Is my price for this garnet fair?

[GemstoneLiker]

Hi guys!
I'm trying to learn evaluating gemstones and I've come to a conclusion that this garnet may be worth 15$/carat based on it's size, good clarity but also very dark color.
It's 2.66ct
Name : Rhodolite Garnet
First two photos are made between my fingers, gems directed to the sky (between my fingers cuz it doesnt slip out as often when I do it this way)
And also the first two photos were made on a cloudy day without sun.
The last photo represents a highly modified image (but by myself, to capture the color correctly cuz my phone won't), under a white diffused light LED. IRL the red is much brighter, but when I lighten up the image the whole stone is lighter, so imagine just these red facets that shine being "Redder".
So, do You think it's worth 15$/ct? (40$ For the whole stone).

 

[Autumn in New England]

Hello - I'm sure it's worth at least that... probably a bit more. But what you're trying to do (a sort of crash course in gem value) is very difficult, especially at the lower end of the value spectrum. And this isn't the ideal way to do it, if you're serious about getting into collecting. Keep in mind we're a bunch of buyers and not sellers (although we have a few in the trade here... maybe they'll be along to assist further). Gem color/quality is very nuanced, and learning to decipher it takes time. It's a constant learning curve as a consumer, or at least it has been for me. Examining and comparing stones in person is the way to go in order to get a feel for the comparability of hue, tone, saturation, clarity, cut, etc. We tend to suggest visiting gem shows, if possible.

In any event, here is an example I found. Again, the two stones would need to be examined in person. You can never tell by photos alone. I hope this helps a little.

P.S. Did you have the post about the hessonite? I noticed it's been deleted, along with the other 5 threads you previously started. There's no need to do that. We typically leave them.

Rhodolite 8.6mm Trillion 2.61ct - 1M5KDA

Rhodolite 8.6mm Trillion 2.61ct. The gemstone was mined in Tanzania and cut in India.

www.jtv.com

 

[GemstoneLiker]

Hello - I'm sure it's worth at least that... probably a bit more. But what you're trying to do (a sort of crash course in gem value) is very difficult, especially at the lower end of the value spectrum. And this isn't the ideal way to do it, if you're serious about getting into collecting. Keep in mind we're a bunch of buyers and not sellers (although we have a few in the trade here... maybe they'll be along to assist further). Gem color/quality is very nuanced, and learning to decipher it takes time. It's a constant learning curve as a consumer, or at least it has been for me. Examining and comparing stones in person is the way to go in order to get a feel for the comparability of hue, tone, saturation, clarity, cut, etc. We tend to suggest visiting gem shows, if possible.

In any event, here is an example I found. Again, the two stones would need to be examined in person. You can never tell by photos alone. I hope this helps a little.

P.S. Did you have the post about the hessonite? I noticed it's been deleted, along with the other 5 threads you previously started. There's no need to do that. We typically leave them.

Rhodolite 8.6mm Trillion 2.61ct - 1M5KDA

Rhodolite 8.6mm Trillion 2.61ct. The gemstone was mined in Tanzania and cut in India.

www.jtv.com

Hi thanks for the response and the advice!

I know it takes pracitse to learn gemstone pricing, but I dont really have any shows nearby. I just asked cuz I thought that someone could share their mind, and not take it as a 100% correct evaluation lol.

As for the posts - someone reported me for Spam, and my account got banned... somehow. I love the moderation system... but I think it (the post) broke the TOS because I mentioned that I like (a certain place where You could aquire gems, I won't say it per-se so I won't have to write to a support team once more). And, after being banned -- > unbanned, all of my posts, even unrelated, 8 month old ones got deleted! I think that if an account ban results in all of the posts being deleted, there could be some human verification in between the report and the taken action, because auto-mod often makes mistakes (Unless they actually ban for reccomending a certain shop, which I think they could add warnings for and not ban right away)
Just so You know - I wouldn't delete them myself because maybe someone else who was looking for the info would find them useful.

 

[Autumn in New England]

Hi thanks for the response and the advice!

I know it takes pracitse to learn gemstone pricing, but I dont really have any shows nearby. I just asked cuz I thought that someone could share their mind, and not take it as a 100% correct evaluation lol.

As for the posts - someone reported me for Spam, and my account got banned... somehow. I love the moderation system... but I think it (the post) broke the TOS because I mentioned that I like (a certain place where You could aquire gems, I won't say it per-se so I won't have to write to a support team once more). And, after being banned -- > unbanned, all of my posts, even unrelated, 8 month old ones got deleted! I think that if an account ban results in all of the posts being deleted, there could be some human verification in between the report and the taken action, because auto-mod often makes mistakes (Unless they actually ban for reccomending a certain shop, which I think they could add warnings for and not ban right away)
Just so You know - I wouldn't delete them myself because maybe someone else who was looking for the info would find them useful.

