Interested in Buying Diamond Jewelry? Start With the Basics!

Diamond buying has gotten easier! Or has it?

Many years ago buying some diamond jewelry was kind of simple. You know... if you wanted to buy some diamond earrings, a diamond bracelet, or a diamond engagement ring, you would go down to your favorite local diamond jewelry store, you would sit down, and then you would choose your favorite piece of diamond jewelry from your trusted family jewelry. Well some of that scenario has changed a bit in the past 30 years and now it is up to you, the diamond jewelry shopper, to play a more active part in this process and so you will need to do your homework before you make your purchase.

The 4 basic elements that make up the pricing of diamonds are pretty straightforward. But like most things, once you get past the basics, the information overload starts to become more than many consumers need to know. The first 3 components of a diamond's pricing; Clarity, Color, and Carat Weight are pretty easy to understand. The heavier the diamond (a greater Carat weight), the more it will cost. The less "stuff" inside of the diamond (a higher Clarity), the more it will cost. The more it looks like "ice" (a higher Color, more colorless), the more it will cost. There are charts you can use for reference so it is kind of easy to comprehend.

The one "C" that gives you the most trouble.

The "Cut" of a diamond is the biggest factor in how beautiful a diamond will be... meaning that if a diamond is cut to exacting angles and proportions, the diamond's potential beauty will be realized. It is this one factor that can account for nearly 50% of a diamond's value! When it comes to the Cut of a diamond, there are many people who can become confused as to what all those numbers and terms mean. Over the years, diamond cutters have been improving their methods and the quality of their finished product. There are a couple of things that have been driving these improvements. The first would be the greater number of Gemologists that are working in the jewelry business and they can quickly and accurately tell the difference between well cut and poorly cut diamonds.

The other big change has been the wide spread use of diamond grading reports, which have become a "must have" part of the diamond transaction. Even with these changes in the diamond buying process, a diamond's Cut can still be a minefield of misinformation and confusion. Just because a diamond has a grading report it does not guarantee that the diamond will be beautiful. When considering a diamond that comes with a grading report, it is best if you only accept diamond grading reports that come from GIA, AGSL, or GCAL. These diamond grading reports do have a Cut grade that can be trusted and that can be used to compare with other diamonds. The topic of diamond grading reports can be pretty involved and there are times that you can depart from this general rule.

What's a consumer to do?

Information will be an important part of any diamond buying process but there is also another element that must not be overlooked. That element? Trust. Just imagine the process everyone should go through when considering buying some diamond jewelry from a local jewelry store. You would want to consider a local jeweler who others have recommended, who has experience, who is a Gemologist, who is located in proper jewelry store, who will spend time with you, and who will freely give you the information that you will need to make an informed decision.

This same type of criteria should also apply to anything you encounter in the online world of diamonds. I am amazed by the amount of incorrect information about diamonds that exists on the Internet. The people dispensing this misinformation are saying that they can save you 70% or $2,987.43 on your next diamond purchase and at the same time they are trying to sell you their new e-book "The Diamond Secrets that jewelers don't want you to know!" for $97.

Would you buy a diamond from somebody who has set up a tent at the corner next to the gas station? This is the same tent that just last week had big banners stating "Information On How To Save $$ on Cell Phones" but now those banners say "Information On How To Save $$ on Diamonds!". If you enter the tent, they don't bother telling you any reason why you should believe anything that they have to say. There are probably some pretty pictures and some bright lights in there. If you can find their "About Us" button and you click on it... up pops "We are committed to bringing you the best diamond buying information". OK, that's nice... but what does it mean? Who is "we"?, what experience does "we" have in the jewelry business?, does "we" have any experience in actually buying and selling diamonds, why should you believe a single word that "we" has to say?, and do you have any reason to trust "we"?

Don't stray too far off the path!

In the search for the right diamond or piece of diamond jewelry it is always best not to be distracted by the siren's song of low prices. You generally get what you pay for. Your local retail diamond jewelry store might have higher diamond prices (maybe they might be able to match online diamond prices!) but they also have diamonds that you can see before you buy, they might have a good trade up program, they might offer a free appraisal, they might offer free checkups / cleanings, they might offer free ring sizings, they might offer lifetime damage or loss guarantees, and a diamond purchased from them could have the added cachet of being a piece of diamond jewelry from Tiffany verses a piece of diamond jewelry from super-ultra-dirt-cheap-diamonds.com.

