SELL YOUR GEMSTONES FOR THE HIGHEST PRICE
gemstones and love their gemstone jewelry. But what if you have pieces you no longer want and are looking to sell a gemstone? Is there a reliable, simple and trustworthy place to do so? And how do you know if you are being paid the best price for your jewel?
In this article, we will look at how and where you can sell your gemstones on the market, both online and in-person. Then, we will explain why Worthy is the best place to sell your gemstone.
Understanding Gemstones: Precious vs. Semi Precious
The jewelry industry divides up gemstones into two different categories: precious and semiprecious. These two classes of gems were originally categorized in the 1800s. Generally the classes breakdown as follow:
Precious Gemstones:
- Diamonds
- Rubies
- Sapphires
- Emeralds
Everything else tends to get classified as a semiprecious stone. However, it is important to understand that gem categorizations are not static and eternal. Rather, they are dynamic and fluid, changing over time as we've discovered more and more about the science of gemstones.
Sometimes, even new gemstones are discovered like tanzanite and ammolite, and ignites an unexpected craze for the new gem. There can also be cultural differences in how some gemstones are valued versus others.
Gemstone Grading
Gemological Institute of America (the GIA), you get a full understanding of the quality of your jewel and therefore how much your gemstone might be worth on the market.
There are a variety of different factors to look at when it comes to gemstone grading, including:
- Color saturation
- Clarity
- Translucency
- Size
Each of these factors can have a dramatic impact on the value of your gem. For example, the more intense the color of your piece, the more value it will likely have. In fact, color is one of the most important factors in determining the value of a gemstone.
Just as when you sell a diamond, clarity is very important when it comes to other stones as well. You want to see consistency through the diamond with minimal inclusions or defects, though there are exceptions to this rule. Size, of course, can also have a large impact, but it remains true that a high quality small gemstone will generally be worth more than a lower quality but larger one.
Some gemstones are treated in different ways, such as with heat. This can have a significant effect on the overall value of the stone, often negative. You're going to sell a rare gemstone from a desirable geographical region that has not been treated for far more than a similar but less rare gemstone from a less desirable geographical region that has been treated, for example.
To understand the full value of what your stone is worth, you will want to get the gemstone appraised by a professional appraiser.
There is no standardized gemstone grading system. However, most gemologists use a system that marks whether a colored stone has inclusions that can be seen with the naked eye or is "eye-clean" and has no visible inclusions. Generally, inclusions will lower the value of a gem, but it can also depend on the particular type of gem being graded.
Is There Money In Selling Gemstones?
There is absolutely money to be made when you sell a gemstone. This is increasingly true as mined gems become increasingly rare and consumer tastes for newly mined diamonds have grown more negative over time.
As a result, many gemstone buyers turn to the resale market, driving up the prices of pre-owned gems. Precious gemstones like sapphires, emeralds and rubies also remain perennially popular and so can go for a lot of money when resold. Other gemstones can come in and out of fashion, driving their values up and down, as fashions and tastes change over time.
What Are The World's Most Valuable Gemstones?
- Blue Diamond - $3.93 million
- Jadeite - $3 million
- Pink Diamond - $1.19 million
- Ruby - $1.18 million
- Emerald - $305,000
- Alexandrite - $70,000
- Musgravite - $35,000
- Red Beryl - $10,000
- Black Opal - $9,500
- Tanzanite - $1,200
Obviously there is a world of difference between something like jadeite and a gemstone such as tanzanite. An important caveat, however, is that not all gemstones are created equal. The value of all of these gems per carat is going to vary extensively based on the four Cs of the particular stone.
How Much Can I Sell My Gemstone For?
As mentioned before, there are different factors that can play into how much a gemstone will sell for on the secondary market. Certainly those factors - color, size, clarity, and translucency, will play a major role. But there are other factors as well.
For example, how rare is the gemstone and what sort of setting does it have? Is the gem rare or is it commonly found? How are cultural tastes or even political winds affecting the overall market? Is the jewelry branded by a prestigious name like Tiffany?
One helpful action you can take before selling a stone is to have any of the original documentation that was issued during the original purchase of the piece. For example, this may include grading certificates, insurance appraisals, or certificates of provenance. You may be lacking all of these documents. If so, you might want to get it reappraised for insurance and find out from them what the current resale value may be.
Which Gemstones Can I Sell?
In general, you can sell any gemstones you like. However, some will be more valuable than others, and some places may only be interested in certain kinds of gems. But if one place isn’t willing to buy your stone, another store may be. Here are some of the most popular gemstones that people can sell:
Rubies
Rubies, those beautiful and deep red gems are always popular and the most valuable rubies can sell for as much as a million dollars per carat. With rubies, color is the most important factor when it comes to valuation. But while the depth of color is important, clarity also plays a major factor. The more transparent the stone, the more valuable it will be.