Your account shouldn't be suspended for recommending a vendor... unless that vendor is you (no self-promotion). However, you can list as a private seller (not trade member) in the "pre-loved" section. Hope that helps clear things up. We suggest shops and items all the time here. It is allowed and even encouraged.

Good luck in your collecting journey! I hope it is a very rewarding experience for you, as it has been for me and other members!!

 

[toomuchB]

Hello - I'm sure it's worth at least that... probably a bit more. But what you're trying to do (a sort of crash course in gem value) is very difficult, especially at the lower end of the value spectrum. And this isn't the ideal way to do it, if you're serious about getting into collecting. Keep in mind we're a bunch of buyers and not sellers (although we have a few in the trade here... maybe they'll be along to assist further). Gem color/quality is very nuanced, and learning to decipher it takes time. It's a constant learning curve as a consumer, or at least it has been for me. Examining and comparing stones in person is the way to go in order to get a feel for the comparability of hue, tone, saturation, clarity, cut, etc. We tend to suggest visiting gem shows, if possible.

Agreed.

(I did not realize I wrote so much, sorry! It is unsolicited advice, so feel free to ignore)

OP, I will explain a bit of how I went about it maybe 10yrs ago when I was brand new, but not suggesting its the best/only right way. I had no access to gem shows. I will point out that I knew this would be a long term interest and something I wanted to spend a decent amount of time and money on in the future. Perhaps you have different goals and this is not the way for you.

I bought several 'learner stones' (spent around 500$ total) for analytical/educational purposes. I wanted to see some things irl that I was reading about here and other places online. Things that are hard to determine from discussions or images when you are new. For example:
-How does a brownish modifier actually look and affect a stone? so I got a very bright orange citrine vs a brownish one.
-Precision cut vs regular cut cut? I got a couple precision stones to compare to regular cuts.
-What do people mean when they say something is too dark/how to differentiate between darkness and saturation? I bought a few dark to medium stones in a similar color to help my eye understand this.
-What is too included for me, what does silk actually look like? I bought a couple stones with varying degrees of inclusions to see the effects irl.
Etc etc...
Because I knew these stones were not 'forever' stones, I stuck to small ones to keep costs low.

These learner stones were bought intentionally with a specific goal of understanding the commonly brought up issues/questions, to help me form a basic opinion and just know more about what people are talking about. This improved baseline helped me read online photos and understanding the quality features people talk about better. I am still learning of course.

At some point I felt like I was wasting money/being too trigger happy - those frequent 20, 30 dollar purchases add up. To counteract this habit, I started making a list of stones I would ideally like to purchase one day (I still have and edit this list!). Having this list of higher value gems I want one day helped me avoid spending more on cheap, fun learner stones because I was reminded of what I genuinely want. It was easy to get trapped in a cycle of buying inexpensive stones I don't really love, and I knew I needed to stop it.
I have sold almost all the learner stones mentioned, some at a loss and some I broke even.
I searched the clearance/cheapest dealers that were still legit - Litnon I think used to or still have a 'bargain' area, for example. A few ebay Thai dealers too, who may not be active anymore.

Excuse the ramble, of course you are free to ignore the above, it was the way I personally went about it and I think ended up being the right way for me

 

[GemstoneLiker]

Agreed.

(I did not realize I wrote so much, sorry!)

OP, I will explain a bit of how I went about it maybe 10yrs ago when I was brand new, but not suggesting its the best/only right way. I had no access to gem shows. I will point out that I knew this would be a long term interest and something I wanted to spend a decent amount of time and money on in the future, perhaps you have different goals and this is not the way for you.

I bought several 'learner stones' (spent around 500$ total) for analytical/educational purposes. I wanted to see some things irl that I was reading about here and other places online. Thing that are hard to determine from images when you are new. For example:
-How does a brownish modifier actually look and affect a stone? so I got a very bright orange citrine vs a brownish one.
-Precision cut vs regular cut? I got a couple precision stones to compare to regular cuts.
-What do people mean when they say something is too dark/how to differentiate between darkness and saturation? I bought a few deep to medium stones in 1 similar color to help my eye understand this.
-What is too included for me? I bought a couple stones with varying degrees of inclusions to see the effects irl.
Etc etc...
Because I knew these stones were not 'forever' stones I stuck to small ones to keep costs low.

These learner stones were bought intentionally with a specific goal of understanding the commonly brought up questions on gems, to help me form a basic opinion on what I like/what bothers me. This gave me a better baseline understanding that helped me improve reading online photos and understanding the quality features people talk about better. I am still learning of course.

