Method of price formation of amber samples on the basis of gemmological-consumer indicators
Authors: Kirin Roman S. , Baranov Petro M. , Shevchenko Serhii V. , Korotayev Volodymyr M. 
Published: August 2022

Analysis of existing systems for expert grading of amber samples showed that their main disadvantages are, in general, consideration of only standard quality criteria  (weight, colour, inclusions), as well as the lack of evaluation of rare and unique samples. Today in Ukraine there is, in fact, a state monopoly of pricing in the form of an official price-list for raw amber, developed by the State Gemmological Center based on the global market prices. The authors believe that this document does not fully take into account the costs associated with exploration, mining and taxation on the amber market. This deprives the direct users of the amber-bearing areas themselves of the opportunity to determine the criteria for the quality of rough amber and to develop the corresponding price lists. The created method of gemmological-consumer indicators allows for a transparent and understandable formation of the cost of individual amber samples. The value of raw amber determined in this way corresponds to the consumer values of the product, not taking into account processing costs. The sum of consumer properties of amber in items (shape, size, colour, transparency, presence of inclusions, quality of processing – polishing, artistry, etc.) is taken into account, thus satisfying the physiological and aesthetic needs of consumers for the product. To make the consumer properties of amber identifiable, it is necessary to provide the sample with a marketable condition. The criteria for the quality of amber in products have been developed. It is shown that each type of product is characterized by a set of properties that are criteria for product quality. In fact, this is a tool with which one can determine the type of product in the raw material, having previously determined its quality. Comparing the obtained data on the quality of raw materials with the criteria for the quality of products, it is possible to predict the type of product. The operation of the technique is illustrated by examples of two samples of amber containing inclusions. A method for determining the cost of individual samples of amber has been developed, the essence of which is the sequential fixation of gemmological and consumer properties of the sample with their subsequent transformation into an alphanumeric code, the total value of which forms an individual indicator of the sample (a set of individual qualities of the sample), which correlates with its cost. During the expert assessment of rare and unique samples of amber, their scientific, collection, aesthetic and artistic features must additionally be taken into account, establishing the uniqueness of these objects of examination. The method is designed for the symbiosis of individual natural (gemmological) parameters of the sample (size, beauty, presence of inclusion) with a set of consumer properties: shape, size, weight, colour, transparency, fracturing, presence of inclusion, presence of inclusions, polishability, value for science, collection, artistry, etc. The method covers the entire life cycle of amber from raw material to the final product, for which the sample is chosen as optimal in terms of economic, technological and gemmological-consumer indicators.