Diamond Jewelry Buyer’s Guide

Diamond jewelry is among the most popular forms of jewelry. Commonly associated with romance, jewelry featuring diamonds is appreciated for its brilliance, style and meaning. Despite diamond jewelry’s popularity and constant presence in our society, picking the right piece is not as simple as what many might assume. Confronted with the nuances of contemporary styles and budgeting, not to mention personal tastes, it’s no wonder how diamond jewelry shoppers can feel overwhelmed when trying to find that perfect set of wedding bands, a ring or bracelet. As a result,  this Diamond Jewelry Buyers Guide will give you a sound understanding of what to look for when making a purchase. After all, buying diamond jewelry should be enjoyable!

Information to Choose And Buy Diamonds, Rings and Jewelry

Diamonds are not just a financial investment; they are also an emotional investment and one of the biggest decisions that couples make in their lives, next to buying a home.

If you are considering purchasing diamonds, you need to know some background on them. As the most sought after of jewels, the diamond buying process is a bit surprising to most people. Once diamonds are mined, they are sold on the market in single units as loose diamonds if they are intended to be used for jewelry.

Master jewelers than grade the diamonds and cut the diamond through a technique designed to bring out the fire in the diamond and maximize the diamonds clarity. Following this process, diamonds are then shipped to jewelry stores to be sold as mounted pieces or loose diamonds for custom jewelry.

Conflict Free Diamonds or Blood Diamonds

What are blood diamonds? Blood diamonds, also called conflict or conflict free diamonds, are mined in war torn countries by rebels to fund their conflict. The rebels grossly abuse human rights, often murdering and enslaving the local populations to mine the diamonds.
Diamonds are a Once in a Lifetime Purchase

After all, the average person buys a diamond only once or twice in his lifetime. However, you can still make a difference. When considering purchasing diamonds, remember that it is a once in a lifetime purchase and you want to make sure that you buy a conflict free diamond.

The Kimberly Process was created so that the diamond industry is obliged to write invoices of all diamond purchases that contain guarantees that the sold diamonds are conflict-free diamonds. Whereas before it was impossible to tell whether a diamond was conflict-free, the warranties now identify conflict-free diamonds from questionable diamonds.

The Buyer Beware

However, there are many diamond retailers that still do not issue warranties and therefore sell diamonds of questionable origins. Make sure to shop around and ask questions regarding the store’s policy against conflict diamonds. The first thing you can do is to not buy diamonds or diamond jewelry with no guarantees. The retailer, if abiding by the Kimberly Process, will not buy from suppliers who do not provide guarantees.

round cut diamonds Ask about every store’s policy on conflict diamonds as well. Buy only from those that have a clear firm policy.

Asking questions and making them produce copies of guarantees will not only ensure that you buy conflict-free diamonds but will also send them the message that consumers are becoming aware of the problem and would not buy from irresponsible stores. Check with the BBB.org if you have any doubts about a store’s reputation.

To maximize the pleasure of your purchasing experience, it’s helpful to develop a broad understanding of diamond jewelry, which includes a brief history and the basic questions you should answer before beginning your shopping trip. Afterward let’s look more closely at diamonds themselves with a review on the 4 Cs of diamond quality and conclude with a diamond jewelry glossary that will educate you on all the terms you need to know when researching your purchase.

The Four Cs of Diamonds

You will have many factors to consider when buying a diamond. Throughout the world, there is an established method that jewelers use as a way of describing the value of a diamond. The method is known as the 4 C’s of diamonds. If you are interested in understanding how to buy a diamond, it would help to know exactly what the Four C’s of Diamonds are and how each aspect of the diamond contributes to its value.

The 4 C’s of Diamonds represent Cut, Clarity, Carats and Color

How to Buy Diamonds based on Cut:

diamonds bullet Buying Diamonds based on Cut: The cut of a diamond is a description of how the diamond maker angles the gemstone in such a way as to best reflect light through the diamond, resulting in the diamond’s sparkle. A high quality cut enhances the innate beauty of a diamond and increases its value. A poorly cut diamond isn’t as brilliant or shiny and, therefore, will be less valuable.

How to Buy Diamonds based on Clarity:

diamonds bullet The clarity of a diamond involves looking at how clear the diamond is when you look through it. Most diamonds have inclusions and flaws and it is rare to find a perfect diamond. Flaws, however, cannot usually be seen without magnification. When purchasing a diamond for clarity, look for the presence of dark spots inside the diamond.

How to Buy Diamonds based on Carats:

diamonds bullet Carat defines the size of the diamond. Larger diamonds (those of a higher carat) will cost more than a cluster of smaller diamonds, even if the total carats of the diamond cluster are the same. This means that a single one-carat diamond will cost you more than three diamonds set in a ring that add up to one carat. The reason behind this is that larger diamonds are rarer than smaller diamonds. Unfortunately, this is impacted by the fact that, when diamonds are cut, they lose about half their size.

How to Buy Diamonds based on Color:

diamonds bullet The color of diamond you choose is entirely based upon your personal preference. Diamonds that are colorless, however, are the rarest and therefore cost more than other diamonds. Colorless diamonds are known as white diamonds. Diamonds also come in a variety of different hues, including yellow, green, blue and pink. There are even diamonds known as black diamonds.

Choosing the Ideal Diamond Setting

A diamond’s setting will enhance the stone’s appearance and delight the wearer. It will also ensure that it is mounted safely and securely.

Choosing the ideal setting will depend on the piece of jewelry, the diamond you’ve selected, and of course, your personal tastes and budget. Usually, there are two main decisions regardless of the type of jewelry you are creating – what type metal to choose and how the stone is to be secured in the mounting. This is another area where a very competent, well recommended (not just well advertised) jeweler can be of huge importance.

Putting It All Together – Diamond Stones, Setting and Budget

Now, it is time to put it all together to balance and prioritize which diamond qualities matter the most to your individual purchase.

First you should set your budget. We have all heard the “two to three months’ salary” guideline for an engagement ring, however only you can fairly assess your comfort level. With a more limited budget, we recommend investing as much of that budget as possible into the feature diamond in your jewelry. A better quality, larger diamond that could be reset in future years will continue to be a classic symbol of your love forever.

Decide the relative importance to you of size versus quality. Do you have a minimum specific size in mind? Do you want the largest stone or the best quality stone for your budget or somewhere in between? These decisions are far less daunting when you are sitting in front of your jeweler who can show you (and not just talk about) all your options.

July 1, 2011  Tags: blood diamonds, Buyer's Guide, Carats and Color, clarity, Diamond jewelry, Diamond Jewelry Buyer's Guide, The 4 C's of Diamonds represent Cut, The Four Cs of Diamonds  Posted in: Educations

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