Out of all the gemstones, quartz is the most elusive and variable. However, we aim today to help you learn a bit about the colors, intricacies, and cuts and how you can get an idea of the value of a quartz gemstone.
Quartz clarity can earn it a raw price of a measly $0.01 per carat, and a typical gem price of 1 to 7 dollars per carat.
Amethyst and purple quartz can be the most valuable variety which can be as highly priced as $15 per carat, however, smokey, pink, and rose quartz are also more valuable.
The biggest impact on the price of quartz is the vibrant and unbroken specimens.
However, the price per carat that you will get can vary a great deal throughout time. You need to look out for many things, such as fractures and imitations, which can affect the overall cost of the gem. Consider these things when you appraise quartz.
Okay, But Is Quartz Actually Worth Anything At All?
As quartz is pretty much a common material now. It is used for many things which can span beyond the beauty and glamor of gemstones. As quartz is a common material, this is the first thing a person needs to consider when they enter the world of quartz gemstone.
Luckily, there is a pretty clear answer as to whether it is worth anything or not.
The answer is yes, quartz is common, however it is also a special mineral and does have some value. This does mean that you will not see prices rivaling diamonds, jade, or opal, but it is useful and very beautiful, so it does still have a fair price.
If you are not yet educated on the subject, outside of the gemstone market, quartz is still well known and is used a great deal.
It does also have electromagnetic properties that can make it well used in luxurious Swiss watches, and it is a bit of a buzzword which is well known in clocks and time-telling markets.
It is often known as being well used in watches and micromechanics.
Quartz as a silicon oxide is used in pretty much every high-end consumer based electronic as a semiconductor which is stable.
However, in the gemstone industry, quartz has a unique relationship with pricing which other gemstones lack.
When considering other gemstones, the labor used to polish, cut and manufacture the gemstone is only a fraction of how much the final product will cost, as the mineral that is produced is rarer.
But, for quartz, this is different: the labor to cut, polish and create the gemstone is a huge section of the end price.
We will talk about this a bit more later.
Value Of Quartz: The Varieties & Units
In order to dive into the value of all quartz and what makes the costs different, we need to look at the typical value for each kind. The values we will look at in a moment is for quartz which is cut and polished into a gemstone.
Gemstones also go through a long life cycle, so depending on if you find the stone, bought it, or if you have a display-case worthy stone, the price will change.
The price can also change depending on how the stone is cut on where it was found. These variations are something we will talk about in a moment.
Depending on the variety of quartz it will cost a different amount per carat. Let’s look at the cost per carat depending on quartz variety.
Rose quartz can cost around $2 to $4 per carat.
Milky quartz can cost $1 to $4 per carat.
Lemon quartz can cost $1.5 per carat.
Purple quartz can cost $7 to $15 per carat.
Smokey quartz can cost $3 to $5 per carat.
White quartz can cost $2 per carat.
Raw quartz can cost an average of $0.01 per carat.
Pink quartz can cost $6 to $12 per carat.
Green quartz can cost $1.5 per carat.
Clear quartz can cost $2 per carat.
To understand how much you could expect typical clear quartz to cost per weight, let’s look at the cost per weight variety.
Quality clear quartz can cost $10 per gram.
Quality clear quartz can cost $2 per carat.
Quality clear quartz can cost $4,571 per pound.
Quality clear quartz can cost $285 per ounce.
Purple is the most valuable of all, so let’s look for each worth per quartz type.
Pink
After purple quartz, pink is the most valuable. It has a light to clear pink color with dark freckles, and it will often be cut into cabochons. The price will vary and depends a lot on clarity.
Rose
Rose quartz is similar to pink in color, but it is different as it is usually cloudy and will not be cut into sharp shapes.
It is also more popular to be rounded and tumbles. Cloud minerals like such are most valuable when they are uniform, so look for imperfections in color variety which can push its price down
Smokey
Smoky quartz is valuable, and it can come in ranges of browns all worth equal value. It could be tan or black.
It is also often displayed in raw form.
Clear
Clear quartz is more rare than yellow quartz, but it is not as popular as other gemstones due to it being simple.
Green/Yellow Quartz
Green and yellow quartz come from the same minerals, they are most common and are cheapest. However, they can be sold as gems in jewelry.
Overall
Quartz is valuable in its own right, but there are so many different types of quartz and each has its own worth.
Quartz is also used in industries and tech, and therefore has uses beyond just being a gemstone, and can gain worth from this.
Hi, my name is Andrea Daehma and I have been collecting and using crystals in my everyday life for just over six years now.
I have my own collection of crystals gracing my house, several for every scenario I could think of.
Learning about crystals has truly changed my life, and I want to help others turn their life around too. Please enjoy my website and find your own small stone to begin your crystal journey with!
