How Much Is Each Gemstone Worth?
Indicative per-carat price ranges for 16 popular gemstones — from everyday commercial stones to fine-quality gems — plus the factors that actually drive a gem's value.
These are estimate ranges, not appraisals. Real gemstone prices vary enormously with size, colour, clarity, cut, treatment and origin, and the market moves over time. Use these figures to set expectations — and always have any stone you plan to buy, sell or insure independently graded and appraised.
What gives a gemstone its value?
For coloured gemstones, the order of importance is different from diamonds. Colour comes first by a wide margin: a vivid, pure, well-saturated hue is worth far more than a pale, dark or muddy one of the same species. After colour come clarity, cut and carat — and then a second layer of factors, treatment, origin and rarity, that can multiply or divide the price several times over.
Colour first
For coloured stones this is the biggest lever. Hue, tone and saturation together decide most of the price — a vivid pigeon's-blood ruby dwarfs a brownish one.
Clarity, cut & carat
Cleaner stones, well-proportioned cuts and larger sizes all add value. Price per carat rises steeply with size because big clean crystals are disproportionately rare.
Treatment
Routine heating or oiling is accepted, but untreated stones cost more. Heavy treatments — glass-filling, dyeing, diffusion — sell for a fraction of natural.
Origin & rarity
Certain sources carry premiums — Kashmir sapphire, Burmese ruby, Colombian emerald. Scarce species (alexandrite, fine spinel, black opal) command more for the same look.
Diamonds are a special case: they are graded on a standardised scale by the four Cs — carat, colour, clarity and cut — rather than judged mainly on the richness of a single colour. If you are shopping for a diamond specifically, our diamond price calculator estimates a stone's value from its 4Cs, and the most expensive birthstones ranked shows where the rarest gems sit. Durability is a separate question — see the gemstone hardness chart for how well each gem stands up to everyday wear.
Gemstone price ranges (per carat)
Estimated per-carat ranges for commercial-grade versus fine-quality stones, with the single factor that most affects each gem's price. Fine, larger, certified stones can run higher still. Tap a gem name to open its full guide.
| Gemstone | Commercial $/ct | Fine $/ct | Main value driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ruby | $100–$1,000 | $10,000–$100,000+ | Colour above all — a vivid, slightly purplish "pigeon's blood" red commands the most; then clarity, size and origin (Burma). |
| Emerald | $100–$1,000 | $5,000–$50,000+ | A pure, saturated green is everything; then clarity, size and origin (Colombian Muzo green sits at the top). |
| Sapphire | $50–$800 | $2,000–$20,000+ | A vivid "cornflower" or royal blue tops the range; then clarity, size and origin (Kashmir and fine Burmese are the most prized). |
| Alexandrite | $500–$3,000 | $15,000–$70,000+ | A strong, clean colour change (green to red) and good size; natural Russian, Brazilian or Sri Lankan material is rarest. |
| Diamond | $1,500–$6,000 | $8,000–$30,000+ | The classic 4Cs — carat, colour, clarity and cut. Price rises sharply at the 1 ct and 2 ct thresholds; fancy colours (pink, blue) are a separate, far higher market. |
| Tanzanite | $100–$600 | $600–$1,500+ | Depth and saturation of the violet-blue; larger stones with intense colour are far rarer and pricier. |
| Aquamarine | $30–$150 | $200–$1,000+ | A deeper, more saturated blue (rather than pale or greenish) drives value; large clean stones command the top end. |
| Spinel | $100–$500 | $1,000–$5,000+ | Vivid red, hot pink and cobalt blue are most valued; clean, larger stones and certified Burmese origin command premiums. |
| Peridot | $20–$80 | $100–$450+ | A rich, pure lime-to-grass green with no brown; larger clean stones (especially from Pakistan) reach the top of the range. |
| Garnet | $20–$100 | $500–$5,000+ | Species and colour matter most: common red garnet is inexpensive, while green tsavorite and demantoid are rare and valuable. |
| Amethyst | $5–$30 | $20–$100+ | Depth and evenness of purple; deep "Siberian" grade with red and blue flashes commands the most. Abundant supply keeps prices modest. |
| Citrine | $5–$30 | $20–$80+ | A saturated golden-to-orange "Madeira" tone is most prized; clean, larger stones reach the top end. |
| Topaz | $10–$60 | $100–$1,000+ | Natural colour drives value: precious "imperial" orange-pink and natural pink top the range; blue is plentiful and cheap. |
| Opal | $10–$150 | $1,000–$10,000+ | Body tone and play-of-colour: black opal with vivid, broad colour flash is the most valuable; light/white opal much less. |
| Turquoise | $1–$10 | $50–$500+ | Even, intense sky-blue with little or no matrix; rare untreated, high-grade material (e.g. Sleeping Beauty, Persian) tops the range. |
| Pearl | — | — | Pearls are priced by the strand or piece, not per carat: lustre, surface, shape, size and type (Akoya, South Sea, Tahitian) set value. |
| Moonstone | $5–$30 | $50–$300+ | A strong blue sheen (adularescence) on a clean, near-colourless body; fine "blue moonstone" from Sri Lanka is the most prized. |
Estimate ranges only, not appraisals. Pearls are priced by the strand or piece, not per carat, so no per-carat figure is shown.
