Hello
Thanks in advance to anyone who might take the time to read this and provide an answer.
I am thinking of buying a piece of tanzanite jewelry for the OH and spotted this on Etsy.
I guess the quality of the stone is not that great in terms of color. However, I like that it’s quite generous in size and that the seller has provided clear images with the ring (a lot of online retailers have stock/edited photos etc).
The seller is not providing indications of carat weight or stone size. I *think* based on the stated diameter of 17mm and the photos that the stone might be about 12mm in length.
I was wondering if the asking price of 399 GBP (552 USD) is a fair market price or is it too steep?
The metal is 10ct gold and the weight is 3.2 grams.
https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/921720644/10ct-vintage-white-gold-tanzanite
Dear Tudor,
First of all, you are absolutely right about the color – it is quite far from great. It is rather easy to understand why they have used 10ct gold for this ring. I mean, 10ct gold is normally used for inexpensive jewelry with rather low-quality gemstones.
I have bought and sold may pieces of tanzanite jewelry in my life, and my estimate is that this ring’s true market value is around $200. I would never pay more than that for it. So, yes, $552 is rather steep.
Unfortunately, I haven’t been dealing with 10ct gold jewelry for some time now. Therefore, I cannot suggest you any alternatives right away. However, it might be a good idea to browse through eBay, for example. I’m absolutely sure you will find much better deals there in no time. Use the keywords “gold”, “ring”, “tanzanite”.
As a matter of fact, $552 would be an adequate price for a 14ct ring with a better-quality tanzanite.
It would be great if you could come back afterwards and tell us how did it go.
I hope this helps.
Best regards, Editor
Hello!
I bought alike ring on eBay about a year ago. If I remember correctly, I paid $240. $552 is an insane price for such a ring!
Freddie
Thanks a lot for the detailed response.
I had looked on ebay as well but I couldn’t find much that seemed at a reasonable price taking into account the metal and stone quality. Anything within a gold setting seems to have a very high premium, above the metal weight value (even for 9ct) and even for lower quality stones. Also for some ads I couldn’t be sure whether it might be CZ rather than tanzanite.
In the end I did not purchase the one on Etsy – and thanks again for the advice. I went with a smaller size one from an online jewelry retailer, but that seemed to offer better value. The recipient is quite happy with it and will continue to look out for pieces with larger and better quality stones.
I’ve seen your other posts regarding Catawiki (that’s how I found this wesbite!). Would you consider a good place to source jewelry/tanzanite?
Many thanks,
Tudor