{"id":4819,"date":"2012-04-16T13:12:05","date_gmt":"2012-04-16T17:12:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/?p=4819"},"modified":"2016-09-08T12:05:20","modified_gmt":"2016-09-08T16:05:20","slug":"should-all-diamonds-be-certified","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/should-all-diamonds-be-certified\/","title":{"rendered":"SHOULD ALL DIAMONDS BE CERTIFIED?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Should<\/div>\n

If you read anything that I write here, you’ll often hear me say: <\/p>\n

“Never Buy a Diamond that ISN’T Certified!<\/strong>“<\/p>\n

\nWhile I strongly believe in this line, it isn’t always the truth!<\/strong><\/p>\n

\nThere are times when a Diamond Certificate doesn’t matter<\/strong>. There are many Diamond purchases that don’t require one.<\/p>\n

\nWhile it’s true that any Diamond you purchase for an Engagement Ring should be Certified<\/strong>, even this isn’t always the case.<\/p>\n

Reasons NOT to Certify!<\/h2>\n

\nThere are some reasons to simply NOT buy a Diamond that’s Certified<\/strong>. And here they are…<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. The Carat Weight is Small<\/li>\n
  2. The Diamonds are Side Stones<\/li>\n
  3. The Diamonds are in a Cluster<\/li>\n
  4. The Diamond Quality is Low<\/li>\n
  5. It’s not a Big Purchase<\/li>\n
  6. The Diamond was Pre-owned or Estate<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    <\/strong><\/p>\n

    \nLet’s take a closer look at these…<\/p>\n

    1) The Carat Weight is Small<\/h2>\n

    \nSmall Diamonds don’t need to be Certified<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    \nAnd by “Small<\/strong>“, I’m saying Carat Weights under 40 Points<\/strong> (.40 Carat). When you get into Diamonds that small, the Clarity and Color is much harder to see with your naked eye, and even under a microscope everything gets very difficult to spot. The smaller the Carat Weight, the smaller the Inclusions and Flaws become. Small Carat Weights also make Color harder to see<\/strong>, since it makes the saturation of the stone much fainter. <\/p>\n

    \nCheck out the difference between Carat Weights when it comes to the same Clarity and Colors…<\/p>\n

    \"Diamond<\/p>\n

    This is why in smaller Carat Weights, like .33 or .25, or even .10 Carat<\/strong>, you won’t see Certificates with them.<\/p>\n

    Small Carat Weight Prices<\/h2>\n

    \nAlso, when it comes to Smaller Carat Weights, price is a big factor!<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \nA Diamond Certificate<\/a> costs around $300 from GIA (The Best). Diamonds that are small may only run $300, so adding an additional $300 onto that price is ridiculous<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

    \nIt’s just not worth it!<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \nNo one is going to pay double the price for a Diamond just because it comes with paperwork.<\/p>\n

    \nWhen it comes to small stones, a Diamond Report is not necessary. But it is necessary to microscope those stones<\/strong> (Use a 10x Jewelers Loupe<\/a> or a Microscope<\/a>) so you can see what’s inside and what the real Clarity is!<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \nThat’s a big eye opener!<\/strong><\/p>\n

    2) The Diamonds are Side Stones<\/h2>\n

    \nUsually only the big center Diamond of an Engagement Ring is Certified. If there are side stones (i.e. Channel Set Diamonds down the side), those side stones won’t be Certified<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

    \n\"Side<\/p>\n

    \nIt would cost too much to certify them all and it would get way too confusing<\/strong> and result in way too much paperwork.<\/p>\n

    \nSay for example, you had a mounting with 20 Invisible Set Diamonds<\/strong> in it. Would you be able to understand and follow “The 4th row, 5th Diamond across…<\/strong>” It would get crazy to keep track of it all.<\/p>\n

    \nPlus at $300 a Diamond, those 20 little side stones would suddenly add an additional $6,000 <\/strong>onto the price of the ring!!!<\/p>\n

    NO THANKS!<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \nThe same goes for stones set in a Cluster Setting<\/strong>…<\/p>\n

    3) The Diamonds are in a Cluster<\/h2>\n

    \nThe new Illusion type heads<\/strong> that you see in all the Jewelry Stores have a cluster of interlocking Diamonds that look great!<\/strong> These Diamond Rings are flashy and give you a big look for a much smaller price tag<\/strong>. But, there is no way to easily or cheaply Certify each and every Diamond.<\/p>\n

    \nIt would be an insane job!<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \"Diamond<\/p>\n

    \nIf the Diamonds are small and bunched together to look like a bigger Carat Weight, it’s cool<\/strong>. But even though it’s a 1.00 Carat Total Diamond Weight<\/strong> (all the Diamond Weight of the Ring added together as one), it still doesn’t mean it should be Certified<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

    4) The Diamond Quality is Low<\/h2>\n

    \nIf the Diamond is an I2 or I3 Clarity Diamond, guess what? It doesn’t need to be Certified!<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \"Why<\/p>\n

