Aquamarine

Aquamarine Prices

Aquamarine stone value is majorly determined by its color. Origin, cut, clarity, carat weight and treatment are other factors that affect aquamarine’s overall cost. In India, aquamarine price per carat starts from ₹ 700 ($10.75) per carat and can go up to 15000 ($230) per carat and even above, depending upon the quality.

• Origin– Brazilian stones (especially the Santa Maria aquamarine gemstones) command a premium value because of its superior clarity and intense blue hue. Due to its decent clarity, Sri Lankan aquamarine commands a good price even though it possesses slightly greenish overtone.

• Color– Color plays a significant role in determining the aquamarine price. The word ‘Aquamarine’ means ‘water of the sea’ in Latin that beautifully depicts the relevance of its watery blue color. As per market trend, pure blue gemstones with fair color distribution are rare and therefore deserves a better price. Aquamarine value shifts down for paler stones with hints of green, grey or brown.

• Cut– Cut and shape also bear an influence on the overall value of aquamarine. Highly faceted aquamarine is always more expensive than oval and round due to the weight loss involved in the cutting process. Less transparent or cloudy aquamarines are usually polished and shaped as round or oval cabochons (A gemstone that is polished but not faceted is called cabochon) and are comparatively cheaper.

• Uniqueness– As discussed above, cabochons are generally cheaper than faceted aquamarines. However, the prices of certain aquamarine cabochons increase substantially if they display rare and natural phenomena called star like effect or cats eye effect due to the presence of microscopic rutile inclusions.

• Clarity– The best quality aquamarines are highly transparent and absolutely-free from eye visible inclusions. However, if present, it may appear like mica plates or milky clouds that usually hampers the clarity and luster creating a significant fall in Beruj stone price.

• Carat Weight– Unlike other gemstones, fine quality aquamarine crystals can be easily found in large sizes. However, it is comparatively difficult to find a small aquamarine gem in deep and evenly distributed color. Due to this reason, a superior quality aquamarine even in small size commands a decent value. Aquamarine price per carat gradually drops for gems above 25 carats as it is difficult to use them in jewelry.

• Treatment– The presence of excessive greenish tone in the blue aquamarine gemstone decreases its overall price. Dark greenish blue crystals of aquamarine are irradiated to achieve the pure blue hue and inflate the market value. But natural pure blue aquamarine is always more valuable than the treated stone of similar quality.