Why is amethyst less valuable than sapphires, diamonds or rubies?

Question

Why is amethyst less valuable than sapphires, diamonds or rubies?

Answer 1

It's twofold

1. Amethyst is quartz which is very common

2. Hardness, Diamond is the hardest known material, so it will last longer and keep it's clarity  

Answer 2

there is an abundance of it     the more rare the stone the more valuable

Answer 3

In the past, precious stones refered to Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire & Emerald. Semi-precious refered to all other gemstones. Although these terms are still used by consumers and some jewelers, Gemologists do not differentiate gemstones along the "precious" "semi-precious" line because it is grossly inaccurate.

For instance, tourmalines are usually considered "semi-precious". However, a fine Paraiba tourmaline is more expensive than many rubies and sapphires. In this day and age, the "precious" "semi-precious" classification is meaningless.

To answer your question: There is no difference. ALL gemstones are precious. Amethyst is generally more expensive than blue Topaz because of a higher market demand for it. Both are not particularly rare, although Amethyst is possibly the rarer material.

Prices differ because of a variety of factors. For instance, rarity, market demand, marketing, treatments available and accepted, fashion etc.

Rarity on its own does not guarantee that a gemstone will be more expensive. Market demand is equally important. Have you heard of Painite? Taafeite? Will you pay "big money" for them? The answer is probably "No". The reason is not only because they are rare and are not available in large/commercial quantities, but also because the market doesn't know them and therefore there is low demand for them.

Hope that helps!

Answer 4

There are two reasons:

1: Rarity.  Compared to the more valuable gemstones, amethyst is quite common

2:  Lustre.  The traditional 'precious' gemstones have a much higher 'sparkle' to them.  this is due to their crystal structure, especially so because they have a high refractive index (diamond has the highest refractive index of any gemstone, which gives it its brilliance; especially when cut into facets).  Amethyst just doesn't have the same sparkle; no matter how it is cut.