If you go from Jewelry Store to Jewelry Store and compare Diamonds, first thing you'll notice is that even though you just looked at Diamonds that are the same Clarity and Color and Carat Weight,
all of the Diamonds still look different!Talk about confusing!
Those Diamonds may be graded the same, they may be all SI1 Clarity and E Color. They may be all 1.00 Carat in Weight and Round Brilliant Cut, but some of those Diamonds will be full of brilliance and sparkle, while other's will be dull and dark...
What Gives?
Why can Diamonds look the same on paper, but face to face they vary so greatly?
Here's the biggest reason: They're not certified!
So what does certification have to do with Diamonds looking different?
The Answer is Easy
Diamonds that aren't certified are actually being graded by the Jewelry Store Owners or Diamond Buyers themselves!
The people in the stores that actually buy the Diamonds and Mountings from Diamond vendors are the same people doing the grading of those different looking Diamonds.
And believe me, some of them should never ever be grading Diamonds.
Which means, what ever quality they put on those Diamonds, the Diamonds will sell for. It's all based upon their opinion. If they think they can get away with calling an I1 Clarity Diamond an SI2 Clarity, then by all means, they'll do it!
Who's going to Stop them?
They can certainly make more profit if they grade the Diamonds higher than they really are. So why not do it?
Fact is: If your local Jeweler is grading their own Diamonds, you don't know what the hell you're really getting.
It's a Scary thing
When Jewelers grade their own Diamonds, it's a scary thing.
I've seen Jewelers that are half blind grading Diamonds.
No lie!
People like that have no right grading Diamonds.
Now not all Jewelers fabricate like this, but a good portion of Jewelers that grade their own Diamonds will probably exaggerate a little bit in their gradings and ratings. Whether it be in Color or Clarity, those ratings will tend to 'round up' conveniently, just to make them look better.
Diamonds rated an I1 will end up being an SI2. G Color will gently wander into the Colorless range. A little nudge here, a tiny push there, the Jeweler comes out the winner. And sometimes a $500-$1000 winner!
Who Pays the Price?
You do of course!
So who can you trust?
How can you tell if your Jeweler isn't making their own Diamond quality up? What can you do to keep from getting ripped off with your next Diamond purchase?
Do this...
Make sure the Diamonds you are buying are G.I.A. (Gemological Institute of America) Certified Diamonds.
G.I.A. is the largest Independent Certificate Institute in the U.S.A. Their Certification removes all doubt about getting ripped off. It removes that scary 'Jeweler's Opinion' from the equation. It pretty much removes the Jeweler period! G.I.A. has the final say in what that Diamond is! Hence, no more rounding up!
G.I.A. does all the rating for you. Color, Clarity, Carat Weight and Cut, they grade their Diamonds consistently and honestly. Which means all G.I.A. Certified, SI1 Clarity Diamonds with an E Color, will look like all the other G.I.A. Certified, SI1, E, Diamonds. And that grading system gets an A+ in my book! Not to mention a lot of peace of mind!
P.S. Follow Jewelry Secrets on Twitter and Facebook.
Copyright © 05-04-2008 Jewelry-Secrets.com
