What is Wrong with Your Diamond?
The appraisal said it's an excellent stone - the site says it's an excellent diamond, why do you think your diamond is not like it's description? Was it a lot cheaper than what appeared like equivalent stones in other stores you'd visited?
We'll keep this short and sweet, as I've written numerous articles on diamond quality. Diamonds are appraised by human eyes. These are mostly good, but certificates can be like home buying surveys, very broad and actually tell you everything while telling you nothing!
If you are buying a stone from an online site, in most instances you are either doing it because you are looking for a deal or a cheap stone. You may believe that you will do no worse going down this route, than buying off the high street, and with some stores you'd probably be right. If you are going down the route of the most diamond for least money, carry on in that direction my friend. It is the best way. Lots of diamond descriptions will meet the criteria you've read are essential to have an attractive stone. Don't worry about the stone appearance, just focus on the paperwork.
If you care more about the quality of what you are buying, and by quality I mean overall appearance, you can't beat an individual helping you. Because a written stone appraisal doesn't tell the whole story. Sometimes it doesn't even get to Chapter 1.. And here's why;
- Individual vendors have already viewed what they are offering, and ruled out a lot. They can present the advantages and highlight any areas impacting value and explain why they steer clear of certain stones.
- It is possible to pay less for a diamond through a vendor than you will online.
- They can physically show and discuss the diamond in question.
The last point is pretty key here - you want to see your diamond in action! So if rather than keeping up with the Joneses you want to leave them with jaws hanging, you have to go personal.
Lockdown was interesting for selling diamonds, however we were still able to by trying to do more on the photo and video front. Let's take an oval commission we worked on earlier this year.. Ovals are pretty stones, but they can be problematic to cut, ending up with dark patches (often called the 'bow tie') towards the centre of the stone.
Here are the three ovals which I shortlisted for my client from their paper description;
- Dvs1 0.50ct Oval – 6.32mm x 4.5mm – Polish = Excellent – Symmetry = Excellent
- Evs1 0.52ct Oval – 6.2mm x 4.62mm – Polish = Excellent – Symmetry = Very Good
- Hvs2 0.59ct Oval – 6.29mm x 4.73mm – Polish = Excellent – Symmetry = Very Good
I'd checked out five diamonds for him. Two I'd already rejected, and from this trio I had a clear favourite, a runner up and one to avoid.. Two stones were the same cost, and one was slightly more expensive.
Potentially, just reading the descriptions, most people might be interested in the D. The proportions are nice, and it's excellent in polish and symmetry according to it's GIA appraisal. Then there is the E. Still a respectable size, and good colour. H? Well, it's not as good a colour as the other two, and VS2, so not so good - yes?
Actually, the H was my recommendation, and E runner up. The D I didn't recommend. Here's a visual why..
It's still difficult with a photograph to really put all the nuances of the stone together. Unless it is a really rubbish stone, diamonds reflect so much light that cameras often struggle to get a good image! These three videos were also helpful, as I was going for the negative points!
I was making the buying recommendations, which meant that rather than trying to retouch stones to look their best, I was doing my best to ensure that both their good and bad angles were visible. Too often when stones are submitted for viewing, it can be like for like off a fairly low starting point. I've highlighted this exercise because it was a nice example of where a stone can read like a good thing, and then when it's viewed - not be what was expected.
So, we've gone with the H. Lots to love about it, really well cut, best sparkle out of the three, looked the largest and still a very good shade of white. Cost wise, the D was the most expensive stone, not by a lot but more for it's paper report which didn't match up to the appearance. The H on closer inspection, is a much prettier stone and presented itself as a fantastic purchase for a ring. If this had been an online selection, his engagement ring would not look as wow as it does now!
The simple thing about choosing a diamond should be that it looks damn good. And from relying on an internet site, you are never going to achieve what you'd get working with an individual.
Looking to buy a diamond?
I'd not be doing my job properly if I didn't mention that we offer a diamond buying service, otherwise how would I know all this stuff? Or to see a few exceptional diamonds (with certificates we quite like) click here to buy online.