At some point I felt like I was wasting money/being too trigger happy. Those frequent 20, 30 dollar purchases add up. To counteract this habit, I started making a list of stones I would ideally like to purchase one day (I still edit this list!). Having this list of higher value gems I want one day helped me avoid spending more on cheap, fun learner stones because I was reminded of what I genuinely want. It was easy to get trapped in a cycle of buying inexpensive stones I don't really love.
I have sold almost all the learner stones mentioned, some at a loss and some I broke even.
I searched the clearance/cheapest dealers that were still legit - Litnon I think used to or still have a 'bargain' area, for example. A few ebay Thai dealers too, who may not be active anymore.

Excuse the ramble, of course you are free to ignore the above, it was the way I personally went about it and I think ended up being the right way for me

First of all - no need to be sorry!
I'm surprised someone spends as much time on writing the responses as You, and most of the people on this forum! I think it's a very good thing!

As for the response itself - I did the same as You! It's as if my entire gemstone joruney was (almost) written in one reply lol. I also bought some learner stones ("some" is putting it mildly), and I broke some!

Maybe not with a hammer but on a kitchen stove lol (I tried DIY heat treating). People said it ain't possible to heat treat sapphires on a kitchen stove, but with mixed results I've done something!
(That decreased the value but still - I heat treated my gems at home!). At one point I was wrapping them up in alum foil (to limit oxygen) and it turned out to be a genius idea! Not so genius was to put them in a small ceramic pot (this pot was maybe 8cm in diameter, for some VERY small flowers or for DIY projects) and I just added some alcohol to the pot, then the gems and wrapped it all up... the gems cracked but the color has changed... to the better!

Anyways - I'm happy there are more people that like to try things out and not just expect to make a quick buck on gemstones dealing.
And also - I think this is definetly the way for me

 

[Autumn in New England]

Agreed.

(I did not realize I wrote so much, sorry!)

OP, I will explain a bit of how I went about it maybe 10yrs ago when I was brand new, but not suggesting its the best/only right way. I had no access to gem shows. I will point out that I knew this would be a long term interest and something I wanted to spend a decent amount of time and money on in the future. Perhaps you have different goals and this is not the way for you.

I bought several 'learner stones' (spent around 500$ total) for analytical/educational purposes. I wanted to see some things irl that I was reading about here and other places online. Thing that are hard to determine from discussions or images when you are new. For example:
-How does a brownish modifier actually look and affect a stone? so I got a very bright orange citrine vs a brownish one.
-Precision cut vs regular cut cut? I got a couple precision stones to compare to regular cuts.
-What do people mean when they say something is too dark/how to differentiate between darkness and saturation? I bought a few dark to medium stones in a similar color to help my eye understand this.
-What is too included for me, what does silk actually look like? I bought a couple stones with varying degrees of inclusions to see the effects irl.
Etc etc...
Because I knew these stones were not 'forever' stones, I stuck to small ones to keep costs low.

These learner stones were bought intentionally with a specific goal of understanding the commonly brought up issues/questions, to help me form a basic opinion and just know more about what people are talking about. This improved baseline helped me read online photos and understanding the quality features people talk about better. I am still learning of course.

At some point I felt like I was wasting money/being too trigger happy - those frequent 20, 30 dollar purchases add up. To counteract this habit, I started making a list of stones I would ideally like to purchase one day (I still have and edit this list!). Having this list of higher value gems I want one day helped me avoid spending more on cheap, fun learner stones because I was reminded of what I genuinely want. It was easy to get trapped in a cycle of buying inexpensive stones I don't really love, and I knew I needed to stop it.
I have sold almost all the learner stones mentioned, some at a loss and some I broke even.
I searched the clearance/cheapest dealers that were still legit - Litnon I think used to or still have a 'bargain' area, for example. A few ebay Thai dealers too, who may not be active anymore.

Excuse the ramble, of course you are free to ignore the above, it was the way I personally went about it and I think ended up being the right way for me

I love hearing collector backstories!!

 

[toomuchB]

First of all - no need to be sorry!
I'm surprised someone spends as much time on writing the responses as You, and most of the people on this forum! I think it's a very good thing!

As for the response itself - I did the same as You! It's as if my entire gemstone joruney was (almost) written in one reply lol. I also bought some learner stones ("some" is putting it mildly), and I broke some!

Maybe not with a hammer but on a kitchen stove lol (I tried DIY heat treating). People said it ain't possible to heat treat sapphires on a kitchen stove, but with mixed results I've done something!
(That decreased the value but still - I heat treated my gems at home!). At one point I was wrapping them up in alum foil (to limit oxygen) and it turned out to be a genius idea! Not so genius was to put them in a small ceramic pot (this pot was maybe 8cm in diameter, for some VERY small flowers or for DIY projects) and I just added some alcohol to the pot, then the gems and wrapped it all up... the gems cracked but the color has changed... to the better!

