What Is Your Ambergris Worth?
Value depends on grade, weight and quality. Here's how I assess it, and what to expect in New Zealand.
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How is ambergris graded?
Ambergris value depends on grade, weight and purity. White grades above grey, and grey above black. Most beach finds in New Zealand are grey or black, and both have real commercial value. I'm Nabil Valiulla of Ambergris Canada, and I grade New Zealand finds myself from photos, for free, within 24 hours.
Colour is the main sign of grade. The longer a piece has aged, the lighter and more valuable it becomes.
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White or pearl
- Colour
- Pale white to off-white
- Age
- The oldest, most aged
- Smell
- Sweet, pleasant, powdery
- Value
- Highest
-
Grey
- Colour
- Mid-grey
- Age
- Moderately aged
- Smell
- Earthy, musky
- Value
- Mid-range
-
Black or dark
- Colour
- Dark brown to black
- Age
- The freshest
- Smell
- Strong, pungent, fecal
- Value
- Lowest
White ambergris is the rarest and most valuable: it represents decades of ageing at sea. Most beach finds in New Zealand are grey or black, and both have real commercial value. Even small pieces of high-quality grey ambergris can be worth thousands of dollars.
What determines your price?
Five things I weigh when I make an offer.
Weight
Weight and grade set the value together. Even a 100 to 200 g piece can be very valuable if the grade is high.
Grade and colour
White is the highest grade, and perfumers pay more for it. Grey is in strong demand. Black is bought and sold too, at a lower price.
Purity
The less sand, debris and seaweed in it, the higher the value. A clean piece is worth much more than a contaminated one.
Surface condition
Pieces kept dry and clean since they were found keep more of their value. How you store it from day one matters.
Market timing
Demand from perfumers rises and falls. I tell you the current market rate when I assess your piece, so you can decide with the facts.
What should I do before it's assessed?
"I've assessed 4,678 specimens. The difference between grey and white can be the difference between a common find and a serious discovery. Get it assessed properly before you do anything else."
- Nabil Valiulla
Find out exactly what you have.
Free assessment, with no obligation. I grade every piece myself within 24 hours.
- Call Nabil · Vancouver, Pacific time+1 (778) 713-5786
- Email Nabilcontact@ambergriscanada.com
See what I find, as I find it
I post new pieces, field trips and identification tips on Instagram.
Most of what washes up is driftwood and stone. I post the pieces that aren't, and how I tell them apart.
