• Topaz
in small sizes is quite easy to obtain, but as the
sizes increase so does the gemstones
scarcity.
• This has a logarithmic effect on the price, which
is not in proportion or relative to the prices of
the smaller sizes. For example, if you paid $25 for
a 1 ‘Carat’ Brazilian Topaz
you won’t be paying $100 for a 4 ‘Carat’ Brazilian
Topaz:
You’ll probably be paying $2-300 as the prices go
up according to the scarcity of the gemstone in large
sizes.
• If you do your shopping wisely then the $2-300
that you could spend on a 4 ‘Carat’ Brazilian Topaz
could buy you as much as eight or nine 1 ‘Carat’ Brazilian
Topazes,
or four or five 2 ‘Carat’ of Brazilian Topazes.
• Another little tip is that when a gemstone hits
the ‘Carat’ marker its price increases considerably.
So, if you buy a gemstone that’s a little below the
‘Carat’ mark, say 0.95 or 1.95 etc. you’ll be making
a nice little saving. The reason for this is that
prices increase in a steep curve, see the diagram
below for the general idea.
• Be warned, the gem dealers and
cutters are well aware of this little trick, and they
will try to cut as closely as possible to the ‘Carat’
mark in order to get a better price. In addition,
the downside to this strategy is that the cutters
will not optimize the cut to give the gemstone the
best symmetry and brilliance, but instead focus on
the weight keeping the amount of cutting down and
the price up.