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925 Silver Ring – 6.52 Ct Green Emerald – Catawiki. How much is it worth?
Hi! I don't know what it is, but it is for sure not an emerald. Emerald has totally different green tone. It is very unprofessional to sell it as an emerald ring. The buyer will have a very unpleasant surprise :( Regards, Freddie
Hi!
I don’t know what it is, but it is for sure not an emerald. Emerald has totally different green tone. It is very unprofessional to sell it as an emerald ring.
The buyer will have a very unpleasant surprise 🙁
Regards, Freddie
See lessWhat are Edison pearls? Are they expensive?
Hi! You are absolutely right, there has been a lot of fuss. Much more than it would be reasonable. I believe Edison pearls do not deserve that much attention. It's all about marketing. Quite often sellers describe Edison pearls as something very special and expensive. As a matter of fact, they are nRead more
Hi!
You are absolutely right, there has been a lot of fuss. Much more than it would be reasonable. I believe Edison pearls do not deserve that much attention. It’s all about marketing. Quite often sellers describe Edison pearls as something very special and expensive. As a matter of fact, they are not. Edison pearls are the same old freshwater pearls.
The difference is that traditionally freshwater pearls are tissue-nucleated. The problem with this approach is that oftentimes it leads to off-round and oval pearls. Edison pearls are bead-nucleated (just like South Sea and Tahitian pearls are). It means, they are nucleated with a perfectly round bead nucleus. This leads to round pearls. And round pearls, of course, are much more desirable in the jewelry industry than off-round and oval pearls.
However, it does not mean that Edison pearls are as desirable and expensive as South Sea or Tahitian pearls. They are not. Freshwater pearls, no matter how round and nice, are no match for South Sea and Tahitian pearls. I have seen Edison pearl necklaces with price tags as hefty as $1000. Like I said before, it is just marketing. A strand of really good-quality Edison pearls (round, 12-13 mm) costs around $150.
Regards, Anna
See lessHow much this ruby pendant is worth?
Hi! First of all, the item's listing is not entirely fair. It doesn't say a single word about the ruby's treatment. This ruby is what is known as lead glass-filled ruby (aka "composite ruby"). Thus, it is not really correct to state it is a natural ruby. Composite rubies are extremely cheap. This isRead more
Hi!
First of all, the item’s listing is not entirely fair. It doesn’t say a single word about the ruby’s treatment. This ruby is what is known as lead glass-filled ruby (aka “composite ruby”). Thus, it is not really correct to state it is a natural ruby.
Composite rubies are extremely cheap. This is the exact reason why such composite rubies are frequently mounted in silver settings and surrounded by cubic zirconia (abbreviation CZ). CZs are cheap synthetic stones.
This is a readily available Thai-made pendant, and its true market value is $20 to $30 only. Thus, the present bids are placed by bidders who lack the necessary knowledge.
Hope this helps!
Regards, Editor
See lessAdjustable necklace of polished emerald pearls. How much it is worth?
Dear Anastasya, I see that the winning bid is EUR 320 at the moment, and there is still a couple of hours to go. I hope you didn't bid on it. To cut the long story short, these are not emeralds. This is green color dyed beryl, and the true market value of this necklace is around $20. Similar necklacRead more
Dear Anastasya,
See lessI see that the winning bid is EUR 320 at the moment, and there is still a couple of hours to go. I hope you didn’t bid on it.
To cut the long story short, these are not emeralds. This is green color dyed beryl, and the true market value of this necklace is around $20.
Similar necklace has been discussed here some time ago.
You can read in more detail here: https://www.shopperlib.com/question/emerald-necklace-catawiki-auction/
Regards, Anna
American International Gemologists (AIG LABS) – are their certificates trustworthy?
Dear AndyB, As far as I know, there are several labs called American International Gemologists (A.I.G. Labs or AIG Labs). However, if you mean the one that is located at Newbury Park, California (e-mail: info@aiglabs.com), then the answer is no, they are not trustworthy. Their retail replacement valRead more
Dear AndyB,
See lessAs far as I know, there are several labs called American International Gemologists (A.I.G. Labs or AIG Labs). However, if you mean the one that is located at Newbury Park, California (e-mail: info@aiglabs.com), then the answer is no, they are not trustworthy.
Their retail replacement values are extremely inflated. They can easily be 10 or more times higher than the true market value. If their retail replacement value says the ring is worth $20000, you can be rather sure its true market value is $1000 to $2000.
They grade light green beryls as emeralds, notwithstanding the fact that GIA (one of the World’s leading authorities on gemstone identification) has previously identified it as green beryl (and they are aware of that!). Read more about this here: https://www.shopperlib.com/green-beryl-vs-emerald/
They grade diamonds 1 or 2 grades higher than their actual grade. For example, SI2 diamonds would be graded as VS1 or VS2, etc, etc, etc.
Thus, they serve businesses that want to rip you off.
Regards, Anna
Tanzanite ring – fake or real
Hi, Noni! No, I wouldn't be concerned that this might be a scam. You see, tanzanites are not very expensive. Therefore, there are not too many fake tanzanites around. Visual characteristics are definitive - it is natural tanzanite. It looks pretty nice. Far from perfect but nice. You should note thaRead more
Hi, Noni!
