Help with emerald pricing

[ociopia]

Help! I bought this 7.4 x 6.85 x 5.05 mm emerald, which came from the Columbian Muzo mines, on a trip to the Caribbean in 1992. I had it appraised in the states, had it custom set in this 22 carat gold setting, and then reappraised at $7000 (which I realize is inflated for insurance purposes.)

The emerald is under a carat, has gorgeous color and clarity. Can anyone give me an idea of what the current retail price would be? I''ll post a side view in the next post.

Thanks, Ociopia

 

[ociopia]

Here is a side view. Thanks for your help. Ociopia

 

[T L]

Unfortunately with emeralds, most of them are all about clarity treatments and fillers. They can take the cloudiest stones and really make them look much cleaner than they are, and this is done to 99.99999% of all emeralds on the market. It's so rare to find an emerald without treatment that there are actually companies that specialize in taking the fillers out of the stone for you.

The type of treatment that is most accepted in the trade is using an oil filler that can dry up over time. Many emeralds need to be re-oiled because of this.
The other treatments that more unscrupulous are filling with resin and even colored resins - which can enhance emerald color.

The only way to know what kind of treatment that has been used on your gem is to take it to a respectible gem lab to assess it for the treatment type. Therefore, there is really no way to tell you by picture alone how valuable your gem is. I wouldn't even trust an appraiser because they might not have the equipment necessary to evaluate the treatment properly. Unfortunately, although I love emeralds and it's one of my favorite gems, I do stay away because of the treatments. That is a beautiful ring I might add, and a nice protective setting for the emerald. Because emeralds are brittle due to the many fractures inside of them, bezel setting it in a soft metal is a great way to go. If you do take it to a lab, they might have to take the stone out of the setting to properly evaluate it though.

 

[coatimundi_org]

I''d have it reappraised by an independent appraiser--can give you the info you need.

 

[partgypsy]

I can''t help you with the appraisal but wanted to say thanks for posting. It is a beautiful, unusual ring, and I love the combination of high carat gold and emeralds, really a timeless look.