Do you want to make some extra money by investing in jewellery, or do you just want to make sure that when you do make that once-in-a-lifetime buy that you are spending your hard earned cash wisely? The gemstone market can be a maze to navigate as a beginner with many an unscrupulous dealer ready to make a quick buck. And, often, while certain jewellery might look beautiful, the stones included therein are only as valuable as the modern market and fashions.
Looking for gems that will stand the test of time, here are a few you should consider when building your collection:
Rubies
Rubies are one of the safest bets when it comes to gemstone investments. Rubies hold their value much better than diamonds, and they are only becoming rarer and rarer. While the design of an antique piece of jewellery with a ruby in it will contribute to the value, colour is the most important consideration when buying jewellery with a ruby in it. Bright red rubies are amongst the most valuable.
Emeralds
Although the emerald market has seen its fair share of ups and downs, these stones are a traditional investment. Bright green emeralds are the most desired, although it is becoming more and more challenging to find emerald jewellery of a high-quality. So if you do find one of good-quality you are assured a decent investment, but be sure to buy stones that haven’t been treated to improve clarity.
Sapphire
Blue sapphires are still one of the most popular stone choices of jewellery investors, however different coloured sapphires are growing in popularity as well. This includes green, pink, purple and even orange stones. No matter which colour sapphire you choice it’s important to opt for one with a darker, even tone throughout.
Tanzanite
Due to the fact that Tanzanite is only mined in one location in the world, in an area that spans just six square kilometres, this gem is becoming increasingly more valuable. It is likely that prices of Tanzanite will only spike in the coming years as this resource becomes more and more depleted, especially as the Asian market has seen increased purchases of this valuable stone.
Coloured Diamonds
Due to their rarity, coloured diamonds hold more value than their clear counterparts. As these stones are also favoured by celebrities, jewellery featuring coloured diamonds does well at auctions, particularly if you can prove it was owned by someone particularly famous. Red diamonds are the most valuable colour variant, followed by yellow diamonds.
Spinels
Spinels have seen exponential growth in recent years due to the multitude of candy-coloured variants available. This makes them a popular choice for fashion jewellery. One thing many people don’t know is that pure spinel is actually colourless and it is impurities in the stone that actually give it the colour. As with many other precious stones, red is the most valuable variant of spinel, with pink and orange also being good colour options for jewellery if you are looking for a decent investment.
