Diamond Buying Guide

1. See THE FOUR C's section of our website.

2. Next buy the stone loose. Prongs can cover up inclusions so always look at the stone unset.

3. Cut is the most important of the 4 C's. The cut is the craftsmanship applied in cutting the facets of the stone. A great diamond cutter will cut the diamond to make the best use of light. When a diamond has proper proportions, light is reflected from facet to facet and then dispersed through the crown of the diamond. If a diamond is cut too deep, light will escape through the sides and it will look dark in the center. It will also look smaller than it should. If the diamond is cut too shallow, the light will escape through the bottom of the stone before it can be reflected. The shallow cut diamond is sometimes referred to as a fish eye and will look bigger than it is but will have a watery appearance. Remember a well cut diamond is a brilliant diamond.

4. You might be able to get a good deal on a diamond on-line but it will take a lot of luck. Buying a diamond by comparing certificates is like picking out your wife-to-be from a license photo. Think about it. You will see a lot of stones on-line with the exact same details and the price can vary by 75%. I don't know about you but that scares me. How can the same color and clarity and certificate be so far off in price? Grading is subjective. For example, an SI1 could have a black cluster of inclusions in the center of the diamond or a white inclusion off to the side. Of course, I would rather have a white inclusion off to the side and that is why that stone would be higher priced. Also, you need to compare diamonds side by side. The certificates are great but the eye doesn't lie.

5. Certificates in my opinion are the most accurate and they are available from the GIA & AGS. I think that the EGL certificates are good but not as strict as the other two. EGL NY seems to be the strictest of the EGL family. EGL Israel I find to be very lenient in their grading. If you have a GIA or AGS cert with the same grade as an EGL NY cert., the EGL will be roughly 20% cheaper.

6. Once you settle on a diamond, mounting, etc., ask some questions. For instance, how does your warranty work? What is your trade-in policy? Is there a 30 day cash refund? Are there GIA Graduated Gemologists on staff?