How Much Is a Gemstone-Enhanced Ring Worth?
At Specialty Metals Smelters and Refiners, we are in the business of making it as easy as possible for you to determine the value of precious metals and precious metal jewelry, be it karat gold, silver, platinum and even palladium and rhodium. If you send any item made of precious metals to us, our lab technicians can quickly determine what it is made of and tell you its value at current trading prices.
When it comes to appraising rings with gemstones mounted in them, however, the appraisal process becomes more complex. In most cases, our precious metal refiners will advise you to take your ring to one of the following before sending it to us for testing:
To the jeweler where you (or the prior owner) bought the ring
To a qualified jewelry appraiser (who will charge you to appraise the ring and give you an opinion of what it is worth)
To a well-established, reputable jeweler who can give you an opinion of what the ring is and what it is worth (this jeweler should not charge you for giving this opinion)
Why Are There So Many Variable Factors in Determining Value?
A lot of different factors need to be considered in establishing the value of a ring that has diamonds or other gemstones in it.
The Kind of Gems
Are there diamonds, rubies, emeralds, or some other kind?
The Size, Quality, and Number of Gems
Is there one big diamond in the center of the ring, for example? Is there one central gemstone that is surrounded by small diamonds? If so, how many? Or are the gems arranged in some other way?
The quality of the gems will also determine their value. As you probably know, diamonds are generally evaluated according to “The Four C’s,” which are carat weight, color, cut, and clarity. That way of evaluating diamonds, while often cited as “gospel,” will only get you so far in evaluating the diamonds that a ring contains. If the ring and the gemstones were created by an important jeweler 100 years ago, for example, the historical value of the ring could well outweigh the “Four C’s” considerations – and the ring could be worth more than what its specifications imply.
And what if the ring contains gems other than diamonds, like emeralds, opals, rubies, etc.? The more considerations there are, the more you will need to rely on a qualified jewelry appraiser.
The Metal the Ring Is Made Of
Is the ring made of platinum, gold, or some other metal? And if it is gold, what other factors come into play, such as the karat rating? And if the ring is made of colored gold, what other metals have been mixed with its gold to create white gold, yellow gold, rose gold, or gold of some other hue? Is there silver, zinc, copper, or something else?
Those are the questions that our expert precious metal consultants can answer for you.
How to Proceed with Evaluation
As we have noted in today’s post, a variety of factors impact on the value of a ring that contains gemstones. If you would like some guidance about what your first steps are in determining that value, give our experts a call at 800-426-2344.