I’m in the same boat as you…I have a lot of unusual materials, such
gem silica, blue peruvian opal, thulite and so on, and it’s really
hard to figure out prices. The only thing I know of for general
stones is “The Guide”, which is a quarterly published guide for
colored stones. It’s not cheap, but if you ask around, perhaps
someone will have a recent, but not current issue you can get. It
won’t help you with the more obscure gems, however. Basically, you
have to research what people are asking for it online. Don’t go by
ebay prices, however, they are usually too low, though you can keep
them to avg with the higher end prices for material…
Otherwise, the problem I have with pricing the unusual materials is
grading the material. When there isn’t much to compare it to online
(like the good gem silica)…it’s hard to know where in the continuum
to price it. I’ve seen prices running from $1/ct to $120/ct for “gem
silica” depending on quality/translucency etc…and sometimes it’s
just hard to draw the line.
let me know if you come across any good source for pricing info.
Jeanne