How can we know the value of any jewelry? This must be the first question you ask yourself when you purchase a piece of jewelry. The most important part of the jewelry is the Gems. So if we know how to evaluate the value of the gem, then we can more or less evaluate the value of the jewelry. Of course the best way is to take it to an appraisal company or a laboratory. But if you like to distinguish between the qualities of the gems by you, here is a crash course!
The 4 C’s can evaluate the value of a gem COLOR, CLARITY , CUT and CARAT WEIGHT, and exactly in that order. Let’s go through each one and learn how this will help us.
- Color: Color is typically the most important factor for gemstones. All gems have a preferred color or a small range of preferred colors. The more the color varies from this range — lighter or darker, more vivid or less — the less valuable the stone will be.
- Clarity: if we use a loupe to our gems we will see some lines, which is called “inclusions” the less of inclusions in the gem, the better the clarity and value of the gem is. Most gems have natural inclusions and that is what makes the gem organic and natural. We prefer to have a gem that is eye clean, which means when you look at it with a naked eye; you should not see any inclusions. But we should keep in mind that this depends on which gem we are referring to, as Sometimes the inclusions are needed to make a phenomenon.
- Cut: Gemstones are cut into shapes we are familiar with such as oval, emerald, pear, round, and marquise. Every cut gives a different value to the gem, because of the loss of rough during the cutting of rough to the gem. Every cut has a different yield from the rough, which means how much lost there will be after cutting so the loss of rough can make a different in the value of the gem.
- Carat Weight: The size of a gemstone is measured, not by its dimensions, but by weight. One carat, the traditional unit of measurement for gemstones, is equal to approximately 0.2 grams. Up to a certain point, the larger a stone is, the rarer it is and the higher the price will be. Gemstones dimensions are given in millimeters for describing the size and shape of a stone.
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