Market
Where colour and clarity premiums still matter
Top colour and clarity grades carry their steepest premiums in natural stones; in lab-grown, high clarity is the norm, so cut and size decide value.
Imperial Star Gems trade desk1 min read
Top colour and clarity cost far more in natural stones than in lab-grown, so the best value sits in different grades for each.
- In natural stones, price climbs most steeply across the colourless grades, D to F, and at the highest clarities.
- Lab-grown production yields high clarity routinely: nearly nine in ten of our lab-grown stones grade VS1 or VVS2.
- Most of our lab-grown stock is fancy coloured; the stones on the colourless scale are all D to F.
In natural, G to H colour and an eye-clean VS2 to SI1 is where a budget goes furthest. In lab-grown, high grades come as standard, so choose on cut and size. The colour guide and clarity guide set out how each grade reads in practice.
Market commentary drawn from publicly available market data and trade reporting, not investment advice. Prices move; figures are indicative and correct as of the date above.