Editor’s Note
This report highlights the Gemfields Group’s record-breaking May auction in Bangkok, where both total revenue and average price per carat reached new highs. The results signal a strong market recovery, as noted by company management.
The May auction held by the Gemfields Group in Bangkok yielded unexpectedly strong results. Both total revenue and the average price per carat set new records.
A total of 35 lots of emeralds from the Kagem Mine in Zambia, amounting to 264,000 carats, were offered and sold in their entirety. With revenue of USD 43.7 million, Gemfields achieved its best-ever result at this auction (the 45th since its inception in 2009). The average price per carat reached USD 165.55, also setting a new record. However, the size, clarity, and color quality of the gemstones offered vary from auction to auction, making direct comparisons only conditionally meaningful.
Unlike diamonds, there are no universally applicable standards for colored gemstones. Therefore, Gemfields has developed its own system. Each gemstone is assessed based on its individual characteristics (size, color, shape, and clarity) and then assigned to one of two auction classes. The first group comprises higher and high-quality gemstones, while the second is for commercial goods of average or lower quality.
