What you should know when buying fine diamond jewelry

HUTZLER BROTHERS would like to share some important things you should know whenbuying quality diamond jewelry. Periodically we willadd new tips and answer more questions in this guide.If your question has not been answered or if you need assistance in buying fine diamond jewelry, call us at (520) 743-0346. We'll be glad to help you.
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There aremany important considerations when purchasing diamond jewelry. Spend some time reading this guide and we assure you that the wisdom you gain willbe invaluable. We have listed many answers toquestions thatBuyersshould understandbefore making such a significantpurchase.
KNOW YOUR SELLERResearch your Seller to feel assecure as possible before makingyour purchase. What is the Seller's Feedback rating? How many transactions have they gepleted? What percentage of positive responses do they have? What do Buyers say in their Feedback? Did the Seller receive praise from the Buyer? The best okay Sellers operate like retail stores and have return policies. Does the Seller offer a money-back guarantee? What are the Sellers terms and conditions? The more you know about a Seller the more likely you are to select a good one.SELECT A TRUSTWORTHY JEWELERI've met withjewelers and gemologists across theworld forover 40 years. The secretto buying fine jewelry is to select a trustworthy jeweler. I've been going back to the same trusted jewelry manufacturers for well over20 years. I was first introduced to these jewelers at the International Jewelry Center in Los Angeles back in the early 80s. At that time, I leased office space in the building. My business was marketing geputer systems and services to Jewelers. The Building Manager was a personal friend and she introduced me to many of the business owners. When she said, "this is the best firm to buy diamond jewelry from" or "this is the best firm to buy pearls from", etcetera, I stored that information in the back of my mind for future reference.In late 1986, I purchased my first ring from a well known diamond importer and jewelry manufacturer in the International Jewelry Center. They sold me a beautiful emerald surrounded in a setting of 25 diamonds. I surprised my girlfriend with it for Christmas. You should have seen the look on her face! No one had ever given her anything so beautiful. She cried, put it on, and didn't take it off! In 1988, I decided that same young woman was exactly the woman I wanted to marry. She had four daughters and a son, ranging in ages from 4 years to 19 years. They were great kids and I was head over heels in love with their mother. So I again visited the jewelry makers at the International Jewelry Center. They helped me select a stunning engagement ring flanked with 4 large diamonds on each side of the showpiece diamond in the center. The wedding band has 9 large diamonds the same size as the diamonds on the engagement ring. On the eve of her eldest daughter's wedding I proposed and she accepted.In 1994, my wife and I had a stellar year. Our business was flourishing and everyday I was glad that I had such a great family! I wanted to show my wife my appreciation for her love and kindness to me. Again, I went to visit my jewelry manufacturing friends. Do you see a pattern? I purchased a beautiful ruby ring surrounded in baguette diamonds. I surprised my wife with this gorgeous ring for Christmas and needless to say she absolutely loves that ring! She has told me many times through the years that every time she thinks of me taking the time to plan buying her jewelry, talking about it with jewelers, examining each piece and then hiding it until the special day arrives, touches her heart because of the time I spent doing it. Over the years, many jewelers all over the world have gemented on the beauty of her jewelry. And our friendship and business relationship with these jewelry manufacturers continues to this day. Recently, we began sellingitems on okay. This started me thinking, why don't we sell high quality jewelry from our jewelry manufacturing friends? Late last year I met with jewelry manufacturers in the International Jewelry Center. I shared my idea of selling their jewelry on okay. They liked the idea and we entered into a business relationship. As a result of our many years of doing business together, we can now provide you with the jewelry of your dreams at a fraction of the retail price. And, if you don't see what you want, we can have a custom piece of jewelry made to match your every desire. Give us a try, you won't be disappointed. We back every piece of jewelry we sell with a money back guarantee. Now, you can purchase the fine jewelry of your dreams right here on okay.DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE BIDDING ON? Carefully read the details of the Sellers listing. Research your Seller, and understand how okay and PayPal protect you. If you want more information, ask by clicking the Ask Seller a question link under the Seller's profile.IS THE SELLER SUGGESTING YOU gePLETE THE PURCHASE OFF OF okay? Always make sure to geplete your transaction on okay (with a bid, Buy It Now, or Best Offer). Transactions conducted outside