Anyways - I'm happy there are more people that like to try things out and not just expect to make a quick buck on gemstones dealing.
And also - I think this is definetly the way for me

Haha, well I have never done DIY experiments but if that brings you joy and it is what you seek, then more power to you. My experience was limited to improving my understanding of quality factors and gemstone discussions, so I can be a more educated buyer and figure out what I like - which I guess is a kind of experimentation too!

I love hearing collector backstories!!

PS saved me soooo much money, I got lucky to be exposed to the beautiful pieces here. Inspired me to break the learner-stone-buying habit before too much damage was done

 

[Autumn in New England]

PS saved me soooo much money, I got lucky to be exposed to the beautiful pieces here. Inspired me to break the learner-stone-buying habit before too much damage was done

Ayyy I have the most terrifying learner stone stories ever. lol I once bought "rainbow calcite." Need I say more?

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

Ayyy I have the most terrifying learner stone stories ever. lol I once bought "rainbow calcite." Need I say more?

At least you didn’t set your learner stones!!! That “pink” zircon of mine! Yikes!

 

[Autumn in New England]

At least you didn’t set your learner stones!!! That “pink” zircon of mine! Yikes!

At least yours was a real stone!!!!!!!!!!! It was "rainbow calsilica," BTW, which is even worse. I said calcite before.

 

[fredflintstone]

Hi guys!
I'm trying to learn evaluating gemstones and I've come to a conclusion that this garnet may be worth 15$/carat based on it's size, good clarity but also very dark color.
It's 2.66ct
Name : Rhodolite Garnet
First two photos are made between my fingers, gems directed to the sky (between my fingers cuz it doesnt slip out as often when I do it this way)
And also the first two photos were made on a cloudy day without sun.
The last photo represents a highly modified image (but by myself, to capture the color correctly cuz my phone won't), under a white diffused light LED. IRL the red is much brighter, but when I lighten up the image the whole stone is lighter, so imagine just these red facets that shine being "Redder".
So, do You think it's worth 15$/ct? (40$ For the whole stone).

$10 to $15 a carat is right, considering how dark it is.

You can also google similar garnets to see what they're asking.

 

[GemstoneLiker]

$10 to $15 a carat is right, considering how dark it is.

You can also google similar garnets to see what they're asking.

Thanks for the answer !
By googling similar garnets, I either see prices like 8$ on eBay, or 100$ on Etsy, so kinda harsh to figure out the price by that.
But someone told me, a mid rhodolite (either too dark, too pale or included, basically commercial quality) is worth around 10$/ct for under 1ct pieces, so that's why I've thought of 15$/ct (color isn't the best but size is okay).

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Ayyy I have the most terrifying learner stone stories ever. lol I once bought "rainbow calcite." Need I say more?

is that like 'Italian Larimar' ?
sigh
that would so not be legal here yet etsy allow it

 

[Autumn in New England]

is that like 'Italian Larimar' ?
sigh
that would so not be legal here yet etsy allow it

For years, the supplier (whose name has been lost to time, unfortunately) insisted it was earth-mined and was gatekeeping the mine in Mexico to prevent "exploitation." Have you ever heard of Jay King? He is sort of a self-described "gem guru" on one of the shopping networks. Even he fell for it and used to claim it was natural... I reckon he made a lot of money off that stone. So you know the supplier was making out like a bandit. Anyway, it's nothing but powdered calcium carbonate, literal craft paint, and paraffin. It was quite an elaborate hoax back in the early aughts. There should've been a class action suit, and I don't know why the supplier didn't go to jail.

 

[Bron357]

I’ve found that “surfing the internet” has vastly increased my knowledge base. There is a wealth of information available. My particular favourite rabbit hole is “inclusions” photographs. Lotus Gemology has a fabulous collection.
As far as gem prices go, I’ve learnt enough to know that there are many variables and all is not always what is seems. Aside from outright fake lab reports there is the photo manipulation which is disconcerting if you are on the receiving end.
That’s why here we always say ask for more photos and deal with vendors who have a return policy.
I have a stack of loose gems aka the gem haul but it’s the setting of any of them that has become so expensive. I admire people who plan and execute fabulous settings for their loose gemstones, most of mine has been consigned to the Lalique fish tank for display purposes.
My advice is enjoy the journey, be prepared to make mistakes but learn from them. My glorious Spessartite garnet, that’s not, is still loved albeit valueless!