Diamond Scams

When it comes to diamonds, there are numerous scams to avoid. Most scams are

minor, but there are some major ones that come up from time to time concerning the

buying and selling of diamonds. Scams occur simply because most people who buy

diamonds – for whatever reasons – don’t know that much about diamonds. Therefore,

they are easily fooled.

A common scam that most jewelry stores participate in is the Carat Total Weight scam.

The tag on the piece of jewelry, usually a ring, only states the total carat weight of all

diamonds in the piece, instead of listing the total weights separately for each diamond.

This leads consumers to believe that the main diamond in the piece is actually bigger than it

is. Ask what the total carat weight of the center stone is. Also beware of fractions. Jewelry

stores are allowed to round off diamond weights. This means that if the jeweler tells

you that it is a ¾ carat diamond, it is probably between ½ and ¾ carat – but closer to ¾.

Jewelry stores often run ‘fluorescence’ scams to varying degrees. Referring to a

diamond as a blue-white diamond is such a scam. A blue-white diamond sounds very

unique and special, but in fact, this type of diamond is of lesser quality – even though

the jeweler will try to make you think you are getting something special. Jewelry stores

also like to show their diamonds in bright lights. Lights make diamonds shine. Ask

to see the diamond in a different, darker type of lighting as well.

Some truly unscrupulous jewelers target those who want appraisals on diamonds

that were given to them as gifts or that were purchased elsewhere. They will try to tell you

that the diamond is worthless, or worth less than it actually is worth – and offer to take it

off your hands or trade it for a much better diamond, along with the cash to make up the difference. This is called low balling. Get a second, third, and even a forth opinion

before taking any action.

Another common dirty trick is to switch the diamond you have chosen and paid for with

one of lesser quality and value when you leave it to be set in a piece of jewelry, or

leave a diamond ring to be sized. The only way to avoid this is to do business with one

trustworthy jeweler. Avoid jewelers that you have not done business with in the past.

There are many more scams that jewelry stores commonly pull on unsuspecting

consumers. Just use your best judgment, and purchase your diamonds with the

utmost care and consideration.

How to Buy a Diamond

Diamond Facts

The first diamonds were mined in India, more than 2800 years ago.  The diamonds that we find today are all extremely old.  In fact, most are 900 million years old or more, with the oldest known diamond being 3.2 billion years old.  Like snowflakes, each diamond is entirely unique.  There are no two diamonds that are exactly the same.

There are many things to consider when learning how to buy a diamond, and you should never rush into buying a diamond without first doing a little research as to how the diamonds are priced.

The “4 C's”

Everyone has many things to consider when determining how to buy a diamond.  All around the world, jewelers use the “4 C's” as a way of describing the value of a diamond.  If you want to learn how to buy a diamond, you need to learn exactly what the 4 C's are, and how each aspect contributes to the value of the diamond.

The 4 C's are Cut, Clarity, Carats and Color. 

How to Buy a Diamond based on Cut: The cut of a diamond describes how an artisan angles the gemstone to best reflect light through the diamond, causing it to sparkle.  A quality cut brings out the beauty of a diamond and makes it more valuable, while a poorly cut diamond will sell for less because it isn't as brilliant or shiny.

How to Buy a Diamond based on Clarity: The clarity of a diamond refers to how clear the diamond is when you look through it.  A perfect diamond is rare; most have inclusions and flaws, although many cannot be seen without magnification.  When looking at a diamond for clarity, look to see if there are dark spots inside the diamond.

How to Buy a Diamond based on Carats:  Larger diamonds cost more than smaller diamonds, even if the total carats of the diamonds are the same.  For example, a single one carat diamond will cost you more than three diamonds set in a ring that add up to one carat.  This is because larger diamonds are much more rare to find.  When diamonds are cut, they lose about half their size.

How to Buy a Diamond based on Color:  The actual color of a diamond is a personal preference.  But diamonds that are colorless, known as white diamonds are the most rare and therefore cost the most. Diamonds also come in different shades, including yellow, green, blue and pink, among others. 

