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What My Garnet Stone May Be Worth?
Joe recently reached out to Folkmarketgems via email with a question: “ What my garnet may be worth?”. This question is one of a common curiosity among customers who are usually eager to understand the value of the gemstones they own. Let’s try to understand Joe's query and explore how to determine the value of a natural garnet gemstone.
Garnet is a silicate mineral and has a long history since the Bronze Age. Garnet is a cubic stone with a versatility of colors such as green, orange, red and even color change garnets. Garnet value is determined by different factors such as its size, color, clarity, quality, types and market demand. Some garnets are rare also which make them unique and demanding gemstones. The garnet hardness is 6.5 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale. Its luster is vitreous and glassy. The refractive index of garnets is 1.71 to 1.89.
What are Types of Garnets Gemstone?
There are various varieties of garnets. Each has different characteristics. Value range of each type of garnet depends on different factors. First learn about types, here they are:- There are different types of garnets depending upon their composition. They are categorised into two main groups;
Aluminium Silicates
Calcium Silicates
Group 1_Aluminium Silicates:
Aluminium silicates have Aluminium as the base mineral. This group has the following species:
1. Pyrope Garnets: Pyrope contains magnesium along with aluminium. It is a vibrant red color garnet. Collectors admire it for its transparent surface and flawlessness. These are generally inexpensive. Its price ranges from $5 to $50 USD per carat.
2. Almandine Garnets: This is the most common type of garnet. Almandine garnet contains iron along with aluminium. It has a deep dark red color. These are not expensive as these are found commonly as compared to the other types. Its price ranges from $5 to $50 USD per carat.
3. Spessartine Garnets: Spessartine garnet contains manganese with aluminum. It has a bright orange color. These are pricey as compared to Pyrope and Almandine. Its price ranges from $50 to $400 USD per carat.
4. Rhodolite Garnets: This is a mixture of Pyrope and Almandine. This is called rhodolite garnet. It has purple, pink, and reddish hues. It is more expensive than Pyrope and Almandine. Its price ranges from $50 to $400 USD per carat.
Group 2 _ Calcium silicates:
Calcium silicates have Calcium as the base mineral. This group has 3 main species:
Uvarovite / Tsavorite Garnets: It contains Chromium alongside calcium. Its color ranges from light green to dark green. It is one of the rarest garnets and hence one of the most expensive one as well.
Grossular Garnets: It contains Aluminium along with calcium. It is colorless but due to impurities, it gets its color. It has various types such as Hessonite, Hydrogrossular, Tsavorite, and Mali.
Hessonite Garnets: Hessonite’s color ranges from orange to reddish-orange. It is not expensive as it is not too rare.
Hydrogrossular Garnets: It contains water droplets in its crystals. It can be found in yellow, green, orange, and brown colors. These are rare and expensive but not as expensive as Tsavorites.
Tsavorites Garnets: Tsavorite has a bright green color. It is the rarest garnet and hence the most expensive one. Its price ranges from $500 to $7000 USD per carat.
Mali Garnets: It is a mixture of Grossular and Andradite. Mali Garnets color ranges from green and yellow to orange, and brown. It is rare and quite expensive.
Andradite Garnets: It contains iron with calcium. It comes in different colors from black and brown to green and yellow. These are quite expensive. Andradite has various types such as Melanite, Demantoid, and Topazolite.
Melanite: It contains titanium and that’s why it's black in color. These are moderate in price.
Demantoid: It has a bright green color and is rare. It has a beautiful shine and is expensive compared to other commonly found garnets.
Topazolite: Topazolite has yellow hues. These are not rare like tsavorites but are still quite expensive.
Factors affecting the value of a garnet stone:
a- Color of the garnet:
The color of the crystal is a crucial factor in determining its worth. The brighter the color of the stone, the higher will be its value. Rare colors like bright green and yellow have higher prices than dull and commonly found colors.
b- Clarity and inclusions in the stone:
The worth of garnet depends upon its quality and the quality of the crystal comes from its clarity. The clearer a crystal is, the higher will be its value. Inclusion-free stones are given more value however sometimes the inclusion may add value to the crystal as they form unique structures in it. For example, a Tsavorite garnet with needle-like inclusions adds to its worth.
c- Facets in the stone in case of cut garnet stones:
Facets play a crucial role in determining its worth. More precise and accurate cuts would enhance the luster of the crystal and would add to its charm and hence increase its value.
d- Size of the stone:
The bigger the size of the crystal, the more will be worth. However, it not only depends on size but also on the quality, types, and clarity of the stone. For example, the value of Tsavorite is much higher and is found often in small sizes whereas Almandine is usually found in bigger sizes but is less pricey than Tsavorite.
e- Origin of the stone:
The origin of the stone also affects its value.
For example, Demantoid, Spessartine, and Topazolite are primarily found in Madagascar. Tsavorite is found in Kenya and Tanzania.
f- Markets trends:
The market trend also affects the value of the garnet. If the garnet stone is trendy and high in demand then its value would be high as compared to the days when its demand is relatively low in the market.
How to Determine Your Garnet’s Value?
Apart from above mentioned factors about determining the value of garnets, there are some following steps also which should be taken to evaluate and understand the value of garnet.
Ask any Gemologist or Professional Appraisal: A gemologist can better understand the value of garnet after analysing garnet cut, clarity and impurities. Gemologist opinion can be taken for getting value of a garnet.
Analyse the Market by comparing pricing: One can look around to see the value of garnets. You can visit physical gemstone stores to compare the pricing.
Online Platforms: You can visit popular ecommerce platforms such as auction websites, gemstone marketplace like Ebay or others. You can look around prices mentioned on these sites and compare them.
Determining Your Garnet’s Worth
If you want to know the value of your garnet it's better to show it to a professional gemologist as he can better identify its types, examine it properly, and measure its weight. This examination would determine the market value of your garnet stone.
Once examined by the expert, you can check the prices of similar size and quality stones online as well as in auctions.
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