Buy & Sell Gemstones

Gemstones, Precious & Semi-Precious Stones

At Gold & Co we do not only buy gold, silver and precious metals, with us you can also sell gemstones. Especially large colored stones are not only processed into jewelry, but also traded individually as an investment.

Gemstones consist of minerals that are mostly formed by geological processes: Under high pressure, vacuum, heat or radiation - for example, in the form of crystalline deposits of liquid magma. For their formation, a certain sequence of events is necessary, which create certain atomic bonds during the formation process, which then form in a certain space lattice.

Gemstones are those minerals that have a certain rarity, are characterized by a certain transparency, color and luster and have a certain degree of hardness. In general, a Mohs hardness greater than 7 is considered a so-called "gemstone hardness". However, not only such "genuine" gemstones were and are set as gemstones, but also minerals and crystals that do not meet these conditions.

Such beautiful looking stones and minerals, which are quite common on earth and are much softer, were therefore long called "semi-precious stones". In addition, materials such as amber, pearls, mother-of-pearl and coral were also used in jewelry making, which means that in gemology these are also counted as gemstones.

Carbon, Corundum, Beryl

Diamonds are generally counted among the most valuable gemstones. Diamonds are a crystalline special form of pure carbon, but occur more frequently than many other stones. Among the "kings of gemstones" are especially colored gemstones from the group of corundum & beryl.

Red corundum, better known as ruby, is often called the "stone of stones" and is considered one of the most sought-after colored stones. If corundums have a different color, they are traded as sapphires, which are also popular gemstones.

The fact that different varieties of one and the same mineral are known under different names is also evident in the case of beryl. Especially sought after is the green variety of beryl: the emerald - known for its intense bright green color. Other representatives of the beryl group are the blue aquamarine, the pink morganite, the yellow gold beryl or the colorless goshenite.

The value: what do gemstones cost?

Unlike gold, silver or other precious metals, there are no worldwide reference prices for gemstones. Each stone is a unique piece and therefore to be valued individually.

Therefore, for gemstones such as diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, etc., the price is primarily dependent on the 4 Cs:

• Carat(weight),
• Color(color)
• Clarity
• Cut(grinding)

The size, or rather the weight (carat) of a gemstone is always given in carats, whereby the metric carat corresponds exactly to 0.2 grams. In the case of weight specifications of individual stones, the carat weight is usually specified to the 2nd decimal place, i.e. to within two thousandths of a gram. The more carats a gemstone has, the more valuable the piece is. This is because large stones are naturally much rarer than small stones. The weight indication is also found in the designation as e.g. half carat or single carat.

Especially when evaluating colored stones, an important criterion is the color, which should be as close as possible to the ideal color and appear as uniform and homogeneous as possible. Depending on the type of gemstone, there are color variations that are particularly in demand. The "ideal" color of ruby is somewhat martially called "pigeon's blood red". With sapphires, orange variants with a pink overtone, known as "paparajah", achieve high prices.

In terms of clarity, a stone should be as flawless as possible, i.e. it should not have any visible surface blemishes or large inclusions. For the evaluation of the clarity there are standardized tables of gemmological institutes for classification. But only through a suitable cut (cut) gemstones unfold their full beauty. But cutting is more than just "bringing a stone into shape". The cut has a decisive influence on how the incident light is refracted by the stone and how color, brilliance and "fire" are revealed to the observer. Over time, technology but also changing fashions have always produced new cuts.

Gemstones for sale in Vienna

However, anyone wishing to sell gemstone and diamond jewelry today must be prepared for the fact that specialized gemstone dealers refuse to buy gemstones altogether, while jewelers and precious metal dealers pay little more than the material price of the gold or silver used when buying the gemstone jewelry. Because no matter how valuable a diamond ring may seem and no matter how expensive it may have been when purchased, if the piece of jewelry itself is not suitable for resale because, for example, the style does not fit in with the current fashion, the dealer can hardly sell on individual, small gemstones to jewelers.

Read here why buying gemstones is so difficult.

However, if you have gemstone jewelry with particularly large stones or even individual pieces, selling them can be quite profitable. Depending on the type, size and quality, gemstones can also be suitable as an investment opportunity. In order to be traded as an investment stone, however, an expert's opinion or a certificate or grading report from a renowned international gemmological institute is essential. Without such certificates, only significantly lower prices can be achieved with stones suitable for investment.

Buy gemstones in Vienna

If you want to buy gemstone jewelry, you will find a wide range of jewelry with diamonds, colored gemstones, pearls.... at numerous jewelers in Vienna. Old pieces and antique jewelry can also be found at selected antique dealers and specialty stores for antique jewelry.

Unlike gold and precious metals, gemstones as an investment object are certainly only something for absolute experts and professionals. Investment stones should only be purchased from specialized gemstone dealers or qualified precious metal dealers. In terms of resale value, gemstones purchased as an investment should be as large, flawless and untreated as possible. The purchase of investment stones without a certificate from a renowned institute such as GIA, Gübelin or SSEF should be avoided.

Gold & Co founder Walter Hell-Höflinger is a sworn and court certified expert for precious metals & jewels, European gemmologist as well as expert member of the Austrian Gemmological Society.