Like gold, silver, even property...are gemstones are good investment (long term) ? What specific gemstones and carat range ? What stones are better off for a beginner to buy first and hoard up ? I understand to make the real money I would need to buy direct from the source, eg: Tanzania, South America, Middle East, etc Any help appreciated. Cheers, HAPPY STACKING
NO! Gemstones as an investment are not a good idea. Especially if you have no experience. I have had no word of a lie 5 guys com into my shop since I opened it wanting to sell cut polished set and unset opals. All telling me how lovely they are. and how theirs are the best cause there from here not there. Opals are good for tourists even then they get ripped off, was in a shop once and the guy behind the counter was selling two ladies a 'gibson' opal. And if you need to look up what that means then I suggest you stay away from gem stoones and German silver. :lol: And certified diamonds are not worth it either.
Completely Agree.. Opals are stone cold.. ever since Japanese went off them in the mid 1990s *(just like Pearls) I personally like opals, but do not believe they are "Hot" or a "Good investment" I like Mali Garnet, Tanzanite, Padparadasha, zircon (+/ Anything that has been recently discovered and almost completely mined to exhaustion SCARCE, BEAUTIFUL and relatively cheap) Like Silver - Gems can be a good investment.. entirely depends which type you buy.. Engelhard 10oz bar vs Slabbed Graded Kooks or PM proof coins (lol) 1for1
Gemstones to me are a good Alternative investment but you must understand what your doing, they are not however a liquid investment. Ie if you need to sell them quickly for cash you will generally take a beating. If you have a quality or rare stone and get it for the right price then you can win. But as others have said, research, research and research some more. You can never stop learning as it is a constantly changing and developing. Unlike others I really like Opals (A bit biased) but definitely stay away from retail stores as you will lose 99.99% of the time if you buy there. However if you read and talk to people in the Opal industry you will see why a few of us still see value and potential in them! Lastly what to invest in, As 1 for 1 has said rare stones that are almost mined out or Quality popular stones will do well if you get them at the right price. There is no set ct range for all Gem stones for example Real Natural Padparadash are extremely difficult to get above 1 ct. (you will need lab cert to realize the value) and a natural Pink/Orange sapphire that looks like a Pad but not quite in the Pad category will be much cheaper. Where as Emeralds your looking for natural stones over 5cts. So overall Yes they can be a fantastic Investment if you know what your doing or they can be a horrible investment if you don't (Like just about anything in life unless you get lucky) Just keep Learning and save until you are ready to take the plunge
What Brisbanecoin said (all correct!) RE: Diamonds - actually if you get Odd ones (heavily included and unusual colours) then i think you stand to do really well.. but for the average investor.. there is no way to purchase these. Where to start? I say start at low quality.. heavily included (so you know they are real and they are cheap) .. work your way up to IF gems.. even the pros get confused with the high grade russia lab stones. Flawless gems are a dangerous game.. especially in my opinion diamonds as they are only semi-rare.. but all high end gems are vunerable to treating and being faked. 1for1
Gemstones can be a fabulous investment, however, you need to understand what you're buying. I will disagree with some of the other posters in that, I think there's money to be made on almost any type of gemstone (from Topaz to Tanzanite to Sapphire and Amethyst and everything in between), as long as your buy point is low enough and you have a market to sell it in. With the internet, the opportunities are limitless. What sells well here in the US may not sell in Australia and what sells very well in Australia, may not be hot here. Just do a lot of reading and ask lots of questions. Historically the average gemstone will increase in value 5--10% year over year. Obviously, if you buy a stone at wholesale or below wholesale, you chances at making money are even greater. Talk to Jewelers and see what they're buying. I started out simply buying loose stones and then started learning how to make simple jewelry to maximize profit. Also, keep in mind there are different levels (for lack of a better word) of stones. There are commercial grade, jewelry grade, investment grade. Also keep in mind that you may be able to sell a commercial grade stone much easier than an investment grade stone depending on the market you're selling in. One more thing to keep in mind. By and large this type of investment is a "buy and hold." If you're willing to purchase material on the low and hold it for several years before you sell, you will almost definately make money. Outside of buying material cheap, the next most important item will be having a market to sell the stones in. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. Thanks
Gem stones are very dangerous as an investimetn in more ways than one. Tsavorite Garnet, Tourmaline, Sapphire are among my favourites .................... and scarce/beautiful rarely goes hand in hand with relatively cheap.
loose gems are actualy a fairly good investment, ive invested in em for the last few years and have flipped em(with meat still on the bone for the next person) and made a decent chunk of money out of it. One of the best things to get though are emeralds(columbian idealy) since many new jewelers just coming out of college will snatch them up so they can put them into rings, necklaces,whatnot that they have made trying to make a name for themselves. the one warning i have for anyone getting into them is if your buying a loose gemstone make sure its certified! and dont over extend yourself on any one gem like i did recently. now i have to sell it for way less than what i got it for and take a huge loss. i paid 4500 and now i need to sell it. Not a mistake you want to make, i recommend for people just getting into it staying around 500$ max for the gems before you get used to how it all goes and before you can sell them regularly and know the values by heart.
A certification can make it easier to sell a gemstone, you still need to know how to identify it correctly. Specific gravity and RI index are the easiest way to confirm that it is the right gemstone. You also need to make sure that a certificate is actually worth the money spent for the gem (So you can recoup the cost) and use a reputable lab such as GIA or AGL or AIGS. While an Appraisal is one thing an actual lab report is something completely different (Just because they put laboratory in the name doesn't make them one) Also avoid Appraisals who are issued by the sellers, for example the above appraisal you have. While they advertise that they cost $65 if you send stones to them they only charge $5 for them in there ebay auctions; If a stone was really worth $700 why would they sell it for $12.99? (I know when I purchased from Skyjems the Appraisals were insane [that was about 10years ago] ) and the stone low grade although for the cost of cutting it was worth the few bucks I paid. However online others have stated that they don't always disclose treatment on stones such as glass filling rubies (Disclosed only as heated) and others see here: http://gemaddicts.com/forums/index.php?action=printpage;topic=976.0 Never go just by what a piece of paper tells you (Reputation and relationships are huge in the Gem business) WE have all made bad buys and have Gems that we regret buying, generally when we first start but why would you pay $4500 for an Amethyst that even on the appraisal states it is heat and irradiated treated? It's just clear/yellow/light green quartz that has been treated to look like Amethyst and possibly improved clarity. You can get natural stones at a fraction of that price! Like I said earlier Gems can be a great investment but you need to research and learn (although I am sure everybody in it has "paid" for some of there education with a bad buy or two but learn from our mistakes!)
