There is no single answer to what an emerald costs: two one-carat stones can differ tenfold and both be natural.
1. Colour drives most of the price Tone, saturation and evenness. A saturated 0.7 ct stone often costs more than a pale 1.5 ct one — save on weight, not on colour.
2. Clarity Inclusions are normal and called the garden. A flawless emerald is suspicious rather than desirable. What matters is how visible they are to the naked eye and whether fractures reach the surface.
3. Cut A poor cut kills colour and opens a window in the centre.
4. Weight is non-linear A 2 ct stone costs three to four times a 1 ct of the same quality, not twice. Two 0.5 ct stones in earrings cost far less than one 1 ct stone.
5. Origin Colombian stones command a premium, Zambian are often cleaner and cheaper, Brazilian and Afghan sit in between. Quality still outweighs origin.
6. Treatment Minor, moderate or significant oiling — the less oil, the higher the price.
The finished piece Stone plus metal by weight, plus labour, plus extras such as the report and rhodium plating. We fix the quote in writing before work starts.
Avoiding overpayment View in daylight, ask for an independent report and the treatment level, avoid round carat weights, and compare stones side by side rather than in photos.
Frequently asked questions
Why do two emeralds of equal weight cost differently?+
Colour first — saturation and tone create multiple differences — then clarity, cut, origin and the degree of oiling.