    \nLow Quality stones are low quality and no one’s disputing that<\/strong>. No one needs a Diamond Report sayings it’s low quality<\/strong>. Having a Report does nothing but assure you that you bought a low quality stone and paid more for that stone because you bought one with a Certificate!<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \nReally, who cares?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \nIt’s not worth the money to document or guarantee<\/strong>. If you were buying a higher Quality or Clarity (like VS) of Diamond, then I’d say yes<\/strong>, in a heart-beat<\/strong>, buy Certified<\/strong>! But not with a low grade stone. <\/p>\n

    \nYou’ll know your stone is low grade if you can easily see Flaws or Black Specks<\/a> in the stone with the naked eye. All Certification does is jack up the Price<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

    \nIf the Diamond is I2 or I3<\/strong>, Skip the Certification and save the money<\/strong>. :)<\/p>\n

    5) It’s not a Big Purchase<\/h2>\n

    \nUsually only an Engagement Solitaire or a Loose Diamond is Certified (considered a big purchase<\/strong>).<\/p>\n

    \nIf you’re buying an Anniversary Band or a Men’s Wedding Band, or even Diamond Stud Earrings, a Pendant or Bracelet, those items generally will not be Certified<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

    \"Diamonds<\/p>\n

    \nThe norm is to only Certify Single Diamonds over 40 points<\/strong>, and with many places it’s actually more like 50 points or 75 points<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    \nIt really all has to do with the time, effort and cost of the items involved.<\/p>\n

    \nNo one will pay $600 for a pair of Diamond Earrings worth just $300 just because the stones happen to be Certified<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

    \nIt just won’t happen!<\/strong><\/p>\n

    6) The Diamond was Pre-owned or Estate<\/h2>\n

    \nOften if a Diamond was purchased by the Jeweler from a customer (through a direct purchase, trade-in or exchange<\/strong>), or if the Jeweler bought out an Estate and the Diamond in question was in that lot, that stone would not come with a Certificate<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

    \n\"Preowned<\/p>\n

    \nDiamonds passed down from generation to generation<\/strong> won’t come with Cert Papers either (under normal circumstances).<\/p>\n

    \nAntique pieces or old Estates<\/strong> didn’t do a lot of Certification back then. Certificates are a more modern thing to do because of shows like 20\/20<\/strong>, where consumer awareness is heightened. <\/p>\n

    \nCustomers are now more leery of Jewelers, Scandals, and getting ripped off!<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \nIn the old days, people just trusted their Jeweler<\/strong>, now we know better and back up our big purchases with Certificates!<\/p>\n

    The Entire Ring is NOT Certified!<\/h2>\n

    \nThe bottom line here<\/strong>, is just because you buy a Diamond Ring with a large Certified center stone, doesn’t mean that the entire ring is that quality. In all likelihood, it isn’t!<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \nMany stores don’t even talk about the quality of the Diamonds<\/strong> in the side of their rings (they just talk about the center stone<\/strong>). Many stores don’t talk about this for a reason: Their Side Stones have Poor Clarity or Color!<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \nMany customers don’t know any better to ask either<\/strong>. If the center stone is a Certified VS1 Clarity, E Color<\/a> (my favorite<\/strong>), many believe the side stones will be that same quality as well. WRONG!<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \nChances are, the side stones are probably only SI or I Clarity<\/strong> stones, with a Color range of around H or I<\/strong> (the normal quality for side stones).<\/p>\n

    \n\"Entire<\/p>\n

    \nSo don’t forget to ask what the side stone quality is<\/strong>. That way you’ll also know if your beautiful center Diamond will match them in Clarity<\/a> and Color<\/a>!<\/p>\n

    \nLastly, even though only the center stone is Certified, make sure you also get a full Appraisal<\/strong> on the entire ring that lists all the Carat Weights<\/a>, Clarity<\/a>, Color<\/a> and Cuts<\/a> of the stones. That way you can get it insured and covered just in case anything were to happen<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

    \nP.S.<\/strong> Most Certified Diamonds will be sold as Loose Diamonds<\/strong>. But I have seen some sold pre-mounted in Solitaire Settings (like the common Tiffany Style Engagement Ring<\/a>), or in Wedding Sets.<\/p>\n

    \nI recommend buying a Diamond loose first<\/strong>, so you can view the Diamond under a Microscope<\/a> (10x Magnification) with no prongs or mounting to get in the way.<\/p>\n

    \nP.P.S.<\/strong> And PLEASE<\/strong>, do buy a Certified Diamond (I recommend GIA<\/strong>), that has a Laser Inscription<\/strong> on it. <\/p>\n

    \n\"Buy<\/p>\n

    \nIt makes identifying your stone painless and easy!<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \nCheers! :)<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    If you read anything that I write here, you’ll often hear me say: “Never Buy a Diamond that ISN’T Certified!“ While I strongly believe in this line, it isn’t always the truth! There are times [Read More…]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4829,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,29,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4819","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-certification","category-diamond-guide","category-diamonds"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4819"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4819"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4819\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4829"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4819"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4819"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}