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Diamond Buying Guide

 

by Gurmeet Singh. (Reproduced from his article published on Baazee.com, now ebay.in, in Oct 2002 where he was working as Category Manager-Jewellery) 

Diamond Buying is an art and most of us start buying diamonds after doing some very basic research on the web. This is almost akin to learning swimming by correspondence. While we learn the basics of about much talked about 4 C’s Color, Clarity, Cut, Carat it’s just the tip of iceberg

Next Time you are buying diamonds, just focus on the points mentioned below and you will be able to Save upto 25%. To make it simpler, I’m bifurcating this article as Do’s and Don’ts of:
 
  1. Diamond Jewellery Buying (Non-Solitaire)
  2. Solitaire Buying (0.30 CT upwards)
Part A : Diamond Jewellery Buying (Non Solitaire): Do’s and Don’ts
In India, you will notice very strong regional preferences towards particular Diamond Color and Clarity  for e.g.
South India prefers IF, VVS and VS clarity diamonds with D, E, F, G color i.e. almost white. Rest of India, the most common Clarity / Color combination that you will find is SI / GH. Almost all brands maintain a very large inventory of this grade. In North India, you will also find acceptance of IJ and JK color (off white - towards yellow).
There is a huge cost variance possibility due to slight change in Diamond Color and Clarity. You can check this here with a live example.
 
So, next time you are buying Diamond Jewellery, start with the following:
 
  1. Select a design and Ask for the price of that item with VS/GH and SI/GH diamonds.
  2. Ensure that the CUT is good. This is the most critical thing when you are buying preset diamonds. Easier said than Done. As a layman, just look for the sparkle in the diamonds. If the sparkle is missing, the Diamond CUT is not good. Why should you be buying those diamonds?
  3. Now ask for any similar Diamond jewellery piece (may not be same design) with DEF color and one with IJ or JK color. Place your VS/GH or SI/GH jewellery piece along with VVS/DEF and VS-SI/ IJ or SI/JK. If you see a noticeable difference, then go with Higher Grade else settle for VS/GH or SI/GH. Trust me you will end up saving a lot of money. Just ensure that you select Sparkling Diamonds.
  4. Never accept manufacturer’s self certified Diamonds. Self certification has very little value. Always insist on a certificate by and Independent reputed lab such as IGI or EGL.
  5. Always buy Hallmarked Gold. India’s problem is adulterated Gold in the disguise of 100% Exchange / Money Back / Buy Back policies …. What if, the jeweler shuts the shop after a few years and you want to exchange your Jewellery?
  6. Ask for component level break-up i.e. cost of each stone type individually. In all likelihood, your Jeweler might refuse. That should ring the Alarm. Either he is selling diamond without complete knowledge or is hiding the details from you. Both of these situations are not in your favor.
  7. Incase you have liked any design and are not sure of its Fair Value and want to avoid overpaying, just try this absolutely free service, Fair Value Estimation.
I bet, Just follow these simple steps and Next time you are buying Diamond Jewellery, you would save anywhere between 15 to 30%. Isn’t that Diamond SALE !!!

 

Part B : Solitaire Buying - Do’s and Don’ts


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