then what adds value to a gemstone? So here is everything you need to know to choose a gemstone like a pro.
Rarity or the Location
A location where a gemstone can be found determines the gemstone’s worth in many ways. The cost of resources at the mining location, ethical mining practices, and safety measures contribute to the overall worth of a gemstone.
Gemstones, such as tanzanite, are found in a very small area of the earth, which makes them highly valued. On the other hand, some gemstones can be created in laboratories; these types of gemstones are relatively less expensive.
Next, we have 4Cs, the most accurate tool to measure the gemstone’s worth. 4Cs include color, clarity, cut and carat.
Let us discover how we can determine the worth of a gemstone using 4Cs.
Color
Color is the most dominating factor in all the 4Cs because it contributes the most to the appearance of a gemstone.
We can further divide the color into three components: hue (Shade of colors such as red, green, blue, etc.), Saturation (intensity of a color), and uniformity of the color.
The most valuable gemstone in its type is not the one that has an intense or the darkest shade but the one having optimal color & uniform distribution.
Carat
Carat refers to the weight of the gemstone; one carat is 1/5th of a gram, it looks easy to understand that value increases with the increase in carat weight, but there is a catch. With the increase in carat weight, it becomes difficult to maintain other 3Cs in the gemstone.
If a gemstone in its higher carat weight maintains uniform color, flawless clarity, and the best cut, it becomes more expensive. Otherwise, the value of a gemstone does not increase relatively after a certain carat weight. Another reason higher-carat gemstones are not so expensive is that larger chunks are not suitable for jewelry purposes.
Clarity
The clarity of a gemstone refers to interruptions (or lack of them) you face when you try to see through it. It is also a significant factor in measuring the worth of a gemstone.
Two factors can affect clarity: one is the inclusions that a gemstone has, and the other is imperfections or scratches on the surface. Inclusions are not always responsible for downgrading the value of a gemstone. A star sapphire derives its value from needle-like inclusions.
Cut
A high-quality cut not only measures the gemstone’s worth but is an art that brings you the best out of the raw gemstone. While cutting a gemstone crystal, maintaining clarity, and keeping the wastage at a minimum level is walking on the edge of the knife because a slight imperfection can waste all the effort this is why the cut of a gemstone is a countable factor in the overall value.
A cut of gemstone in which light cannot hide, and we get the maximum brilliance is the most valuable one.
Apart from these five factors that affect the value of a gemstone, there can be some other factors responsible for a gemstone’s worth. For instance, Kashmir sapphires have unique silk-like inclusions which you will not find in any other sapphire. Likewise, Colombian emeralds have unique color disposition and alexandrites from Russia have very vivid color change.These characteristics are unique to these mining locations. As such stones from these areas command a premium in the market. Besides, the worth of a gemstone is not constant; it fluctuates with demand.
Whether you want natural gemstones or equally alluring lab-made alternatives, GemsNY has them all. Both types are real and come with certificate of authenticity from reputed independent labs such as GIA. So, you need not break your head over ascertaining the worth of gemstone jewelry.
