How to price a sapphire
· GemColony
Colour comes first
For blue sapphire, a vivid, well-saturated blue that is neither too dark nor too pale commands the most. Fancy colours and padparadscha, a pinkish-orange stone, are priced on their own scales.
Size, clarity and cut
Price per carat generally rises with size, because large fine stones are scarce. Clarity matters less for sapphire than for diamond, but visible inclusions and windowing reduce value. A well-proportioned cut that shows the colour evenly is worth paying for.
Origin and treatment
Stones from classic sources such as Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Kashmir can carry a premium when the origin is confirmed by a laboratory. Unheated stones are priced above heated stones of the same look.
Keeping prices consistent
Record your cost, your target margin and the price per carat for each stone, and review them against recent sales. Software helps because every sale, memo and quotation sits against the stone, so you can see what similar stones actually sold for.