Is there any market for Laghman Emerald.

[mfa476]

Hello,
Firstly I would like to thank the members for taking the time and educating me with Panjshir emeralds. I did not go ahead and cancelled the deal of buying the panjshir emeralds as I mentioned in my last post.

My question here is, there is a Laghman emerald up for grabs. its around 5.3 carat with 5 percent intrusions and is oil treated according to the lab report. Though it is not certified by a european or north american lab, instead a government authorized lab from Pakistan.

I am posting a few pictures (sent by the owner)and please guide me whether its a yay or nay. Is it even worth investing since this is the first time I ever heard of Laghman emerald? Considering what he is saying is true, is it worth it since he is asking for a handsome amount. The offer he has given me to pay the third of the price and get it certified in North America. If everything comes true I can pay the balance, else I lose a grand (will return the rest) and lose the stone as well. Please guide. Thanks

 

[Bron357]

Laghman emeralds are from Afghanistan, as far as I’m aware, people still prefer Coloumbian emeralds.
In relation to this particular emerald - it is very deep. This means a high proportion of its weight is underneath and not visible. People prefer the look to be “big”. It will be difficult to set, in a ring it will have to sit up very high off the hand and that’s not good, the ring might be inclined to “flop about” due to being top heavy and at such setting height the emerald more liable to be accidentally hit and possibly damaged.
Can a gem report identify origin? I don’t know regarding emeralds if their inclusions are sufficient / distinct to provide information to confirm origin. I don’t know if Laghman emeralds are worth a premium.
The seller will tell you anything to make a sale, that’s his vested interest, and he is probably extremely experienced. This is why I don’t think you should be trying to buy emeralds from other countries and people without a lot more experience and knowledge.
You can’t tell much about the emerald from few out of focus, random photos. I can even see in detail it’s cut, let alone its clarity. If I were buying emeralds I would either be wanting to examine them in person or be buying from a very reputable dealer. There are no “bargains” to be had these days, even the most remote native seller is fully aware of the value of their gems to “a foreigner” and charge accordingly.

 

[digdeep]

I would never buy anything that cost me a non refundable fee just to look at it.

 

[arglthesheep]

@mfa476
I think you tend to the risky transactions
Just be careful as the stone is not bad. Afghan emeralds in this size are far rarer then the colombian, as they work with explosive and scatter many crystals. But it is fairly included which should drop the price.
There also seems to be strong colorzoning (pic 2) which has to be checked, that it is not a glued or filled stone probably. If you do not know the seller, the price is very high, and you have bad feelings probably (otherwise you wouldn´t ask here) i wouldn´t buy it.
Just my 3 Cents...

 

[Heidi2101]

I would never buy anything that cost me a non refundable fee just to look at it.

Agree, I don’t know enough about stones to comment but that sounds risky and not in your favour as the buyer.

 

[chrono]

Another unknown is how heavily oiled is it? Minor, moderate, or heavily oiled? This affects pricing greatly.

Oiled with what as well. Coloured oil? Sometimes the oil is mixed with resin to reduce “leaking”.

 

[jewelsforalltosee]

A non refundable $1,000??? So you'd be out a grand if it's not what you think, which is far more likely than not...no thanks.

 

[mfa476]

https://www.pricescope.com/community/gallery/122482/

I appreciate the valuable response. I have tried attaching a video which was sent last night for your perusal.

 

[Bron357]

Hi again, the emerald is attractive and quite clean. However the hue and saturation seem light to me. This is a huge factor in the value of emerald. You need to be able to assess these factors very accurately or by a report to correctly establish market value. Without knowing the price the seller wants and what you want to do with the emerald, no one here can possibly advise.
Emeralds sell, in part, by weight, that stone is very deep so a higher proportion of its carat weight is beneath the girdle. This means face up, the visual size is small for its weight. It is also native cut, to be more commercially attractive it may require recutting. This is expensive and carat weight is lost. This increases your costs and gives you less emerald to sell.
Sell to who?
Unless you are a well established and well regarded vendor, who will want to purchase from you? If you have a pool of potential buyers, excellent, if not you are facing a very long and uphill battle to earn respect and trust. It takes years.
Have you costed your business model?
What is the differential between your purchase cost and proposed sale cost, factoring in the additional expenses of transport, insurance, possible recutting and loss of carat weight, marketing and holding costs, as well as taxes as applicable.
Without establishing all these parameters, who knows if you will make money, break even or lose out.

 

[foxinsox]

The offer he has given me to pay the third of the price and get it certified in North America. If everything comes true I can pay the balance, else I lose a grand (will return the rest) and lose the stone as well. Please guide. Thanks

So if it’s as good as he says it is, you pay the handsome amount he’s asking for and if it’s not, you pay him a grand for him doing you the favour of misrepresenting the emerald? That makes no sense. If he wants you to pay the handsome amount he’s asking for, he should be the one getting it certed. Otherwise you bear all the risk and he comes away with money for nothing.

