Purchasing diamond jewelry is not just a trivial act of paying money for a jewelry piece which caught your fancy, but an event which requires a certain kind of preliminary preparation on the buyer’s part.
So what should we know before visiting a jewelry store to make a purchase? The Rough&Polished correspondent addressed this question to the experts of the Antwerp World Diamond Center.
According to what they say, it is utterly important for the buyer to find a jeweler who can offer a comfortable environment and whose knowledge of precious stones is good enough. First of all any buyer should be explained the significance of the so-called four Cs for a diamond, meaning carat, clarity, color and cut, since its price and consequently the price of the whole jewelry piece will depend exactly on these four values.
Any buyer should keep it in mind that he or she can buy a large-size diamond of low clarity or a small diamond of high clarity and high quality of color and cut.
The diamond’s shape is also important. Round-shaped diamonds are preferred by 75 percent of buyers, but unusually shaped diamonds are widely sought as well. Sometimes fancy diamonds look larger in comparison with traditional round-shaped diamonds although they are equal in carat weight. As a rule, a rare shape adds to the design of the whole piece.
A jewelry piece may be graced with a single diamond called “solitaire.”
First diamond jewelry pieces given by people to their significant others as gifts are usually engagement rings, but they also may take shape of necklaces, earrings, brooches and even cuff links and tie pins.
To avoid slip-ups when buying diamond jewelry the buyer may ask his vendor for a diamond grading report which is a document issued by experts of a qualified diamond laboratory minutely describing the four Cs as well as other distinctive features of the stone.
However, the diamond grading report does not include its price evaluation. To have it, the buyer should ask for a diamond appraisal report.
It is important to remember that some diamonds may be treated to improve or change their clarity and color. Such diamonds are priced differently compared with untreated stones and your vendor should inform you of the “esthetic” operation undergone by the stone.
The major part of diamonds were formed millions of years back deep under the Earth’s surface. However, today you may see in jewelry shopwindows not only natural diamonds but lab- or factory-made diamonds as well. Your vendor should let you know about it.
Besides, it is essential to understand that all the rough diamonds coming to the market in a legal way have the so-called Kimberley Certificates. This means that they have been mined outside conflict areas.
Retail vendors buying polished diamonds from appropriately reputed sellers in the Kimberley Process countries must guarantee that their stones are of no “conflict” origin.
Alex Shishlo, Editor of the Rough&Polished European Bureau in Brussels
