Diamond Ring Buying Guide?
Q.I found a great site on diamonds. It's at http://www.adexnet.com/main.htm They go into all areas of diamonds and explain the 4 C's better than anyone I've met.
A.I looked into both sites listed here and I take exception to the fact that they are highly informative, etc. In the first site, I found no in depth explanation of the 4 Cs, only a photo of four diamonds with a heading under each one (please correct me if I'm wrong). Under the heading GIA grading report--the explanation--they described it in one paragraph?! It took me months of study to understand it--but explain it one paragraph? Also, in another part of the site, they ask if you would "like" a grading report to accompany the diamond you're considering. I would never buy a diamond--that I hadn't seen--from anyone unless it came with a grading report. How in the world are you to know what you're buying? In the second site, for example, under the Color of diamonds, they state: "When subtle variations from D through F exist, and are measurable by a gemologist (using 10x magnification to map the stones interior), to all but a trained eye these stones appear perfect." I'm sorry, but even the most highly trained gemologists have trouble discerning color in diamonds--and it's not determined by a loupe. The GIA, the most respected gem lab and society in the world, in their manual states: "To grade color, fashioned diamonds are compared under controlled conditions to diamonds of known color, called master stones..." And even the GIA admits to making mistakes when it comes to color grading, which is why a stone may be evaluated twice and come back with two color grades. It takes the experts to decide--under controlled conditions--and even then, they may disagree. Another top gemologist, Renee Newman in "The Diamond Ring Buying Guide--How To Spot Value and Avoid Ripoffs" states, "Use comparison diamonds to determine a precise color grade. Even professional diamond graders realize that they cannot rely on their color memory. They need master stones." This is one of the reasons that you must be extremely careful when buying a diamond that you haven't seen. Make sure that it comes with a grading report from a respected gem lab, and make sure that the report has not been tampered with--and that your diamond is the same one that's evaluated on the report.
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