No, I wouldn’t be concerned that this might be a scam. You see, tanzanites are not very expensive. Therefore, there are not too many fake tanzanites around.
Visual characteristics are definitive – it is natural tanzanite. It looks pretty nice. Far from perfect but nice.
You should note that 1.5-carat tanzanite is really nothing special. This size would be something for a diamond but not for tanzanite. Loose tanzanite of this size and quality can be bought for under $100. Thus, the most expensive part here is the 18K ring setting, not tanzanite
So, you have no reason to get confused by this price. I’d say, it is reasonable, provided you like the ring and are buying it to wear.
However, if you are considering it as an investment (you mentioned “investment”), then there is really nothing to invest in.
Hope this helps!
Sincerely, Editor J
See less22 Ct Natural Blue Sapphire Bracelet. Etsy.com. Are these blue sapphires natural?
Dear Katherine, The seller is not disclosing all the relevant information here. Sadly, this happens all the time. As far as I can judge, these are cobalt-lead glass-filled sapphires or diffusion treated sapphires (in the best-case scenario). Both of the above treatment methods affect the price substRead more
Dear Katherine,
See lessThe seller is not disclosing all the relevant information here. Sadly, this happens all the time.
As far as I can judge, these are cobalt-lead glass-filled sapphires or diffusion treated sapphires (in the best-case scenario).
Both of the above treatment methods affect the price substantially.
£145.57 is not an adequate price for this bracelet. Its true market value is around $50. Try eBay.com or eBay.co.uk. There are numerous Thai manufacturers/sellers selling alike bracelets.
Sincerely, Anna
P.S. Just don’t go for the “buy it now” format. The price will be much lower at an auction.
925 Sterling silver bracelet with Sapphires on Etsy. Are these sapphires natural?
Dear Enigma, It really depends on what you mean by "natural sapphires". These are not man-made or synthetic sapphires. So, in that sense, you could say they are natural. However, they are treated. And by treated, I don't mean heated sapphires which is an industry-accepted treatment method. Most of tRead more
Dear Enigma,
It really depends on what you mean by “natural sapphires”. These are not man-made or synthetic sapphires. So, in that sense, you could say they are natural.
See lessHowever, they are treated. And by treated, I don’t mean heated sapphires which is an industry-accepted treatment method. Most of the sapphires on the market are heated.
These sapphires here, instead, are what is called cobalt-lead glass-filled sapphires. They are also called lead and cobalt glass filled sapphires, cobalt-doped glass-filled sapphires, or cobalt-doped composite sapphires. In essence, these are composite sapphires.
A very low-quality starting material is used – opaque, industrial-grade stones. It is then mixed with powders that contain lead and cobalt. This mixture is heated fusing the powders into a cobalt-lead glass that penetrates the fractures and cavities in the stone. Lead-cobalt glass can account for most of the stone’s weight.
Basically, the technology is pretty much the same as that used for the lead glass-filled rubies. The main difference is that for the cobalt-doped composite sapphires, as the name suggests, cobalt is used.
These composite sapphires have the same durability problems as lead glass-filled rubies do. And yes, they are almost worthless (just like lead glass-filled rubies).
£137.79 (ca. $179) is definitely not a good price for this bracelet. You can easily buy alike bracelets at a price around $40 – $60 on eBay (note: at auction, not “buy it now” format). So, this price here is 3 to 4 times higher than what would be reasonable for a composite sapphire bracelet.
You can read more about composite rubies (in order to better understand issues related to composite sapphires) here:
Rough Diamond Necklace, 16.31 cts on Abijoux. How much is it worth?
Dear Edgar, These rough diamonds aren't really worth much. Of course, rough diamonds can be very expensive but not in this case. You see, only the lowest-quality diamonds (so-called industrial grade diamonds) are used for making such necklaces. And industrial grade diamonds are very, very cheap. TheRead more
Dear Edgar,
These rough diamonds aren’t really worth much. Of course, rough diamonds can be very expensive but not in this case. You see, only the lowest-quality diamonds (so-called industrial grade diamonds) are used for making such necklaces. And industrial grade diamonds are very, very cheap.
See lessThey also do look rather ugly. I think it’s a bit strange to use them for making a necklace or any other piece of jewelry.
It doesn’t really matter whether it is 16, 20 or even 30 carats in this case. As I said before, they are extremely cheap. 250 for this necklace is a rip-off.
Rough diamond necklaces cost around $20 – $30. Here is the one I found on Etsy. You can find them even cheaper than this.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/616191957/raw-diamond-necklace-diamond-necklace
Rubies, Emeralds & Sapphires Earrings & Pendant. Seller TrulyVenusian on Etsy. Are these gemstones natural or not?
I find it somewhat strange that the description says nothing about the treatment method of the gemstones. Most of the gemstones are treated one way or another nowadays, and the treatment method can (and will) affect the price enormously. Of course, it could be that the seller just forgot to includeRead more
I find it somewhat strange that the description says nothing about the treatment method of the gemstones. Most of the gemstones are treated one way or another nowadays, and the treatment method can (and will) affect the price enormously. Of course, it could be that the seller just forgot to include this information. Nevertheless, it is very important. I would suggest you ask her.
See lessAnd yes, Cubic Zirconia is synthesized.