Emeralds
Emeralds are another one of the most popular gemstones in the buyer’s market. Like rubies, color is the most important factor in valuation when you go to selling a sapphire is its color. What you may not expect is that sapphires with a medium blue hue are actually more valuable those those of a dark navy color! Like rubies but unlike emeralds, inclusions are not great for the value of sapphires and so clarity is much more important here.
Alexandrite
Alexandrite’s value largely derives from its rarity in the market. But it also has a unique color-changing quality to it. Alexandrite is a form of chrysoberyl that is the third hardest of all gems, scoring an 8.5 on the hardness scale. Light and viewing angle can affect the colors that reflect, so it may look various shades of red, green and orange-yellow to the eye. When selling an alexandrite stone, color, rarity and source are all major factors.
While there are many other gemstones you can sell including onyx, topaz, tanzanite and bloodstone, rubies, sapphires, emeralds and alexandrite remain as some of the most popular and the likeliest to fetch you great value on the seller’s market.
Where Can I Sell A Gemstone?
Local Jewelers Near You & Consignment Stores
One option for selling gemstones is to offer them to a local retailer near you or on consignment. The retailer will pay you a percentage of the sales price when your gemstones sell. Unfortunately, you may only get a fraction of the price you would from selling by other means. Plus, consignment sales can take quite a long time.
Sell Gemstones at Auction
If the gemstone you are selling is large and of fine quality, especially if it is in a signed piece by a well-known brand, selling your gemstone at auction may be the best way to get a great price price for your item. In addition to global auction houses like Sotheby’s and Christie’s there are smaller houses like Bonhams, Heritage Auctions and local auction houses.
However, this process may only work for the highest end gemstones. Plus, it can take a painfully long time before you see your cash. So if your gemstone isn’t upper echelon or you’d like to see your investment pay off within a few weeks, this is probably not the right venue for you.
Selling Gemstones Through Classified Ads
You can also advertise your gemstone for sale on a local classified ad, either in print or online, through a newspaper or a site like Craigslist. Although this is a way some people sell gemstones and jewelry, it requires some extra caution:
SELLING YOUR GEMSTONES ONLINE
eBay
Today you have many options for selling gemstones online. Probably the most well-known website marketplace for selling used items is eBay.. With Ebay, you are responsible for listing the item, accepting bids, and shipping the item after sale.
Your gemstones will be next to a wide variety of items including many other gems. Trust between buyers and sellers is based on reviews: there isn’t anyone confirming that items are what you say they are and so buyers may consider the purchase risky and will pay less. So unless you have a long history of selling jewelry on eBay, the buyers probably won’t have much trust in your account and will be wary of paying too much.
Worthy
At Worthy, along with our experience in helping many thousands of people sell diamond engagement rings, selling wedding rings, and selling other diamond jewelry, we are also experts in helping people sell their gemstone jewelry. what buyers look for in gemstone jewelry in the resale market. In what follows, you will learn exactly how you can sell your gemstone on Worthy.com.
How To Sell Gemstones on Worthy
Here is how you can sell your gemstone on Worthy.com:
- Submit your gemstone jewelry by filling out the requested information on our online registration form. If your gem qualifies, we will send you a FedEx shipping label so you can send us your piece.
- Ship your gemstone to Worthy using the shipping label we provided. Shipping is fully paid for by Worthy and we insure your item so you can have piece of mind that you are covered and your jewel will arrive at our offices safely. \
- Set your reserve price which is the lowest price you are willing to accept for the online auction of your gem. Your free official diamond grading report provided by the Gemological Institute of America will help you better understand the full value of your gem on the resale market and set your reserve price accordingly.
- Watch the auction unfold and the bids from our network of professional gemstone buyers role in.
- Accept the high bid as long as it meets your reserve price or exceeds it. If the top bid is below your reserve price, you can decide whether to sell your gemstone or not. If not, we will ship your item back to you at no expense to you.
- Receive your money - within a few days, receive your money and spend (or save!) it as you please.
The process of selling your gems at Worthy is truly incredibly simple. And if you ever have any questions or need help, your dedicated client services rep will be able to assist you and answer all of your questions every step of the way.
SELL YOUR GEMSTONES WITH WORTHY
At Worthy, our expert buyers network, stellar customer service and amazingly easy process set the industry standard for reselling diamonds, jewelry and gemstones. On our innovative live online auction platform, our network of thousands of professional buyers around the world compete to buy your diamonds and jewelry at the highest price.
Because we receive a small percentage of the sales price, we are on your side: we profit only when you do too. Unlike jewelry buyers at local jewelry stores, pawnshops or privately who try to acquire your item for the lowest possible price, the more money you make, the more we make too. It’s a win-win situation for everyone.
If you are ready to sell your gemstones with Worthy, click on the button below and begin the submission process now.
Gemstones We Accept
Other Gemstones
Malachite Lapis Spinel Chrysoprase
Onyx Tsavorite
Topaz
Peridot Aquamarine Chrysoberyl
Bloodstone Pearls Tanzanite
Multi-Stone Padparadscha
Demantoid-Garnet Yellow-Sapphire
Pink-Sapphire Tourmaline
