Choose a diamond jewelry supplier that offers personalized service and is willing to talk to you about different diamond options. Think about certification, it is one of the most important things and choose a diamond qualified by the GIA (Gemological Institute of America). Choosing the right diamond can be tricky, and it’s a great feeling to make an informed decision before investing in such a major purchase. Before buying a diamond, ask yourself, do you know who the GIAs are? Do you know what 4Cs are? Do you know the degrees of cut, polish and symmetry? Do you know what enhanced diamonds are? These are just some of the points one should consider and if you have answered no to any of them, avoid buying a diamond until you are well informed.
It is very important to understand the vital attributes of a diamond before choosing the right one and making that investment. You wouldn’t buy a house without knowing the number of bedrooms and dimensions, and you probably wouldn’t buy a car if you didn’t know its color, so why should a diamond be any different? We suggest that consumers consider the following before committing to purchase their diamond engagement ring or diamond jewelry.
1- Request a report from the GIA (Gemological Institute of America). GIA are the creators of the famous 4C grading system and the leading authority on diamond grading. You may be surprised to learn that GIA is a non-profit establishment and that they invest all of their income in equipment, training, and research. All laboratories in the world are compared to the GIA and it is not uncommon for the GIA to downgrade diamonds that have been previously qualified by other laboratories due to their superior grading techniques and technology. As a result, diamonds classified by other laboratories with apparently the same attributes are often cheaper than a GIA classified diamond. As all GIA grading labs are integrated and strictly monitored for quality control, verifying your diamond report online with the GIA is much easier than with the other grading labs that operate more disparately.
2- To make sure you are getting value, you need to know the carat (weight), cut (shape), color and clarity (natural inclusions visible in the stone). Color and shape are a matter of choice, but clarity should be a more careful consideration. We strongly recommend that you choose a diamond with a minimum of SI2 in clarity. Do not buy a diamond rated I1 2 or 3, as these diamonds have inclusions visible to the naked eye. For round diamonds, it is equally important to know the degree of cut (different from the cut shape); Other shapes known as elegant shapes, such as princess or emerald diamonds, do not have a cut grade on a GIA report (beware of retailers who give you a cut grade). for shapes other than a round diamond, as the GIA does not have a cut grade for extravagant shapes). Other vital attributes include polish and symmetry, this applies to all shapes. We suggest that you avoid any diamonds with poor / fair to good ratings on any of these attributes. Why is this important? A diamond is like a small set of mirrors that interact with light to create the appearance of stones. Every angle and every facet affects the amount of light returned or lost. Therefore, the quality of cut, symmetry, and polish determines the brilliance, fire, and sparkle of a diamond.
3 – When you buy a diamond we want you to make an investment and not have an asset that depreciates. With this in mind, avoid purchasing an ungraded, set diamond. It is very difficult to qualify a set diamond and it would be necessary to remove it from the ring to evaluate it accurately. You are also likely to be expected to pay much more than the actual value of the piece of jewelry.
4 – Enhanced and Treated Diamonds: Modern technology has made it possible to treat diamonds in various ways. It can induce or attenuate color and improve clarity. As these enhancement technologies advance, so does the need to advance detection technology and techniques. Some of the techniques used to enhance diamonds include coatings, heat and pressure combinations, irradiation, and laser technology. The value of an improved stone is somewhat less than that of its improved version. Be careful and check the diamond grading reports to see if any improvements have been detected. It is a common trick for retailers to advertise a diamond with all the attributes that sound good, but when you review the report, you can tell that it has been improved. How could he have known this unless he was aware of enhanced diamonds? Retailers love it because you get what they think is a great diamond and pay full price, but it actually has an enhancement procedure that greatly reduces its value and affects the structural integrity of the stone.
5 – Tricks of the Trade: There are a few tricks unsuspecting customers should know. Most retailers take advantage of the fact that most people don’t know what to look for when buying a diamond.
Trick 1: Dropdown Selection: When you browse online retailers and select your own diamond, you have the opportunity to select the shape, color, and clarity. Most consumers are aware of these attributes. The thing to keep in mind is when you come across retailers offering you a selection menu of certificates. They may offer you several certificates, including yours and possibly a GIA / IGI certificate. This is not acceptable, you need to know exactly what certificate you are getting, insist on seeing the report of the diamond you are buying. When they say that you will get a GIA report or other lab report in the same selection box, it is an excuse to charge you the price of the GIA qualified diamond, but you will probably get the other one on sale as it will be cheaper for them. to buy.
Trick 2: Sometimes you can also select the cut grade of a round diamond, some retailers mislead you by offering good to premium grades in their selection criteria. The problem is that within the premium category they can sell you a diamond with a very good cut and charge you for one with an excellent cut because you have not been able to specify your exact requirements. The price difference between two diamonds with exactly the same attributes but with a grade difference in cut, symmetry and polish can be as high as £ 500 or even more, depending on the size of the diamond.
Trick 3: The retailer lets you select most of the common attributes, you buy the diamond but don’t know the polish or symmetry, you think you could be getting a great deal, but if you don’t know these attributes, how can you do it? be sure. A diamond dealer would never buy a diamond unless all the information about the stone was available, so why should he?
Trick 4: you buy a ring to match your diamond and you don’t know the weight. Metal prices are per gram. Don’t pay for a 3g platinum ring when you could have had a 5g ring. Also consider the quality of the ring, if the ring looks cheap it may look cheap and the quality of the finish does not meet your expectations.
Trick 5: The retailer offers you their own certificate, you think it is a great offer and you accept it. Ask yourself why a diamond with exactly the same attributes as one GIA certificate and another would be priced differently. The answer is because they are not the same, the lower rating from another internal retail laboratory or grader will never be able to show you the true attributes of the diamond, so you think you are buying something that would otherwise be downgraded by the GIA. . Also, when a retailer rates their own diamond, it is not an unbiased evaluation, it is best for them to update the attributes by one or two ratings for a higher price.
Trick 6: Beware of retailers who claim to offer GIA certified diamonds but cannot deliver, always ask to see the report before buying. There is a well-known online retailer that offers GIA-rated diamonds on the site, but when you ask about them, they claim that they don’t deal with GIA-rated diamonds. Always call the company, talk to someone, if you can’t reach before buying, what will happen if there is a problem and you need to contact them after placing an order.