Certificates and Appraisals

In addition to understanding what to look for in regards to the 4 C's when learning how to buy a diamond, you should also learn how to read certificates that describe details about the unmounted diamond and perhaps have any diamond you are interested in professionally appraised by an independent organization.  You may not want to accept the appraisal done by the jeweler for the simple fact that they are biased and may appraise the diamond for slightly higher than it's actual worth in order to gain more money for the sale of the diamond.

Judging Diamond Quality

What to Look For

If you want to begin judging diamond quality, you must first learn and understand the 4 C’s, which are four characteristics of diamonds that give the gem stone it’s overall value.  The 4 C’s for judging diamond quality include the diamonds color, clarity, carats and cut.

Judging Color

Most diamonds are considered to be ideal if they are transparent, or colorless.  Diamonds that are rated as colorless are the most expensive of diamonds.  The colors of diamonds are rated with an alphabet grading system that starts with “D” and ends with “Z”.  Completely colorless diamonds fall in the “D” and “E” grade, while colored, fancy diamonds are at the other end of the alphabet, at “Y” and “Z”. 

There are two main ways that jewelers’ use when judging diamond quality based on color.  They may pull out a set of reference stones, and find the closest match between the diamond and the reference stone to determine its letter grade.  Alternatively, the jeweler may use a colorimeter, which can electronically measure the color of the stone and determine its grade within 1/3 of a grade. 

Judging Clarity

The clarity of a diamond refers to whether or not the diamond is clear all the way through, or whether it has tiny flaws and cloudy areas within the gemstone.  It’s actually very rare to have a diamond with absolute perfect clarity and no flaws, but most diamond flaws are not visible to the naked eye and can only be seen with a magnifying device.

The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) uses a magnification of about 10x when judging diamond quality based on the clarity.  There are treatments available to make a diamond appear nicer than it actually is, and the treatments should lower the overall price of the diamond so it is important to do your research before purchasing a diamond to be sure you are not spending more money than you should.

Judging Carat Weight

Carat is the term we used to describe the weight of a diamond gemstone.  One carat is equivalent to 200 milligrams of weight.  A single diamond with a high amount of carat weight is more expensive than the equivalent amount of carats in multiple stones.  This is because finding the larger diamonds is much more rare of an occurrence.  So if you want a 2-carat diamond ring, for example, you may decide to go with a half-carat diamond surrounded by smaller diamonds that add up to one and a half carats to give you the total of 2 carats!  Judging diamond quality by the amount of carats is difficult, since different shaped gemstones, and stones with different levels of clarity will be priced differently even if they have the same amount of carats.

Judging Cut

One of the most important factors in judging diamond quality is judging the cut of a diamond.  It’s important because a quality cut diamond will be more brilliant and reflects light more beautifully, and yet the cut of a diamond has the least impact on the overall price of the diamond.

When judging diamond quality on the cut of a diamond, look at the stone in a well lit area.  If the light seems to go into the stone and bounce back, showing a sparkling reflective surface, the diamond has a good cut.  The angles and shapes of a diamond are important to judging diamond quality and the overall appearance of your diamond.

Diamond Clarity

What is Diamond Clarity?

Diamond clarity is the measure of flaws found in and on the outside of a diamond.  The less flawed a diamond is, the more value it has and the higher the price tag.  There are very few diamonds which can be categorized as having no flaws at all, however, most diamond flaws cannot be seen without magnification of at least 10 times.  Because issues with diamond clarity are often undetected when looking at a diamond, some people consider this to be one of the least of their concerns when selecting a diamond to purchase.

How is Diamond Clarity Determined?

The most well known measurement of diamond clarity is done by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).  It ranks diamonds based on a grading system it created that ranges from flawless diamonds, to imperfect diamonds, with many different grade ranges in between.  The better the clarity ranking, the more expensive a diamond will sell for as it has more value.

Types of Inclusions that Effect Diamond Clarity

Inclusions are flaws that effect diamond clarity.  They make it so that the diamond is not “perfect”, and there are visual imperfections within the gemstone.  Most flaws however, are un-noticeable to the naked eye and can only be seen under high levels of magnification.

