I had a customer shopping and comparing Diamond Engagement Rings. The Lady was looking at single Solitaire Diamonds and had been all over town collecting business cards and prices.
I asked her what her favorite Quality was, and she hands me a card. On it, it listed the Diamond Clarity as SI2-I1, (Not very good!) and the Color was listed as H-I-J Color???
What?
You've got to be kidding me? That's what I was thinking! If this was her favorite, then I'd hate to see what her dislikes were!
Let's face it, if it's listed as an SI2-I1, then it's not really an SI2, it's an I1! (Read more: What are I Quality Diamonds?) No ifs, ands, or buts about it. They just threw the SI2 in front of it, to make it sound better!
By the way, the other thing I quickly noticed, is the fact that she wasn't looking at a Certified Diamond (They would have listed that!). So I figured she was shopping at the Mall! (Just a hunch! They're known for vagueness!) I flipped the business card over, and sure enough, she was! Surprise, Surprise!
Scam!
That also explains the H-I-J Color Scam! (Most Clerks don't understand Diamond Grading and just make Quality up!)
When you're dealing with One Single Diamond, giving it 3 Color Grades is impossible. Who are they fooling? A Single Diamond should really only have 1 Single Color Grade! To be honest, a Diamond can only truly only have One Real Color!
Opinions
The problem lies with opinions! Diamond Color is subjective and sometimes it can be a borderline Color! It's true! Diamond Color can be leaning towards one Color more than another. That's why sometimes, you'll see Diamond Color listed as 2 Different Grades. (Always side by side Grades though!) Like G-H Color, or E-F Color! It could be G, it could be H, it just depends on the Diamond Grader!
But NEVER EVER 3 Grades for One Single Diamond! Come on... All that shows, is that they don't know what the real Color Grade is! Are they just Guessing? One of the Colors listed has got to be right??? Right? My guess is, if they're listing 3 different Colors, the lowest Color on the list is the correct one! The other 2, are just to make it sound good! Don't fall for it!
More than one Diamond
The only reason why you should ever see Diamond Color listed as 3 different Color Grades, (Like G-H-I) is when you are dealing with more than one Diamond! If the Ring has a couple Diamonds in it, and the Appraisal is listing Diamond Carat Weights and Quality together, then it can actually list things like: 1.00 Carat Total Weight, SI1-SI2 Clarity, H-I-J Color! One Diamond could be SI1, H-I Color, and the other Diamond could be SI2, J Color. That's acceptable!
Combining Diamonds when Grading, and doing Diamond Appraisals will give you these types of Multiple Color Grades!
But, my thoughts are, if you're dealing with Diamonds that are that different, then each Diamond should be listed separately on the Diamond Appraisal! Sadly, that's not always feasible! Like when you're dealing with a Tennis Bracelet that has 58 Diamonds in it! Grading each and every single Diamond would be a nightmare! Likewise with an Anniversary Band. Anniversary Bands can have tons of Diamonds in them. Grading each individually, would be insane! So you see, listing Diamond Quality and Color together on an Appraisal works great in some instances!
Bottom line
If you're shopping and comparing Diamonds, Watch Out for those Diamond Color Scams! Single Stones don't have 3 different Colors!
If you look at G.I.A. Certified Diamonds (Which I highly recommend!) You'll learn what the true Color and Clarity of the Diamond is! You will never have to rely on the Jeweler's crazy guessing games!
E-F-G??? I don't think so! Unless you're seeing double!
Learn more about Choosing Diamond Color, and view the Diamond Color Grading Chart!
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