When shopping for something as important as a diamond, the choices can be overwhelming. Let’s face it, while diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, they aren’t for your everyday occasion, so there is a value placed on your purchase that’s not limited to price. Buying a diamond can be both an exciting and high-pressure situation.
While loose stones and diamond jewelry can be purchased everywhere from a custom jeweler to chain/department stores to warehouse clubs and even, increasingly, online, buying your stone/s from a high-quality jeweler offers many benefits not available at other places.
First of all, high-quality jewelry stores don’t just have sales people. They have diamond experts. Everyone knows about the 4Cs of buying a diamond (cut, color, clarity and carat) but not everyone knows how to accurately assess diamond grades and select the best one for the intended setting.
Sure, most diamonds, regardless of where you buy them come with a a grade report that reveals the 4Cs of that stone. But the beauty of a diamond is in its brilliance. Its sparkle. The way it reacts to light. That is something that not only should be seen in person, but evaluated by someone who knows what they’re looking at.
Because every diamond is truly unique, two stones with the same carat, cut, clarity and color grades can actually be very different. Cut, in particular, features subtle nuances of character that can missed by the untrained eye. The unique characteristics of the diamond affect its sparkle, and ultimately, its beauty and value.
Some cuts, for example, hold carat weight in the stone’s girdle instead of “face up,” meaning that if you’re merely focused on a diamond’s size, you could be getting a bigger stone, much of which can’t be seen. High carat weight does not always mean a larger looking diamond.
A high-quality jeweler can not only reveal subtle differences in a variety of stones — even two of the same cut — but can guide you through stone selection that ensures the most sparkle for the budget.
Stone shapes and settings wildly determine the brilliance of the final piece, so using an expert to identify an eye-clean diamond (vs. one under magnification) or who knows which setting color and design will enhance the shine can sometimes be as valuable as the stone grade itself.
While everyone wants the most sparkle for the money, there are no “deals” in diamonds. After all, they’re diamonds. If you’re looking to buy at a box store or online retailer because they seem to offer the same thing for less money, they don’t.
It’s true that luxury stores have overhead that online retailers don’t, and the expertise can be reflected in the final price, but you’re buying a diamond. That’s means you are recognizing or celebrating something special and you want the stone to be as perfect as possible.
Selecting and purchasing your stone from a high-end jeweler that thoroughly understands diamond cutting and has evaluated a variety of stones will ensure you know exactly what you’re buying.
M. Robinson Fine Jewelers offer certified diamond experts dedicated to serving you. Come see our extensive collection of luxury jewelry.