There are names for many of the most common inclusions. Carbons effect diamond clarity because they are very small black dots found on the surface of a diamond, which may or may not be visible in regular lighting.  Some may be so small that you need magnification to view them. Pinpoints effect diamond clarity because they are white dots along the surface of a diamond. Pinpoints are the most common of all diamond flaws. Clouds effect diamond clarity because they cause what look to be cloudy areas within the gemstone.  The clouds are actually made up of many growths of crystals that are positioned very close together within the diamond, and their proximity to one another is what causes the cloudiness to appear.  Feathers effect diamond clarity by causing cracks to form within the diamond, that look similar to that of broken glass.

Clarity Enhancements

Diamond clarity flaws can often be fixed or reduced by using a variety of clarity enhancement treatments.  Some diamonds are painted, some get lasered in order to remove pinpoints and carbons, and some diamonds undergo a process by which tiny holes are drilled into the diamond in order to reach areas of inclusions within the gemstone, and then the cracks are later filled with molten glass.  Having enhancements done to improve diamond clarity decreases the overall value of the diamond, but can improve it's appearance.  Diamond certificates should indicate that enhancements were done on the diamond, so ask to see documentation before making a purchase.  While most enhancements just cause the diamond to look nicer, some may actually cause the diamond to be weaker, and more prone to breakage than a diamond that has not had any treatments.

Diamond Carat

What is Diamond Carat Weight?

When shopping for a diamond, you've no doubt heard references to the 4 C's of diamonds.  Diamond carat is one of those popular ”c's” to consider when evaluating a diamond, and it's a term used to describe how much the diamond weighs.  A single diamond carat is equal to the weight of 200 milligrams, or .2 grams.

Diamonds are described two different ways in regards to the diamond carat.  An abbreviation of “ct” is used to describe the weight of a single diamond stone while an abbreviation of “ct TW” is used when describing the total weight of an entire piece of jewelry- when it has more than one stone in place.

It's important to recognize that two stones may have the exact same carats, meaning they have the same weight measurement, and yet they are completely different in size and appearance.  This is due to the actual density of the gemstone.  The more dense a stone is, the more weight they have, and sometimes a smaller stone will actually weigh more than a larger stone because of density.

The Value of the Diamond is Effected by it's Weight.

When selecting your diamond ring, you can choose between a single, solitaire style setting (a single diamond on the ring) and a setting that has multiple, smaller stones to make up the ring.  The value of a solitaire one diamond carat will actually be more than if you buy a ring that has two diamonds that add up to one carat or greater. Larger sized diamonds are more rarely found when mining diamonds, making them more valuable and expensive than purchasing the same amount of diamond carats in smaller stones.

Selecting Diamond Carat

So how do you determine what size diamond to buy?  Do you want a diamond carat of 1, or 2, or do you want a ring with multiple, smaller stones?  The answer to this will depend greatly on your budget, as well as the person who will be wearing the ring. 

A diamond will look larger on a slender finger, so keep that in mind if the recipient of the ring has thin hands.  The actual diamond carat measurement is probably not as much of a concern as the appearance, shape, and setting of the ring.  Particularly because a 1 carat diamond ring will not look half the size of a 2 diamond carat ring, it's far more important to select a ring that is pleasing to look at than it is to buy one with the most carats you can afford.

Determine how much money you have to spend, and then decide on the cut of the diamond.  Once you have these two pieces of information narrowed down, you can start browsing the diamonds in your price range, in the style you want, and find out what diamond carat you are in the market to buy.

Diamond Color

Evaluating Diamond Color

What exactly is diamond color?  While most people think of the classic, transparent diamond, which happens to be the most rare and valuable, the colors of diamonds actually range from transparent all the way to a brownish color.  There are different saturations of diamond color, and tones. 

The Gemological Institute of America, known as the GIA for short, is the most commonly used system for evaluating diamond color.  They've created something known as the “GIA Color Grade Scale”, and it has placed a grading system on the many different colors and shades of diamonds, classifying into 22 letter grades. 

How Diamonds are Graded

The Gemological Institute of America has certified diamond color grades as “master color comparison” diamonds.  When a diamond is being graded, it is compared against these master color comparison grades, to find the shades that match it most closely.  The diamond that is being graded must be thoroughly cleaned and all oil must be removed from the surface before being examined, since even small amounts of dirt or oils on the surface of the diamond can alter the color. 