of okay are not covered by okay protection programs.If you are outbid on an Auction Listing and the Seller contacts you with a Second Chance offer, make sure you are talking and negotiating with the ACTUAL Seller. If the negotiations begee serious, again, make sure to geplete your transaction on okay.Never pay for your okay item using instant cash, wire transfer services through Western Union or MoneyGram. These payment methods are unsafe when paying someone you do not know.WHY DO SOME SELLERS LIST THEIR ITEMS AS PRIVATE LISTINGS?Often times a Seller will use a Private Listing for the Buyer's protection. A Private Listing will help a Buyer avoid being contacted by other folks trying to scam the Buyer. THIS IS GOOD.Some unscrupulous Sellers will use a Private Listing to hide the Bidders identity from other potential Buyers. Then the Seller will have a shill Bidder drive up the price of an Auction Listing by making bids. THIS IS BAD and gepletely against okay Policy.Shill Bidding is bidding that artificially increases an item's price or apparent desirability, or bidding by individuals with a level of access to the seller's item information not available to the general gemunity. Shill Bidding is prohibited on okay.Violations of okay's policy on Shill Bidding may result in a range of actions, including: Listing cancellation Forfeit of okay fees on cancelled listings Limits on account privileges Loss of PowerSeller status Account suspension Referral to Law EnforcementIf you think Shill Bidding is happening on an item you are bidding on, contact okay and ask them to investigate.WHAT IS A DIAMOND?A diamond is the hardest known natural material and one of the two best known forms (or allotropes) of carbon, whose hardness and high dispersion of light make it useful for jewelry and industrial applications. Diamonds are specifically renowned as a mineral with superlative physical qualities - they make excellent abrasives because they can be scratched only by other diamonds, Borazon, ultrahard fullerite, or aggregated diamond nanorods, which also means they hold a polish extremely well and retain luster. The name "diamond" derives from the ancient Greek adamas (invincible). They have been treasured as gemstones since their use as religious icons in India at least 2,500 years ago. The popularity of diamonds has risen since the 19th century because of increased supply, improved cutting and polishing techniques, growth in the world economy, and innovative and successful advertising campaigns. Diamonds are gemonly judged by the "four Cs": Carat, Clarity, Color, and Cut.Roughly 49% of diamonds originate from central and southern Africa, although significant sources of the mineral have been discovered in Canada, India, Russia, Brazil, and Australia. Diamonds are generally mined from volcanic pipes, which are deep in the Earth where the high pressure and temperature enables the formation of the crystals.WHAT ARE ENHANCED DIAMONDS OR DIAMOND ENHANCEMENTS? Enhanced diamonds are diamonds that have been enhanced by various treatments, performed on natural and sometimes synthetic diamonds (usually already cut and polished into gems), which are designed to improve the gemological characteristics - and therefore the value - of the stone in one or more ways. These include Clarity treatments such as laser drilling to remove inclusions, application of sealants to fill cracks, Color treatments to improve a white diamond's color grade, and treatments to give fancy color to a white or off-color diamond. The CIBJO, Confdration International de la Bijouterie, Joaillerie, Orfvrerie des Diamantes, Perles et Pierres), also known as the World Jewelry Confederation, and government agencies such as the U.S. Federal Trade gemission explicitly require the disclosure of most diamond treatments at the time of sale. Some treatments, particularly those applied to clarity, remain highly controversial within the industry - this arises from the traditional notion that a diamond holds a unique or "sacred" place among gemstones, and should not be treated too radically, if for no other reason than a fear of damaging consumer confidence. Treated diamonds usually trade at a significant discount to untreated diamonds. This is due to several factors, including relative scarcity - a much larger number of stones can be treated to reach gem quality than are found naturally occurring in a gem quality state - and the potential impermanent lasting effect of these treatments. Therefore, it is unusual to see a diamond with good overall gemological characteristics undergoing treatment. Diamonds which are chosen for treatment are usually those that would be otherwise difficult to sell as gem diamonds, where inclusions or fractures noticeably detract from the beauty of the diamond to even casual observers. In these cases, the loss in value due to treating the diamond is more than overgee by the value added by diminishing the obvious flaws. WHAT ARE THE FOUR C'S I HEAR PEOPLE TALK ABOUT?Diamonds are graded by what is referred to as the four C's:CARAT WEIGHTCLARITY COLORCUTThe four C's are the determining factors in a diamond's value. A diamond's value will increase or decrease as its Carat Weight, Clarity, Color and Cut vary.
