Pyrope (Garnet)
Date - Pricing as of April 2008

Color: Red, red/black

Note: True quality Pyrope material is a medium red/red. Most common Pyrope Garnets are red/dark to red/black. The very dark saturated material has little value. The true red/red material is valuable and worth cutting, but it is difficult to find and most people probably have not seen it.

 

Rhodolite (Pyrope Garnet)

Color: Pink, pink/red, raspberry, purple, purple/red.

Note2: Rhodolite is graded as being in the Pyrope family. There are many names and descriptions for Rhodolite, most of the names are not accurate and just trade or sales names.

Here is how I describe the intermediate colors of Rhodolite... When you first look at a stone what is your first reaction? Pink? Bubble gum pink? Hot pink/purple? Generally your first reaction is the correct one.

Light Pink/purple - Umbalite, typically at least a 1/2 shade lighter then regular Rhodolite. Often several shades lighter.
Peach/pink - More peach than pink, 60% peach or more.
Pink/peach - More pink than peach, 60% pink or more.
Pink - Light to dark pink.
Raspberry - This material is nice and often layer shaped. Hot pink with some purple raspberry color.
Red/purple - Kangala is the classic color.
Light Red - Occasionally there are some pieces this color, they cut excellent stones, but this is generally not common.

Some times you will have a stone that you just cannot decide on and in a case like that I tend to decide towards the lower side, because I would rather under describe a stone than over describe one. People will decide what they like and want when they view the cut stone.

Note3: In both Pyrope and Rhodolite as the stones become larger, say over 2 or 3 carats, there is a significant value increase per carat for the stones. The lighter and brighter a stone the higher in the pricing scale the stone falls. Light pink, light red, to bright purple/pink/red brings the best price. Although the peach material can some times bring the same price depending on the stone.

Light (15% tone to 30%) - Light pink/red/purple to peach.
Comments - This material is one of the most valuable and I sell it faceted quite well, especially in large pieces when cut into a large interesting design that takes advantage of the color.
Pricing - I generally price this material $165/ct to $350/ct and a minimum of $150 for a small stone to cover the labor.

Light/Medium (30% tone to 45%) - Light/medium pink/red/purple to peach.
Comments - This material is valuable and to me probably the 2nd best range. I cut this material in what ever the best design and yield are.
Pricing - I generally price this material $190/ct to $450/ct and a minimum of $150 for a small stone to cover the labor.

Medium (45% tone to 65%) - Medium pink/red/purple to peach.
Comments - This material is the top quality classic Rhodolite, I cut it for shape and yield.
Pricing - I generally price this material $65/ct to $240/ct and a minimum of $150 for a small stone to cover the labor. Pyrope is generally the lower end of the price range.

Medium/Dark (65% tone to 85%) - Medium/dark red/peach.
Comments - I cut this material in the smaller to medium size ranges and typically use unique designs
Pricing - I generally price this material $65/ct to $125/ct and a minimum of $150 for a small stone to cover the labor. Pyrope is generally the lower end of the price range.

Dark (85% tone to 100%) - This material is around, usually very dark. I seldom cut any thing this dark.
Comments - This works in smaller stones, under 3 carats in the right designs.
Pricing - I generally price this material $35/ct to $90/ct and a minimum of $150 for a small stone to cover the labor. Pyrope is generally the lower end of the price range.

Special - As we all know as cutters some times a stone just comes out "special" for what ever reason. On these kinds of stones I basically price how ever I feel like. Because this stone comes under the "special" category I often do not care if I sell the stone or not. So I usually price it high enough that if I do sell it, I get a very good price. Enough to make me say "Oh well..." and sell it. So be aware that some times I just price a stone high because I do not care if I sell it. Ironically these stones usually sell the fastest...

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E-mail to inquire or order: jeff@faceters.com