A line of master color comparison diamonds or shade chart is set up, with each grade placed about one inch apart, ranging from the lightest and highest graded D shade, to the darkest, graded Z diamonds.  The diamond color that is being graded is moved from the left side of the comparison units to the right, until it matches one of the shades.

Diamond grading should take place in a colorless environment, using a balanced fluorescent light source that has a filtered, cool white sun like ray.  The room where the grading takes place is dark, all except for the special grading light, in order to obtain the most accurate grading of the diamond color.

Fluorescence of Diamonds

Yet another consideration when considering the diamond color is diamond fluorescence, and how it will effect the actual appearance in the diamond color. Fluorescence causes some diamonds to change color when viewed in our everyday, ultraviolet lighting, as well as under fluorescent light bulbs. 

When a diamond color is graded, the strength of the fluorescence of that diamond must also be indicated.  It may be considered to be strong, moderate, or weak fluorescence, and the reports must also indicate what color the diamond will change to due to the fluorescence.   The reason for this is when people are in the jewelry store, looking at diamonds in the special lighting of the store, they may all appear to be the colorless, transparent diamonds.  When you purchase a diamond and get it home under normal lighting, you could find your diamond is yellowish in color!

You can ask your jeweler to provide grading documentation and information about the fluorescent value of a particular diamond before purchasing, to make sure that you will be happy with the diamond you buy.  Many jewelers also can show you the diamond under different lighting conditions, which will enable you to fully appreciate the beauty of the diamond before you buy it.  Some individuals like a diamond color with a darker shade, while others are insistent on the transparent diamond color.  The diamond color is one of personal preference, so be sure to do a little research before making your final selection.

Famous Diamonds

Around the world there are many diamonds that have been talked about or written about in various stories and official documents.  Famous diamonds are part of our world's history, and have been found in various parts of the world, by all types of people.  From royalty to the gods, famous diamonds are often as well known as the people who owned them.

For centuries diamonds, famous diamonds or otherwise, were used in the armor of warriors and the crowns of our kings and queens as a symbol of fearlessness. 

The Mountain of Light

One of the few oval shaped famous diamonds, the “mountain of light” was first mentioned in the year 1304.  It weighed an astounding 186 carats, and it is said that the diamond was set in the peacock throne of Shah Jehan as an eye of one of the peacock's.

During Queen Victoria's reign, the famous diamonds shape was altered a bit and it was recut to weigh 108.93 carats.  The diamond is currently one of the British Crown Jewels.

The Orloff

When the Orloff diamond was found, it was said that it weighed around 300 carats.  This gemstone of the famous diamonds is held at the Diamond Treasury of the former Soviet Union located in Moscow.

A story about the Orloff claims that the diamond was actually placed in the eye of a god, in the temple of Sri Rangen, which is how it became known as one of the world's famous diamonds.

The Regent

Before this incredibly large diamond of the famous diamonds was cut it weighed 410 carats!  Originally called “The Pitt”, after the English Prime Minister, William Pitt, it was cut into a rounded shape and consisted of more than 140 carats. 

In 1717, the diamond was sold to the Duke of Orleans, Regent of France.  It was then that the diamond was renamed “The Regent”.  When Louis XV had his coronation, the stone was set into his crown.

When the French Revolution ended, “The Regent” was owned by Napoleon Bonaparte, and was placed into the hilt of Bonaparte's sword.

Currently, the diamond is on display for all to enjoy in the Louvre.

The Blue Hope

The most well known of all famous diamonds, the Blue Hope is currently in the Smithsonian Institution located in the state of Washington.  It was owned by Louis XIV, and at the time was called “the blue diamond of the crown”. 

Sometime during the French Revolution, the Blue Hope diamond was stolen.  It was later found in London in the year 1830, where it was later purchased by Henry Philip Hope.  The blue hope diamond received it's name from this individual, as well as it's reputation for causing bad luck to those who owned it.  While Henry Philip Hope owned the precious blue diamond, each of his family  members died in extreme poverty. 

Continuing with the bad luck, a later owner of the Blue Hope, Mr. Edward McLean also lost many family members to poverty while he possessed the diamond.