 

[arkieb1]

Most Emeralds from that location (I say most not all) are paler than ideal colour, and I think they do add dyed oil to some of them. I buy from a number of gemstone vendors ones that actually are from or go into specific countries (admittedly not emeralds) that mine various gemstones and there isn't one I know that would send a stone without payment for it in full first unless they know the buyer really well. That in itself potentially rings alarm bells to me.

 

[mfa476]

Hi,
I appreciate the response. Thanks a bunch!!
They are asking for 15K British pounds.
It indeed is trivial and certainly I need a reputable lad report to ascertain as to how heavily the stone is treated. Hence for that reason I was thinking to take the risk of taking the stone getting it certified. If it all turned out well, then placing it in to a diamond ring for men. But the again I am planning to renegotiate and get the stone and in case of return save my grand.

 

[mfa476]

Hi again, the emerald is attractive and quite clean. However the hue and saturation seem light to me. This is a huge factor in the value of emerald. You need to be able to assess these factors very accurately or by a report to correctly establish market value. Without knowing the price the seller wants and what you want to do with the emerald, no one here can possibly advise.
Emeralds sell, in part, by weight, that stone is very deep so a higher proportion of its carat weight is beneath the girdle. This means face up, the visual size is small for its weight. It is also native cut, to be more commercially attractive it may require recutting. This is expensive and carat weight is lost. This increases your costs and gives you less emerald to sell.
Sell to who?
Unless you are a well established and well regarded vendor, who will want to purchase from you? If you have a pool of potential buyers, excellent, if not you are facing a very long and uphill battle to earn respect and trust. It takes years.
Have you costed your business model?
What is the differential between your purchase cost and proposed sale cost, factoring in the additional expenses of transport, insurance, possible recutting and loss of carat weight, marketing and holding costs, as well as taxes as applicable.
Without establishing all these parameters, who knows if you will make money, break even or lose out.

Your analysis are correct Bron. Now that I am looking at the stone after the comment, I have better knowledge of the stone. Thank you!

 

[mfa476]

@mfa476
I think you tend to the risky transactions
Just be careful as the stone is not bad. Afghan emeralds in this size are far rarer then the colombian, as they work with explosive and scatter many crystals. But it is fairly included which should drop the price.
There also seems to be strong colorzoning (pic 2) which has to be checked, that it is not a glued or filled stone probably. If you do not know the seller, the price is very high, and you have bad feelings probably (otherwise you wouldn´t ask here) i wouldn´t buy it.
Just my 3 Cents...

Hi arg, did you get the chance to see the vid. What do you think? Bron has analysed it and so has other members too. I have had valuable feedback. The local lab report says it is a natural beryl.

 

[arglthesheep]

Hi mfa476,
yes i saw it, but i am not convinced. The stone is not bad, and inclusions are ok with emeralds. But as Bron stated the cutting is very deep, which gives color probably but also the faceup is smaller. Which means, you could probably also buy a 3-4 ct stone with the nearly same optical result in a ring. Also to get this stone mounted in a ring could be more complicated when it is so deep.
I am not sure (the vid is not great), but in the end you can see some inclusions which go through the whole stone (left part of the stone). Can be fractures also. Not good to see in the video.
For me price is not fitting to quality and information (treated? and in what way?). If you want an emerald just from this origin, it will be not easy to find one.
IN search for a good stone where you want to invest a serious amount of money you need patience, if it is not your everyday business. Take your time compare stones, so you will be sure what you want or better what you dont want. dont jump on the first deal you see normally. A return with loosing one grand is also quite difficult thing.
Hope this helps...

 

[mfa476]

Hi mfa476,
yes i saw it, but i am not convinced. The stone is not bad, and inclusions are ok with emeralds. But as Bron stated the cutting is very deep, which gives color probably but also the faceup is smaller. Which means, you could probably also buy a 3-4 ct stone with the nearly same optical result in a ring. Also to get this stone mounted in a ring could be more complicated when it is so deep.
I am not sure (the vid is not great), but in the end you can see some inclusions which go through the whole stone (left part of the stone). Can be fractures also. Not good to see in the video.
For me price is not fitting to quality and information (treated? and in what way?). If you want an emerald just from this origin, it will be not easy to find one.
IN search for a good stone where you want to invest a serious amount of money you need patience, if it is not your everyday business. Take your time compare stones, so you will be sure what you want or better what you dont want. dont jump on the first deal you see normally. A return with loosing one grand is also quite difficult thing.
Hope this helps...

Thanks Arg! I appreciate the time you have taken to respond to my query. Since the time I have joined Pricescope and have started taking interest in gemstones, i feel there is so much to learn and I am a novice. Since I will be moving to Calgary, I will look for someone I can work for/with to get some experience. Thanks once again!