Doris Hangartner invites readers of her Book for the Coffee Table Gem love letters To open it by chance and to draw on the colored stone that most resonates with them. Zurich -based gemmologist says it is interesting to see expressed or more preserved personalities of people with a charismatic morganite, a soothing lavender spinel, or a joyous pre -ciban tourmaline.
In this luxurious edition, released at the end of 2024, the jeweler worked with London photographer Leo Bieber to capture her wonderful collection, which goes from Peridot and Imperial Topaz to Garnet species. She says that each curated gem has an internal energy.
While Hangartner feels a deep emotional connection with vivid gems, she also looks at rare stones as a strategic financial investment. The daughter of an American nurse and a Swiss banker attributes this double approach to her family’s heritage. She was one of the early promoters of Paraiba Tourmalines, publishing a book on the topic, Paraiba simplyin 2021. Since then, Gem Neon Blue has become ubiquitous and prices have been raped.
Through its pearl portfolios, Hangartner works with clients to use precious stones for wealth storage. With the diamond market in unrest, only extraordinary stones in size and texture, especially color diamonds, remain desirable for investors. Meanwhile, the unresolved gems command at ever higher prices, as reflected by the auction results.
A client who values a gem beyond his financial potential increases its beauty and value, says Hangartner. “If a collector loves a precious stone and they are gemmologically healthy and wisely the price is good, then there is a harmony,” she says. “There will always be a value, and buyers, at one point, can drop the stone. If they don’t like stone and they buy it as a purely commercial investment, I think there is not so much flow.”
Gabriel Ammar, Vice President of Global Operations at Joseph Gad in New York, adopts a similar approach to high -value net -worth individuals who require his guidelines on the acquisition of extraordinary emeralds, sapphires and rubies. “I want (our customers) to buy something they will wear, not park it in the safe. When someone buys something to use, they eventually end up loving more, and they buy more in the long run,” he says.
In addition to acting as a majority of a wide range of high Joseph brands, Joseph Gad springs high quality stones in seven to eight figures for private collectors. Ammar advises his customers not to expect a quick profit from buying them. “(Buying color gems) is a long -term investment because these markets do not shift from day to day. It can be five, 10 years before you see a significant increase in value,” he says. “Precious stones are supposed to be collected, held and passed. They are things of beauty that when you see one, you don’t see another one that is exactly the same.”
For those looking to invest in color gems, Hangartner recommends making them 5 percent of a portfolio – gold at 10 percent. Jennifer Leitman Bailey, a gemmologist, jeweler evaluator and advisor to New York City, shows that the financial value of an article is determined by three key factors: market value, rarity and resale potential. Sentimentality, memories and personal connections promote emotional value.
“If you make the right purchases-choosing color stones, natural on treated, rare colors, considerable origin, eye cleaning clarity, precise cuts and of course, size-then emotional and financial values harmoniously match,” she says. She advises to look at the five-carat-plus range for a stone to be a more considerable financial investment. Ammar says collectors “don’t have to spend $ 20 million” to get a spectacular gem. “Beauty about gems is that there are beautiful stones at any point price. If one wants to spend $ 20,000, there will be a beautiful Colombian emerald that they can buy that will be of investment quality,” he says.
The true long -term value of a gem is when it enters the resale cycle. Jean Ghika, London -based jeweler’s global director of jewelery, says it is challenging to reconcile the emotional connection with the financial return. “(Jewels) are often signs of love, remembrance, celebration. These are very exciting objects. When you have to put pounds or dollars against that emotion, it’s a very difficult match,” she says.
A realistic and fair assessment can lead to disappointment and reassessment of sales. “In many cases, people find it very difficult to understand that there is no financial equivalent to their emotional value. In those cases, they decide that the emotional value is greater, and they keep the article,” Ghika says.
In contrast, some gems purchased for sentimental reasons may prove hot tickets in the second -hand market. Leitman Bailey, who worked in Christie before becoming an independent evaluator, evokes a client who bought important jewelery signed for his wife. Once after she passed away, he sold the collection, including an extraordinary 42.88-Karat Emerald from Harry Winston. It went under the hammer for over $ 1.3 million, almost double its low rating in 2014.
“The lesson is that (the collector) bought it wisely. Emerald was Colombian, with only little improvement of clarity, a large size, perfect color, excellent cuts and clear -clean clarity, among many other qualities. If he had kept it, he would have appreciated in value,” says Leitman Bailey.
