Advice for Buying Diamonds & Sapphires
There are many purchases you and everyone else make everyday. You know how to choose bananas, how to pick a good steak, what kind of bread the kids like, who makes the best flat screen TVs, which cereal offers you the most fiber. But how many of us know what constitutes a great diamond? Sure some of us know the four C's - cut, carat, color, and clarity - of diamonds, but very few know what these words actually mean, and even fewer know how to implement their meaning when buying a diamond. Without information, it's easy to make a mistake buying something we know little to nothing about.
That's why we've put together a little primer on how you can avoid being taken to the cleaners when buying a diamond or sapphire, pink or otherwise!
Buy from a reputable source
With so much variety in the color of rare diamonds and sapphires, you can probably imagine how easy it would be to sold a bill of goods. Believe it or not, there are disreputable jewelers out there who would be happy to sell you a cubic zirconium as a diamond or a muscovite as a pink sapphire. And they will be happy to let you believe that you can get something for nothing.
Unfortunately, you get what you pay for, folks. You can tell who they are if they have as is policies, or very limited refund policies. Or if they give you the bum's rush, that's another sign of a jeweler you should be hesitant to trust. The Better Business Bureau is one place you can turn to check your instincts. Another place is to enter their company name into a search engine along with words like "complaints" and "avoid." One other way is what has come to be known as the fifth C of diamonds: certified as the genuine article.
Comparison shop
If you are in a hurry to buy a diamond or diamond sapphire ring, you make yourself out to be a mark for those who are unscrupulous. Your best protection, other than confirming the reputation of a jeweler first, is to take a considered approach. Don't let on that you're in a hurry. In fact, don't be! And not only that, be willing to shop several different retailers to compare their wares. And don't let a good salesperson snow you. Remember they know far more about jewelry and jewelry buyers than you ever will. That means you need to be careful, and comparison shop. Think about your decision, considering the various pieces and their prices against one another, the same as you would with any major purchase. Don't be wowed by the beauty. Take your time.
There's more to it than carats
As has been mentioned, there are four C's to selecting a diamond. If you focus on carat over the other criteria, you may well come by a large diamond for a low enough price. But again, you get what you pay for. The color may be off. Or there may be inclusions and imperfections that throw off the clarity. Or maybe the cut is irregular, a botched, asymmetrical job done by an apprentice somewhere. Short of buying stolen merchandise, in all honesty, this is the only way that you can seem to get a real diamond at a cut-rate price. It is possible to get a very large carat diamond for a very low price, but not without sacrificing a combination of the other three C's of diamond quality. And this is also true of pink sapphires and pink diamonds.
Under to the Right Light
High intensity lights make every diamond look better. Jewelry store designs could likely make a piece of a shattered windshield look like a gemstone. While this isn't fraud, after all, they are entitled to do all they can to entice a sale, you need to be on your guard. The less you know about jewelry, the more cautious you should be. You need to bear in mind that they are in fact out to sell you something - and you need to know that the best way to check the quality of a diamond or other stone like a pink sapphire, is in natural light. And since you are the customer, if they are unwilling to let you see the stone in more "honest" light, you should take that into account.
So, don't let the beauty in the eye of the beholder sway you. Let the real concerns of a large investment move you to consider and compare the pieces that you're perusing. And then buy the best diamond and pink sapphire jewelry you can afford. It's worth the investment of your time as well as your money.
