About Gemstones

Diamonds: Invest in the Hardest Currency in the World?
Diamonds are the most coveted classic gemstones. For millennia, diamonds have captivated people; it's not just women who adore these sparkling gemstones. They symbolize wealth, power, beauty, and love. Moreover, diamonds are a highly attractive and solid investment. They are literally known as the 'hardest currency in the world.' Diamonds provide sustainable protection for your wealth, are easily transferable, and are internationally tradeable under transparent regulations. Diamonds concentrate the highest value in the smallest space, ensuring high mobility and maximum discretion.

The purchase of a diamond is something special and naturally requires the utmost trust. Therefore, OPHIRA Handelshaus GmbH exclusively collaborates with partners who have generations of experience in the gemstone trade. They have comprehensive technical expertise, a profound market overview, and an international network backing them.

The 4Cs of a diamond are its quality characteristics:

  • Cut

    Among the 4Cs of a diamond, the cut is particularly crucial. The precise facets of the diamond become visible through the cut: it's all about exceptional symmetries and harmonious proportions that ignite the grand beauty of the diamond and make it so desirable.

  • Carat

    Carat (ct) is the unit in which the weight of the diamond is measured. 1 carat is equivalent to 0.2 grams. This does not necessarily indicate the size of the diamond. A diamond with 2 carats is not necessarily twice as large as a 1-carat one, even though it has twice the weight.

  • Color

    The diamond's color scale ranges from D (colorless) to Z (yellowish). The finer the white, the more valuable the diamond. A colorless diamond emits white light in the rainbow spectrum.

    - D and E: Exceptional White
    - F and G: Fine White
    - H: White
    - I and J: Slightly Tinted White
    - K, L, and M: Tinted White
    - N to Z: Clearly Tinted
    Deeper intense colors beyond Z are no less valuable. They belong to the rare and particularly valuable Fancy Diamonds.

  • Clarity

    A flawless diamond is extremely rare. This means that there are hardly any diamonds without inclusions, which are natural small imperfections. Therefore, there are official ratings from FL/IF (flawless) to P3 (with large inclusions).

    - FL = flawless
    - IF = internally flawless
    - VVS1 & VVS2 = very, very small inclusions
    - VS1 & VS2 = very small inclusions
    - SI1 & SI2 = small inclusions
    - I1, I2 & I3 = inclusions

Thanks to years of experience in the field of precious metals and gemstones, Ophira Handelshaus GmbH has excellent personal contacts with reputable and highly reliable diamond traders worldwide. We pass our favorable conditions on to our customers. In the past, their value has steadily developed without dramatic fluctuations, and experts predict growing demand with a decreasing supply. The diamond market is not distorted by financial or commodity speculation, allowing favorable forecasts for the future.

Colored gemstones as crisis-proof investments

Emeralds, sapphires, rubies, and colored diamonds are the highest class of gemstones, not just for jewelry lovers. Investors have long discovered these beautiful stones as tangible asset investments. Natural, these gemstones guarantee asset retention and offer good prospects for value appreciation. The market research institute FSI expects an annual increase in value of five percent for the entire gemstone market until 2026. Emeralds, sapphires, rubies, and diamonds account for fifteen percent of the gemstone market. As the demand for gemstones is continuously driven by the jewelry industry and extraction volumes stagnate or new deposits are only accessed with great effort, investing in gemstones has the best prospects for success. Especially in times of negative interest rates and fluctuations in the capital market, an investment in gemstones diversifies your portfolio.

But not all gemstones are equal
As an investment, colored gemstones should be cut. For colored diamonds, color enhancement can be achieved through radioactive irradiation. Choose rubies, sapphires, emeralds, or even white diamonds or 'Fancy Diamonds' for your investment. For example, in recent years, sapphires have experienced an increase in value between three and five percent, while rubies have even seen between four and six percent.

The market for colored gemstones is not centrally controlled and is fragmented on the supply side. That means, for instance, diamonds come from Namibia and South Africa, while green emeralds are found in Colombia, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, and Zambia. Rubies, on the other hand, are mined in Myanmar, Pakistan, Mozambique, and Afghanistan. Sapphires also come from Myanmar, as well as from Madagascar, Sri Lanka, and rare pieces even from the Indian province of Kashmir.

Weight is also a factor in colored gemstones: How many carats does a stone have? OPHIRA Handelshaus GmbH exclusively trades in gemstones certified by internationally recognized certification organizations. Certificates from GIA, IGI, HRD, SSEF, and Gübelin are globally recognized. The certificates can also prove the origin of the gemstones. An exception exists for larger gemstones, often found 30, 60, or even 200 years ago. Fresh and ethically sourced stones, for example, come from Sri Lanka, where the origin can be traced back to the mine and the working conditions there.