How much is each gemstone worth, gem by gem?
How much is a ruby worth?
A small, included, heated commercial ruby runs roughly $100–$1,000 per carat, but fine material climbs fast — vivid "pigeon's blood" red, eye-clean and over a carat, reaches $10,000–$100,000+ per carat, and certified untreated Burmese stones top the auction charts. The trap to avoid: lead-glass-filled rubies look rich and red but are heavily treated composites worth a tiny fraction of a natural ruby, so always insist on disclosure and, above a few hundred dollars, a lab report. More in the July birthstone guide to ruby.
How much is a sapphire worth?
Commercial blue sapphire sits around $50–$800 per carat, while fine vivid "cornflower" or royal blue stones run $2,000–$20,000+, and unheated Kashmir or Burmese material goes far higher. Colour and whether the stone has been heated matter most. The trap to avoid: diffusion-treated and synthetic sapphires can look superb for very little, so an untreated claim needs a reputable certificate to back it up. See the September birthstone guide to sapphire.
How much is an emerald worth?
Included, oiled commercial emeralds start near $100–$1,000 per carat, but a pure, saturated green with good clarity reaches $5,000–$50,000+, with fine Colombian stones at the top. Almost every emerald is oiled to improve clarity, which is normal in moderation. The trap to avoid: heavily fractured stones filled with green-tinted resin, or dyed beryl, sell as "emerald" but are worth far less — ask about the degree of treatment. Full detail in the May birthstone guide to emerald.
How much is amethyst worth?
Amethyst is one of the most affordable gems: commercial stones are about $5–$30 per carat, and even deep "Siberian" grade with red and blue flashes rarely passes $100 per carat. Large discoveries made it abundant, so price stays modest even at size. The trap to avoid: paying fine-gem prices for amethyst — its value comes from beauty, not rarity, and very cheap synthetic amethyst exists too. The February birthstone guide to amethyst covers colour grades.
How much is an opal worth?
Opal is priced by its play-of-colour, not strictly per carat: light and white opal can be $10–$150 per carat, while fine black opal with vivid, broad colour flash reaches $1,000–$10,000+. Body tone (black is rarest) and the brightness and pattern of the colour play drive value. The trap to avoid: doublets and triplets — thin slivers of opal glued to a backing — and dyed or treated material, which look like solid opal but are worth a fraction. Learn more in our guide to how valuable an opal is.
How much is a garnet worth?
It depends entirely on the species. Common red almandine and pyrope garnet are inexpensive at roughly $20–$100 per carat, but rare green garnets — tsavorite and demantoid — reach $500–$5,000+ and rival fine emerald. Garnet is almost always untreated, so colour is natural. The trap to avoid: assuming all garnet is cheap red stone; the green varieties are genuinely valuable, while red garnet should never carry a premium price. See the January birthstone guide to garnet.
How much is peridot worth?
Peridot is excellent value: commercial stones are about $20–$80 per carat, and even fine, rich lime-green Pakistani material tends to stay under $100–$450 per carat. It is typically untreated, so the colour you see is natural. The trap to avoid: brownish or yellowish stones, which are common and worth less — hold out for a clean, pure green without the brown, and check large clean stones for the doubling caused by its strong double refraction. The August birthstone guide to peridot has more.
How much is aquamarine worth?
Aquamarine runs about $30–$150 per carat for commercial stones, rising to $200–$1,000+ for a deep, saturated blue in a larger clean size — the prized "Santa Maria" tone sits at the top. Aquamarine is usually very clean, so colour depth is the main lever. The trap to avoid: paying a premium for pale, washed-out blue or greenish material; the value is in saturation, and most aquamarine is routinely heated to reach pure blue anyway. More in the March birthstone guide to aquamarine.
Buying smart: how to read a gemstone price
The biggest mistake is comparing prices without comparing quality. Two stones of the same species and carat weight can differ tenfold or more once you account for colour, clarity, cut, treatment and origin, so a headline per-carat figure means little on its own. For anything beyond a modest budget, ask exactly what the stone is, what has been done to it, and whether there is an independent lab report.
Remember too that retail price includes far more than the stone: the metal and setting, the jeweller's margin, and any treatment all sit on top of the loose-gem value. That is why a resale or insurance figure is usually well below what you paid. If a deal looks too good — a large, vivid, "clean" ruby or emerald for a bargain — assume heavy treatment or synthetic origin until a report proves otherwise.
Choosing a stone for a particular month? Browse the full birthstone chart, check durability on the gemstone hardness chart, and see where the priciest gems land in the most expensive birthstones ranked. For diamonds specifically, estimate a value with our diamond price calculator.