Many people do not know what they are looking for when they set out to buy a piece of diamond jewelry, especially if it is their first time buying an engagement ring or a present for a loved one. It can be an overwhelming and intimidating process, going into retailers, looking at all of the different, delicate, expensive pieces. You've probably braced yourself to pay more than you want to, but you would like to avoid paying too much. The first thing is to remember not to buy a diamond simply because it looks like it costs much less than the other pieces in the store.
Just because it's a diamond doesn't mean it's valuable. In fact, much of the diamond's value simply comes from the demand and mystique associated with it. There are several extremely low-quality pieces of diamond jewelry that are advertised for twenty bucks and worth less than five. Similarly, just because something is advertised as "on sale," doesn't mean that it's the best price or the best diamond piece out there. Best value diamonds have an essential jewelry combination of quality and price, both of which should have equal influence in your decision.
If the person you are buying the jewelry for has absolutely fallen in love with a piece that you and your family most certainly cannot afford, be firm. As the salesperson if there are any other pieces like it or research online, but don't spend money you don't have and can't get over a piece of jewelry. Be an intelligent shopper. There are hundreds of millions of beautiful pieces of diamond jewelry in the world, the one expensive one that appeals most at the time is neither the best nor the only on out there. You can keep it in mind as something to save up for, but practice discretion.
Just because the store has a certificate for a certain loose diamond or piece of jewelry doesn't necessarily mean that it is high quality. Many official reports on a gemstone are written in such a way that only professional gemologists and dedicated gem collectors can understand what they mean. The certificate being presented to you can say that the diamond is the poorest quality that a diamond can be, or it can say that it is a beautiful example to diamonds everywhere. You wouldn't know though.
If you are trying to buy a piece of jewelry made with a non conflict diamond, keep in mind that while the diamond certificate is an extremely good indication as to the cleanliness, it is possible to bypass and forge such documents. The certificate is as much of a guarantee as you can get, but shipments of blood diamonds sometime slip into the shipments of non conflict diamonds. In addition, while the 4 C's (Cut, Color, Clarity, and Carat Weight) are widely known and highly marketed, they are only a fraction of the variables that go into consideration when a diamond is being rated.
Do not have the 4 C's be the deciding factor in your diamond purchase. When you are looking at the cut of the diamond, keep in mind that it should not be too shallow or too deep. The perfect diamond will be able to reflect all of the light that it is exposed to. Diamonds with a heavier carat weight are more expensive than those with a lighter weight, but you do not want to buy a diamond that is too low quality. GIA diamond rings and other diamond jewelry are generally a safe bet, but you should be sure that you understand the certification.
Clearer diamonds are also more expensive, since they are the most attractive and light travels through them better than a slightly cloudier diamond. Color is determined on a letter scale. Diamonds rated between D and F are considered to be colorless, between G and J is close to colorless, but not quite. Diamonds that are between K and N have slightly yellowish hues. T and Z are light yellow. This is because yellow is the most common color found in diamonds. Many diamonds that appear to be colorless actually have a slight yellow tint. "Fancy" colors, which are not slightly yellow, can include vivid yellows, blues, and pinks.
By Allison Ryan
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