A woman’s love affair with diamonds has survived the decades. So what is it about diamonds that are so captivating, and why do women still covet them so much? Is it their association with romantic love, their rarity, value, or how they delicately reflect the light or just the sparkle of the diamond?
How do you choose your perfect diamond, and where?
For years, if you were not given an introduction to someone who worked in the trade, your only option was to purchase a diamond already set into a jewellery piece from your high street jewellers. Most diamonds were not certified, and you bought on the retailer’s trust.
How times have changed
Today there are many more options for buying online and finished diamond jewellery. In most instances, the seller sells on price rather than the beauty of the stone, and you no longer need to be an experienced jeweller to become a dealer. Some of the largest internet diamond sites are owned by financiers and bankers.
To purchase a diamond online, you must research; you will read about the diamond 4C’s cut, colour, clarity and carat weight. You might even read further into the diamond’s symmetry measurements, the diamond-like depth, girdle thickness and table percentages.
You will become a diamond expert and decide on the stone you wish to purchase. You will have selected what size of diamond you can afford, together with its colour and clarity, and then set about as if you were buying a television online to see who was selling the diamond for the best price.
But here is the difference
You are not buying a television that will be the same at every establishment you visit. A diamond is not a typical purchase; no two diamonds worldwide are identical. Each one has unique characteristics that will make it sparkle more or less.
Maybe this is not an issue for you, and you are happy to purchase in this way, but for me, and yes, you can call me old-fashioned, a diamond should be bought by what you see and not just by what you read.
There is nothing wrong with researching, but to become a diamond expert in a matter of hours is impossible; it takes years. I have been selling diamonds for over 35 years and still do not know everything there is to know.
Peace of mind
When I work individually with each of my clients, the choice of diamonds that I propose are GIA certificated, and all fit comfortably within budget. They are a minimum of eye clean and white, and they can then choose comfortably between which diamond sparkles the most to them.
I advise buying your diamonds and jewellery from a diamond and jewellery expert.
