Quick Question..

[OUpearlgirl]

Ok, so, in my family when a girl turns 21 she gets a birthday gemstone ring. My older sister''s birthday is in January so she got a garnet. My birthday is in March so I will get an aquamarine. From my understanding and aquamarine is a bit more expensive than a garnet. I imagine my parents will try to spend about the same so I am guessing my stone will be a bit smaller than hers. She has about a 2.5 carat oval cut garnet. About what size can I expect? I know that this is difficult because it''s all guesswork. I just don''t want to be expecting something huge and end up with a tiny little dot! Thank you so much in advance!

 

[chrono]

This is a difficult question to answer. The price of a gemstone depends on many more variables than the size:
1. COLOUR is at the top of the equation. How blue? Is it saturated?
2. Size
3. Clarity - eye clean vs loupe clean
4. Treatment - has it been heat treated?
5. Cut and polish

In comparison, garnets are never treated. If the garnet has no brown undertones, it can be a more expensive stone. Ugly garnets are dirt cheap. So, as you can see, I don't even have a clear reference point to begin to guess its approximate value.

Was the garnet set? Can you describe the setting?

 

[OUpearlgirl]

I figured this might be a tough question to answer. I don't know any of the specs of my sister's stone. I do know that my mom has good taste and wouldn't waste her money on a big stone with a lot of inclusions or a bad cut. She knows enough about gemstones to not get ripped off. Oh well, I guess I will just have to be surprised! I really don't care what size it is, I am just curious. I know I will love it no matter how big, blue, or blingy it is!

And yes, the garnet is set in a simple white gold setting with a diamond on either side. I'd say the diamonds are about .1 carat or so- they are not big. My sister has more simple taste than me, so I also know that my setting could get more expensive than hers if my mom decides to do something a bit more girly for me.

Ahhh never mind. This may have been a stupid question!

 

[partgypsy]

I''m sorry I can''t answer your question, as aquamarine can be more, same or even less expensive than garnet depending on color, saturation, etc. However I do have to say that is a lovely tradition!

 

[Pandora II]

Depending on what sort of garnet it is, it could be easily as expensive as if not more than an aquamarine.

Dermantoid, Tsavorite and Spessartite to name just three, do not come cheap in good colour, cut etc.

The easier way to tell is to let us know what the budget is and we''ll have a better idea what it will buy.