|
When shopping for a diamond, it should be a pleasant, well-informed experience and most importantly, enjoyable. At Fontana Jeweler, we educate you on the diamond buying process and disclose all of the different aspects about the diamond. We never rush the diamond shopping experience, as our number one concern is to find you a beautiful diamond at a price and size that meets your budget. Even when an aspect is less than ideal or there’s quality that lowers the value of the diamond, it is disclosed. Selecting a diamond graded a step down the clarity or color scale will allow you to afford a larger diamond. Everyone’s preferences are different and our priority is to listen carefully to carry out your requests. We take some of the seemingly complicated aspects about diamonds and explain them simply to you.
One thing you may notice when diamond shopping on the web is with one company they will have several one carat diamonds with the same color, clarity, carat weight and cut. The interesting part is that on paper they all seem the same however, some are less in price. Why is this? Some reasons are because of other factors than the four C’s.
One property is called Fluorescence; the diamonds ability to exhibit color under ultraviolet light, color not visible under ordinary light. This property can do one of two things, one creating a hazy smudged look in a diamond. You may think your diamond just does not sparkle as it should. Two; it may make a diamond look whiter than it really is. If you had the choice of a diamond that had fluorescence I would look at other options. Diamonds with strong fluorescence can be purchased at a discount. I have found that most consumers look at the four C’s only and ignore other aspects, a problem that usually ends in not getting the best value. For example, store A has a 1.00 carat round brilliant cut diamond, SI(2) clarity, H in color, excellent round brilliant cut with strong fluorescence for $3,700.00. Store B has exactly the same diamond but without fluorescence for $3,850.00. Sadly, most consumers buy store A’s, thinking it’s a better value with the lower price even though it’s most likely store A’s diamond is overpriced due to fluorescence. The smarter choice and value would have been to spend a little more and have a better value combined with a finer quality diamond. It is very important to purchase from whom you trust, and not someone on commission just trying to make a sale. At Fontana Jeweler, your satisfaction is very important to us.
Another aspect that can have a strong impact on the value of a diamond is the type of certification that accompanies the diamond. A diamond certification is a document from an independent diamond certification laboratory. There are many, some very well known like the Gemological Institute of America. Another common mistake is for a consumer to put 100% of their trust into a diamond certificate. It’s important to remember that laboratory grading is an opinion of the gemologist performing the examination of the diamond. Some gemologists are stricter with the grading of diamonds than others. Remember even poor diamonds come with certification. Here at Fontana Jeweler, when we select a diamond from a diamond dealer or import a diamond, we ask our supplier to give a second re-evaluation of the diamond and its certification. At times there are disagreements about how fairly the diamond was graded. Only if the value corresponds with strict grading do we have the diamond available to show our client. When the diamond arrives here at the store, our staff evaluates the diamond, then finally with our client, we evaluate once again. It is very important to us that are clients are getting exactly what they are paying for. We have seen several times customers comparing diamonds with store A’s diamond having visible inclusions clarity rated SI(2). and store B’s diamond with the same rating and no visible inclusions. In this case even though they are rated the same, store A’s diamond would have a much less value. It is our commitment that if there is a certain property with a diamond that affects its value it will reflect to our clients is the final cost of the diamond. Some jewelers hunt for certified diamonds that have been padded in their certifications. The reasoning is, if the certification states a fine quality, the customer might make a purchase solely on that. This method puts extra profit into the jewelry store and a diamond that appears better than reality on their hand. Handling a diamond purchase like this is dishonest. In the future if the customer were to resell the diamond and they found out that the diamond was poorly graded than the original seller’s reputation could be damaged.
Diamonds of all clarity grades have inclusions. Even flawless diamonds under enough magnification have inclusions. Diamonds are graded at 10x or ten times your eyesight. When it comes to inclusions they can be black, white, or cloudy, like a feather or even a gas bubble. Although none are desirable, a white inclusion would be more desirable than a black one. Where the inclusions are located in the diamond are very important. If a diamond has an inclusion in the center of the table this would not be as desirable as one that could be hidden under a prong. Some inclusions can be in a location in the diamond that reflects around inside the diamond. All of these factors play a large part in the value of the diamond.
Another aspect with diamond value is cut. An extremely well cut diamond takes much more time than a fair cut diamond and commands a much higher price. Ideal cut diamonds or diamonds that exhibit hearts and arrows because of perfect alignment of facets are some of the best available.
At Fontana Jeweler we offer both ideal cut diamonds and hearts and arrows diamonds. A consumer may be looking at two diamonds side by side with all grading factors being the same. The interesting part might be that one diamond seems to out-sparkle the other. Why? One reason is, even with both diamonds cut graded as very good, the slight error in cutting with one made a bigger affect on the diamond’s brilliance. This is why you may want to compare with more than one diamond. Diamonds that are cut fat or deep, the weight is through the depth of the diamond, which commands much lower prices. You may have two identical diamonds in weight; one cut deep, one not. The deep one will look smaller than it should.
I have seen instances where two ladies each have a 1.00 carat diamond and one wonders why her diamond looks visibly smaller. Most likely her husband shopped for a diamond and paid a lot of attention to carat weight and price only. The sad part is, he paid for a 1.00 carat and purchased a diamond that looks like a ¾ carat. It would be a mistake to purchase a diamond where a lot of the carat weight is in the depth of the diamond, proportion is important. Sometimes diamonds are cut outside the ideal margins giving them a larger look for their carat weight with a shallower depth. This usually results in loss of light reflection and brilliance. In some instances a customer may choose a diamond like this because they are purchasing a diamond that looks larger than what it weighs. This may be acceptable as long as the brilliance is not affected by a large amount. These diamonds are available but require expert advice and understanding before a purchase.
We will educate you and inform you on every aspect of diamond buying. Here at Fontana Jeweler we take the worry out of diamond shopping. At Fontana Jeweler we understand your diamond goals and budget. We will work with you to find you the perfect diamond. We promise to make it a fun, pleasurable experience with value automatically included.
|