This page is the Zultpedia reference on Zultanite value: the verified suggested-retail price table published by Zultanite Gems LLC, the structural reasons Zultanite costs what it does, and the framework buyers should use when evaluating an offer. We do not sell, broker, or appraise gemstones. We document.
Suggested retail values
The table below is the suggested-retail-value structure published by Zultanite Gems LLC, the U.S. trademark holder, at zultanite.com. These are reference figures for one-to-many-carat faceted stones with strong color change and the brand-holder's grading. Real-world transaction prices vary by retailer markup, color-change strength, clarity, and certification.
| Carat Weight | Suggested Retail (USD / Carat) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 0.01–0.99 ct | $750 | Smaller stones; color change visible but less dramatic on small surface area. |
| 1.00–1.24 ct | $1,000 | Entry into the commercial sweet spot. |
| 1.25–1.49 ct | $1,500 | Per-carat price climbs with weight band. |
| 1.50–1.99 ct | $1,800 | Approaching the mid-band threshold. |
| 2.00–2.99 ct | $2,400 | A common size for high-grade jewelry settings. |
| 3.00–4.99 ct | $3,000 | Above 3 ct is exceptional in the trade. |
| 5.00–7.99 ct | $4,000 | Five-carat-plus stones are exceptionally rare. |
| 8.00–9.99 ct | $6,000 | Museum-grade. Public auction comparables rare. |
| 10.00–14.99 ct | $8,000 | Single-source supply structurally limits this band. |
| 15.00–19.99 ct | $10,000 | Stones at this size are cataloged individually. |
| 20.00 ct + | Starting at $14,000 | Priced per stone, not per carat. Public auction history is thin. |
Source: Zultanite Gems LLC. Tier III (commercial, attributed). Last verified: 2026-04-27.
Estimate the value of a specific stone
Value Calculator Estimated suggested retail —
Calculation reads live from the editor-managed price table. Source: Zultanite Gems LLC. Last verified: 2026-04-27. Estimate suggested retail by carat weight
The figures are per-carat, not per-stone, except the largest band which is priced per individual stone. To estimate the suggested retail of a particular Zultanite: multiply the per-carat figure for its weight band by the carat weight. A 2.5-carat stone in the 2.00–2.99 ct band has a suggested retail of 2.5 × USD 2,400 = USD 6,000 at the brand-holder’s table.
The strong sub-linear progression — per-carat prices rise with weight band — reflects the rarity of larger gem-quality diaspore. Five-carat-plus stones are exceptional; ten-carat-plus stones are catalogued individually.
What sets Zultanite’s price floor
- Single-source supply. Gem-quality color-change diaspore comes from one mountain range in southwestern Türkiye. No secondary locality is in commercial production.
- ~97% loss during cutting. Perfect cleavage on the {010} plane means a kilogram of rough yields ~30 grams of finished gem.
- Color-change strength rarity. Only a fraction of mined material exhibits the full sage-to-raspberry shift that commands the upper price bands.
- Master-cutter labor. Lapidary that orients the table to minimize cleavage exposure requires specialist cutters; their labor is built into every per-carat figure.
Comparison with alexandrite
Alexandrite — the classical color-change benchmark, mineralogically chrysoberyl — retails at USD 5,000–70,000 per carat for fine examples. Zultanite is an order of magnitude less expensive across its size range. The trade-offs:
- Alexandrite is harder (8.5 Mohs) and more durable in daily-wear jewelry than Zultanite (6.5–7 Mohs).
- Alexandrite has a longer documented history (since 1830) and a more mature secondary market.
- Zultanite’s color change strength can match or exceed alexandrite’s in the strongest examples.
What Zultpedia does not do
- We do not sell, broker, or appraise gemstones.
- We do not publish investment recommendations.
- We do not adjudicate transactions or arbitrate disputes.
- We do not authenticate stones — that is the function of a recognized gemological laboratory (GIA, IGS).
