DON’T BUY A DIAMOND IF…

I’m often asked for Advice about Engagement Rings…

“What Should I Look For?”

“What Should I Buy?“

These are Common Questions, not to mention things like:

“How Much Should I Spend?”

“Where Should I Shop?“

And the Most Recent Question… (And one of the More Interesting…)

“Under What Circumstances Should I NOT Buy A Diamond?“

HA! That one made me Stop and Think for a Minute.

If I were to tell someone to NOT Buy a Diamond somewhere, it would have to be for these 3 Reasons:

1. Don’t Buy Pre-Mounted Diamonds
2. Don’t Buy a Diamond that’s NOT Certified
3. Don’t Buy it if it Sounds Too Good To Be True

Shocked?

Many People are Probably Shocked that I didn’t Pick Some Sort of Clarity and Color. Or even Fluorescence… But no Matter the Color, Clarity, or even Many Diamonds with Fluorescence, they will still look Good Regardless of the Quality as long as the Diamond doesn’t have Massive Eye-Visible Inclusions, a Strong Yellow Hue, or one that’s Really Dark, Dull, Hazy or Lifeless.
So let’s Dive in and Learn More…

1) Don’t Buy Pre-Mounted Diamonds

Short and Sweet, it’s Hard to see Everything inside a Stone if it’s already been Mounted.

You can’t see Around or Under the Prongs or Mounting. Plus, you will get Darkness and Color from the Mounting, Reflections of the Prongs, and it could be Covering up a Chip, Break or Tons of other Flaws.

Mountings Make it Hard to see How Deep the Stone is, How Shallow the Diamond may be, Where the Inscription Numbers are, and if the Culet’s been Chipped…

They also make it Extremely Difficult to Judge Clarity and Color.

A Mounting just Prevents you from seeing the Entire Diamond and what you’re really Buying!

So if you’re Buying a Diamond, especially a Diamond Solitaire (Single Stone), then Buy it LOOSE First!

View the Stone with 10x Magnification (with a Jeweler’s Loupe or a Microscope). Check out the Inclusions, the Color, the Girdle for Chips or Nicks or Fractures.

After you Finally Decide on the Diamond, then you can Look at Mountings and have it Set. :)

2) Don’t Buy a Diamond that’s NOT Certified

If the Diamond isn’t Certified…

FORGET IT!

Don’t Buy it! Why would you Spend $2,000, $3,000, or even $8,000 on a Diamond Engagement Ring and NOT have a Professional Diamond Report to back it up?

It would be SILLY!

Make sure you Buy a Diamond LOOSE, and make sure that the Diamond is Certified by either GIA (THE BEST), or AGS (Second Best).

I Don’t Recommend any others. No EGL, No IGI… Nothing!

NEVER!

GIA are the Official Leaders in the Industry. They are the Best Diamond Graders in the World. They Wrote the Book on the 4C’s and they came up with the Grading System used Today!

Seriously!

There is Nobody Better to Grade your Stone than GIA!

When they say a Diamond is VS2 Clarity, E Color, Excellent Cut… You Better Believe it! :)

I Trust GIA Fully, and so Should YOU!

If you want to Guarantee the Quality of the Stone, Stick to GIA!

Ask for GIA Certified Diamonds Only

Accept Nothing Less!

3) Don’t Buy it if it Sounds Too Good To Be True

The Store down the Street Sells the Exact Same Diamond as everyone else, but they are Selling it for $2,000 LESS!

IT SOUNDS GOOD!

But is it a Better Deal?

Probably NOT!

It’s Too Good To Be True!

You see, Diamonds Hold their Selling Value Very Well. Most Jewelers use a Sort of Blue-Book for Pricing Diamonds (Called a Rapaport Price List) that tells them what that Particular Type of Diamond should Sell for. So the only reason for a Company to be Thousands Less are;

1) They are an Online Store (Like James Allen) that Has No Overhead, or

2) There is something else Wrong with the Stone that’s causing the Price to be so Cheap!

Otherwise, they would Match everyone else’s Price and Make More Money on the Stone.

You Have to Scrutinize the Stone Well

Something is Bringing the Price Down:

• Is the Diamond Chipped?
• Is the Stone Spread?
• Is the Table Large?
• Is the Stone Fractured?
• Does the Stone have Strong Fluorescence?
• Is the Girdle Thick and Wavy?

There are Tons of Reasons why the Price of a Diamond would Drop. It has to do with Quality, and usually it’s the CUT!

Nobody, out of the Kindness of their Hearts, is going to Sell the Exact Same Stone for Thousands Less. It isn’t going to happen. There’s no reason for it.

So Compare Everything about the Diamond. Compare the Certificates (P.S. Learn How To Read a GIA Diamond Report HERE!)

Look Good

Don’t be Hasty. Don’t make a Quick Decision Based upon PRICE!

Spend a Week or so going all over Town. Visit the Local Jewelry Stores, look at their Stones under a Microscope. Compare with Online Stores, like Kays, James Allen, and Blue Nile.

ASK QUESTIONS!

Learn! Soon you’ll Understand why some Diamonds are Cheaper. And it’ll make you Appreciate Clarity, Color and Cut much Better!

Quality really does make a Huge Difference in How a Diamond Looks, How Beautiful it is, and How Much Light Sparkles from the Stone.

My Favorite Color and Clarity is VS2, E…

Those Diamonds ROCK!

And if it’s Certified by GIA, then that’s the Diamond to BUY!

Cheers! :)