Market
Grading fee increases are being passed through to buyers
Recent increases in grading fees at the major labs are showing up as a small but consistent addition to quoted prices, most noticeable on lower-value stones where the fee is a bigger share of the total.
Imperial Star Gems trade desk1 min read
Recent increases in grading fees at the major labs are showing up as a small but consistent addition to quoted prices, most visible on lower-value stones.
- Grading fees are typically charged per stone and scale only loosely with value, so a fee increase adds a bigger percentage to a small or lower-colour stone than to a large, high-value one.
- Sellers are passing the increase through directly rather than absorbing it, which shows up as quoted prices rising slightly even where underlying stone values haven't moved.
- The effect is more visible on natural melee and smaller lab-grown stones than at 1 ct and above, where the fee is a rounding error against the stone's price.
It's a small effect next to swings in the underlying stone market, but worth knowing about if a quote looks marginally higher than expected on a smaller stone with no other explanation. Our trade desk can break out grading and other fixed costs separately from stone price on any quote.
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.