Selling an emerald
Sell your emerald without losing a large share to the spread
An emerald is priced on details a buyer can't see without paperwork: how much oil or resin is in it, and where it came from. Document both, sell the stone to a buyer who has passed KYC, and settle safely through Everystone, for a 0–5% commission instead of a cash buyer's discount.
IllustrationWhat sets the price
What a buyer pays for in an emerald
Five things decide most of the price. A fair offer accounts for all of them; a low one usually prices in doubt about one of them.
Color
Emeralds are priced on a pure, saturated green to slightly bluish green, with enough transparency to glow. Too light, and some labs will call the stone green beryl rather than emerald; too dark, and it loses life.
Clarity enhancement
Nearly every emerald has been filled with oil or resin to make fractures less visible. Reports usually grade how much (none, minor, moderate, significant), and that grade moves the price as much as anything. An emerald with no enhancement is rare and priced accordingly.
Origin
Colombia (Muzo, Chivor, Coscuez) carries the traditional premium. Zambia, Brazil and Afghanistan's Panjshir valley produce fine emeralds of their own character. Origin moves the price only when a report states it.
The lab report
For emerald, the report's date matters as much as its lab. Oil can dry out or seep, and a stone re-oiled before a sale can look better than it is, so a buyer of a fine emerald asks for a recent report.
Clarity and size
Inclusions are expected (the trade calls them the jardin, the garden), but fractures that reach the surface weaken the stone and the price. Fine emeralds above a few carats are rare.
Before you sell
Look after a filled emerald
Fillers are part of almost every emerald, and they are not all alike. Oils are traditional and can be removed or renewed; resins last longer but are harder to take out. A report names the type when the lab can tell, and buyers price the two differently.
Keep a filled emerald away from ultrasonic cleaners, steam and heat, which can drive the filler out and make fractures visible. And don't have it re-oiled just before a sale without saying so: a buyer's lab will see the filler and grade it, and a result that doesn't match what you disclosed ends the deal.
The spread
Why the first cash offer is below what a buyer would pay
A dealer who buys your emerald for cash is buying risk as well as a stone. They don't know how long it will take to resell, their money is tied up until then, and without a recent lab report they must allow for the chance that the treatment or origin is not what you were told. The discount that covers all of that is the spread.
Auctions are not much kinder. At the major auction houses, as of October 2026, the seller's standard commission is about 10% and the buyer pays a 28% premium on top of the hammer price up to $2 million; what a buyer pays in premium comes out of what they are willing to bid.
Much of the spread is the price of doubt. A stone whose report has been checked against the lab's records, whose treatment is stated plainly, sold to a buyer whose money is held until they confirm, leaves far less room for it.
Selling through Everystone
How your emerald gets from the drawer to a buyer
Everystone does not buy stones. We check the stone and its paperwork, put it in front of buyers and settle the sale safely.
Illustration- 01
Tell the desk what you have
The stone, its report if there is one, and where it is now. The desk comes back within one business day with the route that fits its value.
- 02
Check the stone and its paper
The report is cross-checked against the lab's own records. If you want a passport, the stone itself is inspected against the report: $750 once per stone, optional at any price.
- 03
Put it in front of buyers
Privately through the sale-desk, or on the open shop: listed from your cabinet, or through a vetted dealer. Every buyer passes an identity check (KYC), and you are paid only after the buyer confirms the stone.
- 04
Protected payment, then payout
The buyer pays, and the money is held. When they confirm the stone, it is released to you: in full below $10k while we launch, less a 5% commission from $10k.
What it costs
What you pay, and when
A Registry record: free
For an individual owner: the stone's certificate cross-checked against the lab's records, with a QR page. A sensible first step at any value.
Listing it for sale: $20/month
You list the stone from your cabinet and pay the account when you list it; the desk confirms the payment and reviews the lot before it goes live. A lot is not published without it, and it is hidden again if the month lapses.
A passport, if you want one: $750
Optional at any price, once per stone: the stone inspected against its report, and a passport stating that this paper describes this stone. Order it to sell faster; otherwise a buyer can.
Commission on a sale: 0–5%
None below $10k while we launch: the buyer's premium pays our fee. 5% from $10k, charged only when the stone sells. The buyer pays their own premium (3–7% by deal value) and the settlement fee.
Custody from $30k: 3.5% a year
Optional, after a one-time custody onboarding: a free-zone vault in Bangkok, insurance at documented value, and a sale that never moves the stone.
Questions people ask
Does oil in my emerald lower its value?
Some enhancement is normal, and buyers expect it. What matters is how much: a report grading it as minor supports a much better price than moderate or significant. An emerald with no enhancement at all is rare and sells at a premium.
Should I re-oil my emerald before selling it?
Not without telling the buyer. A buyer's lab will detect the filler and grade how much there is, and a treatment nobody mentioned is the fastest way to lose a sale. If you think the stone needs work, ask the desk before you do anything.
Does Everystone buy emeralds?
No. Everystone holds no stock and buys nothing on its own account. We check the stone and its paperwork, bring buyers and settle the sale safely. If you need cash today, a dealer will pay it, at the spread described on this page.
Can I list it on the shop myself?
Yes. Open the stone in your cabinet, choose "Sell this stone", set your price and pay the $20/month account; the desk confirms the payment and reviews the lot before it goes live. You can also sell through a vetted dealer. Either way the deal settles safely through Everystone.
What does it cost to sell?
Registering a stone is free. To sell it, list it from your cabinet and pay the $20/month account; the lot goes live once the desk confirms the payment and reviews it. The commission is charged only when the stone sells: none below $10k while we launch (the buyer's premium pays our fee), 5% from $10k. A passport is optional at any price: the stone checked against its report, $750 once per stone. The buyer pays their own premium and the settlement fee.
Ready to sell your emerald?
Tell the desk what you have. You'll hear back within one business day with the route, what it costs and what a buyer will ask to see.