Investing in gemstones can prove lucrative. However, buyers need to verify that their purchases meet the level of quality they anticipate in precious or semi-precious stones. Identifying a natural gem today often proves very difficult, because many artificial colored sparkling stones exist in the marketplace. These three guidelines may help you navigate this potentially tricky area:
One: Only Deal With Respected Merchants
Buying gemstones today has become a highly specialized field. Approximately 200 different types of gems occur in nature, along with thousands of other types of minerals. Some gems require the skills of trained gemologists to identify correctly. These professionals spend years in school learning how to accurately identify and grade gemstone-quality stones. By making purchases only from legitimate, well-respected merchants, you’ll reduce your chance of making costly mistakes when you purchase expensive gemstones.
Two: Evaluate Hardness, Color And Hue
When considering a possible gemstone purchase, it often proves useful to spend time evaluating three properties: hardness, color and hue. Most jewelry-quality sparkling stones fall within certain recognized levels on the Mohs Scale of Hardness.For example, a diamond remains harder than a piece of corundum, such as a ruby or a sapphire. Similarly, a corundum gem will prove much harder than many other types of semi-precious stones, including jade or opal. Experts also pay close attention to other gemstone properties, including the color and the hue. If you purchase uncut gemstones, remember that cutting errors sometimes occur. A buyer may lose substantial amounts of money if poor cutting techniques cause stones to shatter.
Three: Seek Out Qualified Appraisals Before Purchase
The most reliable way to verify the quality of a potential gemstone remains seeking a qualified appraisal from a trained gemologist equipped with correct instrumentation. Most reputable auction houses will furnish prospective bidders with estimated value ranges for gemstones offered at auction. The sellers ask well-qualified gemologists to appraise stones in advance of a sale. While buyers do locate bargains in the absence of obtaining appraisals in some cases, failing to take this step in advance of a commercial transaction sometimes results in significant disappointment. A qualified appraisal will assist purchasers in determining how much a particular gemstone would likely command during a re-sale. It also helps insure that purchasers do not invest money in less valuable stones that resemble expensive gems.
A Great Investment
Today, the gemstone market offers a potentially lucrative way to invest. Lovely, well-cut gemstones remain in high demand as components of jewelry. Before expending a significant amount of money purchasing a gemstone, you’ll want to take some time to correctly identify and evaluate the prices it should command in the market.