# How much is a 1 carat emerald worth? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 21, 2001, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-a-1-carat-emerald-worth/77382 "2001-08-21T17:55:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JamesGrey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/258eb7/32.png) [@JamesGrey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JamesGrey)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2001, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-a-1-carat-emerald-worth/77382/1 "2001-08-21T17:55:39Z")
I just got one of those scratchcards. (you probably know the ones, you have to call a number at premium rate to claim a prize.) However all the possible prizes seem worth a lot more than the £5 it would cost, only I don’t know how much a 1 carat emerald is worth. Could someone with knowledge of gems tell me the rough value of a 1 carat Emerald as it seems to me that it _must_ be worth at least a fiver, but maybe I’m wrong. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2001, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-a-1-carat-emerald-worth/77382/2 "2001-08-21T18:01:20Z")
Gemstones vary wildly. Without inspecting the stone, no-one can help you. It might actually **not** be worth the fiver! Check the fine print too. It might enlighten you. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2001, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-a-1-carat-emerald-worth/77382/3 "2001-08-21T18:30:51Z")
**EJsGirl** is correct. Merely stating that you have a one carat emerald is not enough to put a value to it. Remember the 4 C’s: Cut Color Clarity Carat All of those in combination determine the fifth C…Cost. That said [this](http://jewelz.com/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/~ricksgem/discount.cgi?page=eme) site lists 100 carats worth of mixed emeralds (different sizes and so on) for $799 which would puts the per carat price at about $8. Today £5 equals about $7.25 US so that’s pretty close. So, you get more value than a fiver but remember if you tried to sell the emerald you’d wouldn’t get retail price for it. For example, your wife leaves you but she leaves her engagement ring with its $1,000 diamond in it behind. In no mood to keep looking at it you decide to sell it. You’d be lucky to get $600 for the diamond that cost you $1,000 (afterall…the person who buys it from you wants to resell it for a profit at $1,000 again). Your $8 emerald might get you $5 or less if you tried to sell it. So…I say take the cash. It looks like a better deal. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2001, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-a-1-carat-emerald-worth/77382/4 "2001-08-21T18:41:26Z")
After I said you can’t determine the value of an emerald just by the weight I go ahead and try and do so anyway. [This](http://www.cherrypicked.com/treasure/score.asp?item=1010) site has a 1.26 carat emerald for sale at $1,209 which puts the value near $960/carat (or about £663/carat). It just goes to show that weight doesn’t tell the whole story. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2001, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-a-1-carat-emerald-worth/77382/5 "2001-08-21T18:52:47Z")
I should have done this in my previous post but just to drive home that the weight alone isn’t a reliable guide to cost comes the following emerald from the same site I linked above. [This](http://www.cherrypicked.com/treasure/score.asp?item=757) emerald weighs in at 1.6 carats and costs $12,600 US or $7,875/carat (£5,434/carat). The difference in prices are all in the 4 C’s which determine the gems overall rarity and value. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2001, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-a-1-carat-emerald-worth/77382/6 "2001-08-21T19:18:25Z")
**Damn** , that’s a nice emerald! I wish I didn’t feel so guilty about buying them! Not that I’d be buying **that** one or anything… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![thinksnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thinksnow/32/2849_2.png) [@thinksnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thinksnow)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2001, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-a-1-carat-emerald-worth/77382/7 "2001-08-21T20:11:34Z")
…synthetic emeralds are fairly easy to make and [don’t](http://www.indygem.com/chatham-emerald.htm) [seem](http://www.geolite.com/emerald.htm) [to](http://www.gemstonepress.com/instruments/chelsfilt.htm) cost that much. And in case they try to pawn off an “Indian Emerald,” check [here](http://www.jewelrymall.com/stones/emerald.html) to see that you’re getting green-dyed quartz. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2001, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-a-1-carat-emerald-worth/77382/8 "2001-08-21T21:33:51Z")
Its probably a real emerald but a cloudy piece of crap. I have seen them. If you want a real one you can order one directly from the miners comp in South America, which might have an office in a US territory like Virgin Is.