Is there a place or online resource that would give a rough estimate of value for stone raw or cut? How do I know If I am buying or selling at an appropriate price? I can see sending a $20 cab off for a $200 appraisal but how would I best know if that $20 cab is really worth $50? Or was my old Economy teacher correct when he said "The value of an item is whatever someone will pay for it."?
Joined: Sun Oct 16, 2005 12:22 pm Posts: 21602 Location: San Francisco
The ability to value comes from experience and research. There is no Blue Book for gem and mineral value.
Value is also a function of defining the market in which you are ascribing a value. Where are you buying? Where are you selling? What is the quality of what you will be selling? Gem or commercial?
Joined: Sun Oct 16, 2005 12:22 pm Posts: 21602 Location: San Francisco
Precisely why I don't mention, nor recommend sites of this type. It's offers values without describing the markets used. Many values are totally bogus as quality and markets are subjective at best and would give someone new to the trade a warped (incorrect) sense of value.
Thank you both for the replies. I guess the best thing is to just shop around. I feel like a babe in the woods when I try to buyy rough most the time lol
I understand that these sites should be used as guides as to giving the approximate values for stones under ideal conditions. Since I am not in the business my access to information as this is limited, I do use the International Gem Society as a reference that gives me a starting point for values on colored stones, I noticed within a few months red spinel was up to $10,000.00/ct retail & usually for the burmese material being the most sought after-stevie...
Because I will lose more money buying an overpriced gem then a very cheap but maybe faked stone.
An US gem dealer has a warning not to buy benitoite from asian vendors - I did this - cheap and very good quality - I sold them and made very good money... The US vendor is overpriced and sells on Ebay too.
The majority of gems I purchased and turned out to be something else I got in gems shows.
The last ones... three synthetic emeralds - small ( 0,2 ct ) and I learned that my LW UV should be in my pocket and not at home.
Picked out of a lot in Inhorgenta Munich - I was joking to a friend they look so good they could be synthetic...
Gems returned, money returned. Shit happens...
Sometimes the vendors are victims too - many indians or Sri Lanka vendor offer there own gems and gems from friends.
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 20 guests
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot post attachments in this forum