hello to all, this is my add in bit ...

the difference between paying market price  versus retail price for a gemstone.

well it does depend on the gem , starting with the basic or more common gems

topaz, amethyst, citrine, peridot, garnet , these gems are commonly known and almost everyone can identify them if they are seen, they are the more common in jewellery stores in the latest fashion jewellery,

when it comes to value a bigger gem is always a temptation, however ask most jewellers where the stone came from and they have no idea.

when it comes to price, there are many differing opinions on what is a good price, market price is what the gems are valued at at world market price, this changes all the time and there are many factors that can influence it,

the type, origin , colour and the rarity of the gem are several factors.

where is it from is it common ? garnet for example is a very common gem type but it is the nicely coloured ones that have the best value although most people only know the red variants, it actually comes in all colours from vivid green ( tsavorite) to vivid reds ( spessartite)  and a multitude of shades in between , there are also some variants that similar to alexandrite are colour chage, showing green to violet depending on how the light is refracted through the stone,

however the one colour it does not come in is blue .

there are many types the most popular in jewellery are the cheaper or more common varieties.

for those why are serious collectors there are many highly saught gems and a collector may have a broad range of the garnet family,

 my own personal collection has 19 varieties and colours  including - imperial garnet ( a lovely light pink orange )from afghanistan,  uvarovite ( from the ural mountains in russia) demantiod, umbalite, pyrope, grossular garnets -hessonite, tsavorite ( from kenya and madagasgar) rhodolite ( a variety of the pyrope garnet) , almandine, spessartite,

other gems such as topaz, most know this as a blue gemstone but it too comes in many colours , whites, greens, pink, champagne, as well as treated gems marketed under the "mystic topaz " name,

but with natural topaz gems the most common colour is yellow, the most valuable is pink, the yellow stones can be treated by heating to become pink, colourless or various other colours including green and blue,

peridot is a green stone that can be very dark or a lighter green depending on where it originates, there are many places it is found and it is the flawless gems that attract the highest prices,

amethyst and citrine also common in jewellery  are varieties of quartz,

it also comes in a variety of colours , colour can be enhanced by heating, it even changes heating amethyst can change it to citrine

amethyst can be white, light green violet pink or various shades of purple, citrine can be light greenish yellow to almost orange and colour is enanced or changed by heating,

pricing :

what constitues a good price - market price is the current price on the world market,

most gems are actually quite cheap, whereas the rarer varieties of gem can be expensive,

retailers in stores are out to get the maximum return on their often cheap investment,

market price is not retail price

here are a few exaples of market priced gems

the examples below are for excellent quality gemstones lesser quality gems are of course much cheaper:

Current  market value estimation

Specimen :  Topaz 10 x 8 mm octagon shape.

Weight : 4.05 ct

Colour : White ( colourless)

Clarity :  Eye clean VVS - VS

Cut : Excellent 

Shape : Octagon

Market price : USD$ 57.29

this gives the gem a market price of approx USD$14.00 per carat ,

the colour of the gem has an effect on price this same gem in different colours would be valued differently

examples  - medium to dark blue - USD$47.34 / $11.60ct   :  light blue  - USD$37.83 / $9.30ct , a pink stone USD$172.99 / $42.71 ct

other gem types

Amethyst :  medium purple, excellent cut vvs clarity oval shape 2 carat gemstone USD$46.29

price per carat other colours:  

dark purple (example uruguay amethyst):  USD$ 23.44

purple red :  USD$ 26.24

light purple violet : USD$11.06

very light purple (example rosa de france) : USD$ 6.07

Light Green : USD$ 14.03

citrine :(colour enhanced)

 : light medium yellow USD$ 6.44/ carat

 :medium yellow :USD$ 9.78 / carat

:yellow orange:USD$15.63 / carat

:strong orange (madeira)  USD$ 16.50 /carat

 Peridot : excellent cut  bright green colour  vvs clarity 1ct in size USD$40.68.

Peridot : rich green vs- si ( slight inclusion) 1 ct USD$38.76

Sapphire from USD$ 100 to $400 / carat

othr stones -

emeralds, depending on origin, market rates for a colombian emerald with light to moderate inclusion USD$300 / carat

rubies depending on origin and level of inclusion and colour from USD$60 / carat

 these are current world market prices for the above gems, but really are only a guide, price may rise or fall depending on other factors.

really it is a case of supply and demand, the harder a gem is to get the more people are prepared to pay to get it within reason,

when it comes to retail pricing it is whatever the retailer thinks people are preared to pay, when there is a sale on it is generally the item has been marked up substantially first an apparent discount is applied but in the end the item is really overpriced in the beginning so you are not getting a good deal.