The online diamond retailers do offer an attractive alternative to traditional diamond retail jewelry stores. Online diamond retailers do offer quality diamonds at good prices along with being able to set the diamond into a basic mounting but it will require more work on your part along with making a purchase of a product sight unseen. Because this type of purchase will be a blind transaction... trust in your basic diamond knowledge along with trust in the company you are dealing with will be essential.

Start and stick with the basics! The 4Cs and trust.

By Bud Boland

Diamonds - Interesting Facts

Diamonds are the symbol that we use to show are undying love for someone. They are the traditional icon of romance and love. Most people may be surprised to learn that the majority of diamonds that are mined today are used for industrial purposes and not for jewelry.

Historians believe that diamonds may have first been used for industrial purposes not for their brilliant sparkle and allure. Peter Lu a Harvard physicist and his colleagues discovered that in the late Stone Age the Chinese used diamonds to polish ceremonial burial axes. Today about 80% of mined diamonds are used for cutting, drilling, grinding and polishing.

Most people might be surprised to know that diamonds are not the hardest substance on Earth. Diamonds are the hardest natural mineral substance, but they are not the hardest substance known to man. A substance called Aggregated Diamond Nonorods is about 11 % harder than a diamond.

The first diamonds were discovered by Indians over 3,000 years ago. Diamonds didn't get associated with love and romance until the 1940's when the De Beers Company began to advertise diamonds as the perfect item for a wedding or engagement rings. They did an all out media campaign and soon people were buying diamond engagement rings all over the world.

It is believed that most diamonds are over three billion years old and most are formed more than 100 miles below the surface of the earth. Before the sixth century, India was the only known source of diamonds and was the predominant source for over 2,000 years.

The Romans believed that diamonds had the power to ward off evil and wore them as talismans. It is believed that they inherited this belief from Indian mythology. In France in the thirteenth century it was decreed that only the king could wear diamonds.

The Gemological Institute of America was founded in the 1950's. It was the first internationally accepted diamond grading system. This system applied uniform criteria to grading the quality of polished diamonds. The GIA Gem Trade Laboratory Diamond Grading Report is the benchmark for the international gem and jewelry industry.

The Cullinan diamond was the largest rough diamond ever found and was 3,106 carats. It was discover in the Premier mine of South Africa in 1905.It was cut into nine major stones. The largest of the stones is the Star of Africa and is 550.20 carats. It is housed in the Tower of London and mounted in the British Royal Scepter. The most recent diamond discoveries have been in the Northwest Territories of Canada and in Colorado. Explorers found diamond pipes in both locations in 1990.

It wasn't until the late 13th century that diamonds were used in European jewelry. Diamonds were initially used for engraving other gems including sapphire cameos. They were also used for drilling holes in hard stone beads.

Diamonds have been around forever and are cherished by all. Diamonds have an exciting and lively history. These are just a few of the fascinating facts associated with diamonds.

By Lawrence Reaves

Tips For Buying Diamond Eternity Rings

Most women love receiving jewelry for a gift on just about any occasion. There are times, however, when only diamond eternity rings will do. These diamond rings are typically given as anniversary gifts or other occasions.

What makes diamond eternity rings different is the fact that the diamonds go all the way around the band. These bands of gold and diamonds are perfect for "stacking" which means a lady can sport two or more of these on one hand.

When purchasing diamond eternity rings be sure to do everything that you would normally do while diamond shopping. The Cs, which are cut, color, clarity and carat weight will tell you if you are purchasing diamonds that are worth the money that you are spending. The fact that you are buying a ring with smaller stones all the way around the band should not deter you from looking into the quality of the stones.

The cut of a diamond is all about the shape. Round diamonds will offer more sparkle and shine to the diamonds. The choice of cuts whether it be round, princess cut or any of the other shapes is normally contingent upon personal preference.

The color refers to how much yellow tint your diamond eternity rings will have. The levels are categorized by letters with D being colorless. The tint will be more the higher up the alphabet you go.

Clarity is how many imperfections one can see with the naked eye. There various levels to this as well and if you are choosing diamond eternity rings based on clarity you will want to look at a scale at your jeweler to see what your options are.

Carat weight is exactly what it says. This is how much the diamond weighs. Most diamond eternity rings will have smaller diamonds that are either channel set or prong set around the entire ring. The combined total weight of all the diamonds will determine how much carat weight you have.

Diamond eternity rings are normally given to women on their wedding anniversaries but in today's world, there are more and more bride who love the look and feel of these bands and are opting to use them for
wedding bands.

By Rich Keys