Whiteflash-Diamond Playground

From Industry Watch - Like “Happy Holidays,” and “Guaranteed delivery before Dec. 25,” the phrase, “Will you marry me?” will be a familiar refrain this time of year. According to the marriage Web site “The Knot,” about 40 percent of couples get engaged between the holiday months of November and February. This means soon-to-be bridegrooms must face the often daunting task of choosing an engagement ring. To help these and other holiday diamond buyers, the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) has launched its first-ever, national information campaign to help educate the public about diamonds.  GIA invented the famous Four Cs of diamond grading, as well as the International Diamond Grading System™ and is known as “the world’s foremost authority in gemology.” The campaign, called “The Difference Between Wondering and Knowing,” directs people to a new Web site, www.gia4cs.gia.edu that is full of accurate information on diamonds and how to go about knowing, not hoping, they’re buying the right diamond.

Here are six quick tips for people thinking about buying diamonds:

Tip 1: Choose a qualified jeweler. Choose your jeweler as you would choose your doctor, lawyer or any other professional. Ask your friends and colleagues. Find someone who is a trained gemologist, such as a jeweler who is a GIA Graduate Gemologist or GIA Accredited Jewelry Professional or has such a person on staff, and is affiliated with jewelry industry groups and professional associations.

Tip 2: Do your research. Besides the ‘Difference Between Wondering and Knowing’ Web site at www.gia4c.gia.edu, GIA’s own home Web site at www.gia.edu holds a wealth of useful information on diamonds, pearls and other gemstones, including one tutorial on diamonds and another on colored gemstones. Information from these Web sites will help the public be able to speak the language (the Four Cs) of diamonds with the jeweler and to compare different diamonds.

Tip 3: Learn the “Four Cs” of diamond quality. The key to a diamond’s value is its rarity. While all diamonds are rare, no two diamonds are alike. Rarity is determined by a diamond’s unique combination of characteristics, and these distinct individual elements are measured by the Four Cs. Using these criteria, a small diamond of exceptional quality can be more valuable than a larger diamond of lower quality.

Carat: Diamonds are weighed using metric carats. A carat weighs about the same as a small paper clip. Just as a dollar is divided into 100 pennies, a carat is divided into 100 “points.” This means a diamond of 50 points weighs 0.50 carats.

Clarity: Created by nature, most diamonds contain unique birthmarks called “inclusions” (internal) and “blemishes” (external).�Diamonds with few birthmarks are rare — and rarity translates to cost. Using the GIA International Diamond Grading System, diamonds are given a clarity grade that ranges from flawless, to diamonds with more prominent inclusions.

Color: Colorless diamonds are extremely rare and highly valued. Most are nearly colorless with yellow or brown tints. The GIA Diamond Grading System uses letters to represent colors, beginning with D (colorless) and ending at Z (light yellow or brown). “Fancy colored diamonds” are also very rare and have their own coloring system.

Cut: While diamonds come in many different shapes, from round brilliants to hearts, pears and marquise, the term “cut” deals with proportions. The well-cut diamond uses light to create brilliance, sparkles and flashes.

Tip 4: Insist that your jeweler provide an independent diamond grading report for your diamond. This will ensure you know the exact gemological quality of the diamond you are considering. Is it a natural diamond? Has it been treated? What are the quality ratings for each of the Four Cs?

Tip 5: Keep your purchase secure. Have your diamond appraised and insured. A diamond grading report describes the precise gemological quality of your diamond, while an appraiser can put a monetary value to the stone. You can also arrange to have a personal message or the diamond’s unique GIA Diamond Grading Report number laser-inscribed onto the diamond’s outer edge, called the girdle, to ensure it is your diamond if it’s ever lost or stolen.

Tip 6: If you’re unsure of what your love would like best in an engagement ring, buy the stone loose (without the ring). Then go out and buy the mounting together. Be sure to get a diamond grading report with the loose stone. If you’re concerned about anything at all, even an unexpected answer to your question, get a receipt from the jeweler detailing all representations and request a 30-day guarantee that lets you return the stone or ring for cash, rather than store credit.

The “Difference between Wondering and Knowing,” campaign points out that without information and help from experts, the average member of the general public won’t know the difference between a natural diamond, a synthetic diamond or a treated diamond, or even the most important aspects of a diamond. GIA wants people to know the Institute has the information, the experts, the willingness and the ability to help them.

In addition to the campaign’s newly created Web site to gather information on diamonds, the public will also see print and online ads in national publications with the headline “No matter how closely you look, you simply won’t see what we see,” which illustrates the Four Cs.

Like true love, a diamond’s light and brilliance will not diminish with time. To learn more about diamonds, visit the Web site www.gia4cs.gia.edu, GIA’s own home site at www.gia.edu and then contact your jeweler.