5 Diamond Buying Mistakes

Posted on Wednesday, July 8th, 2020 in Diamond, Engagement Rings.


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Whether you’re searching for a diamond engagement ring or are considering purchasing another type of jewelry, shopping for diamonds is fun and exciting. These gems offer a beauty and sparkle that is incomparable to any other gemstone.

For both sentimental and monetary reasons, buying a diamond is often one of the biggest purchases you’ll make in your lifetime. That’s why you’re going to want to make sure you have a basic understanding of these gorgeous gems and avoid making one of these five diamond buying mistakes.

  1. Buying online. Some individuals think that buying a diamond online is the easiest, most affordable option. But that’s often not the case. When you purchase a diamond online, you’re going to have to put in more effort making sure you get exactly what you expect and don’t fall prey to a diamond selling scam. Do you have the tools and education needed to verify that the diamond you paid for is the color, cut, clarity, and carat weight that you expected it to be? If not, you’ll have to seek out an experienced gemologist to verify the quality if you want to make sure you received the right diamond. And if you think that you’ll find a better deal on diamonds online, you might want to guess again. Oftentimes, the diamonds listed online are the ones that jewelers have already seen and disregarded, meaning that there’s a good reason why those jewelers decided not to purchase it. So when you see a low priced diamond online, it’s often because that diamond has some type of undesirable characteristic bringing down its cost.
  2. Paying too much attention to the cert. A diamond certification (also known as a diamond report) is a document that lists the quality characteristics of a particular diamond, including its cut, color, clarity, and carat weight. These quality characteristics help determine the value of a diamond, but they don’t tell its full story. Two diamonds can have the same cut, color, clarity, and carat weight but still look different from one another. That’s because no two diamonds are exactly alike. In addition, a diamond’s quality grade can be influenced by the experience and strictness of the diamond grader. One diamond grader who has more experience grading diamonds and is uncompromising when it comes to where a diamond lands on the grading scale might grade a diamond differently than someone with less experience who may be more lenient on a diamond’s grade. And even when you ignore the possible grading differences between two gemologists, there are still other factors besides the cut, clarity, color, and carat weight that can affect a diamond’s appearance. So even though it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the 4 C’s when purchasing a diamond, it’s also important to judge the beauty of a diamond based on how it looks and appeals to you and not based solely on its grading certificate.
  3. Not comparing diamonds. Since the grading report won’t tell the full story of a diamond, it’s always a good idea to look at and compare several diamonds in person. It’s only when you look at multiple diamonds at the same time that you get to really notice the difference between diamonds that may have similar quality characteristics. Typically, one diamond will stand out from the rest.
  4. Not working with a diamond buying expert. When you purchase something as significant as a diamond, you’re going to want to make sure you know as much information as possible to ensure you’re getting the best value for what you pay. That’s why it’s a good idea to work with someone who has a lot of experience working with and purchasing diamonds because they’ll be able to educate you on which diamonds are the most appealing and which ones should be avoided. They’ll take the time to understand what type of diamond you’re looking for and will search through hundreds of diamonds to find the best options within your budget.
  5. Not purchasing the diamond from a reputable, local jewelry store. Diamonds may last forever, but they still require some maintenance. And a local jeweler will be there for you when the time comes for your diamond to be cleaned, tightened, and checked. Oftentimes when you purchase the diamond from a local jewelry store, they’ll offer these services as a courtesy. They’ll be there for you if you accidentally lose a diamond, want to upgrade your existing diamond, or just want to have a chat. And when you shop at a store close to you, you’re putting money back into your local community, which helps create more funds for schools, roads, parks, and beneficial local programs. A win-win!