CARAT WEIGHTCarat Weight measures the mass of a diamond. One Carat is defined as a fifth of a gram, or exactly 200 milligrams (about 0.007 ounce). The point unit-equal to one one-hundredth of a Carat (0.01 Carat, or 2 mg) is gemonly used for diamonds of less than one Carat. All else being equal, the value of a diamond increases exponentially in relation to Carat Weight, since larger diamonds are both rarer and more desirable for use as gemstones. The word Carat is used for gemstones or gems but gemonly for diamonds. The word derives from the Greek word keration (fruit of the carob) via Arabic and Italian. The fruit, Ceratonia silqua or carobtree, which is also called John's Bread from the notion that its pods, which resemble those of the "locust", constituted the food of John the Baptist. This fruit is shaped like a horn and has a sweet taste. It was and is used not only for fattening swine, but as an article of food by many people. In the past, different countries each had their own Carat, roughly equivalent to a carob seed (in effect carob seeds were used as weights on precision scales, because of their uniform size). However, in 1907 the metric carat of 200 milligrams was adopted, which is universally used today.CLARITYClarity is a measure of internal defects of a diamond called inclusions. Inclusions may be crystals of a foreign material or other structural imperfections such as tiny cracks that can appear whitish or cloudy. The number, size, color, relative location, orientation, and visibility of inclusions can all affect the relative Clarity of a diamond. The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and others have developed systems to grade clarity, which are generally based on those inclusions which are visible to a trained professionalwhen a diamond is viewed from above, under 10x magnification.
DIAMOND CLARITY SCALE
FL (FLawless) -Flawless Diamonds reveal no flaws on the surface or internally and are the rarest and most beautiful gems.
IF (Internally Flawless) - Internally Flawless Diamonds reveal no inclusions and only insignificant blemishes on the surface under 10x magnification.
VVS1 - VVS2 (Very, Very Slightly Included) - Very difficult to see inclusions under 10x magnification. These are excellent quality diamonds.
VS1 - VS2 (Very Slightly Included) -Only looking through a 10X loupe can a person pinpoint the inclusions in this category and are nearly impossible to see with the naked eye. These are less expensive than the VVS1 or VVS2 grades.
SI1 - SI3 (Slightly Included) - Diamonds with inclusions easily identified under 10x magnification. Finding flaws in this category with the naked eye is difficult. The gems in this category maintain their integrity, depending on the location of the inclusions.
I1 - I3 (Included) - Diamonds with inclusions which may or may not be easily seen by the naked eye. The flaws on the stones in this category will have some effect on the brilliance of the diamond.
COLORA chemically pure and structurally perfect diamond is perfectly transparent with no hue, or color. However, in reality almost no gem-sized natural diamond is absolutely perfect. The color of a diamond may be affected by chemical impurities and/or structural defects in the crystal lattice. Depending on the hue and intensity of a diamond's coloration, a diamond's color can either detract from or enhance its value.Most diamonds used as gemstones are basically transparent with little tint, or white diamonds. The most gemon impurity, nitrogen, replaces a small proportion of carbon atoms in a diamond's structure and causes a yellowish to brownish tint. This effect is present in almost all white diamonds; in only the rarest diamonds is the coloration due to this effect undetectable.Many experts name color as the number one consideration in choosing a diamond. A diamond's color is graded on an alphabetical scale from D-Z, with D being absolutely colorless and Z being light yellow. Beyond "Z", a diamond is considered to be an exotic or "Fancy" color.
DIAMOND COLOR SCALE
Colorless - D, E, F
Near Colorless - G, H, I, J
Faint Yellow - K, L, M
Very Light Yellow - N, O, P, Q, R
Light Yellow - S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z
Since color differences can be so subtle, they are impossible to determine by the untrained eye. To grade a diamond, gemologists often place it on a white background next to another diamond that has been previously graded.If all other factors are equal, the less color in a diamond or the higher color rating, the more valuable a diamond begees. Likewise, as the amount of color increases, the price of a diamond decreases (though this does not necessarily reduce the beauty of a diamond.) CUTDiamond cutting is the art and science of creating a gem-quality diamond out of mined rough. The cut of a diamond describes the manner in which a diamond has been shaped and polished from its beginning form as a rough stone to its final gem proportions. The cut of a diamond describes the quality of workmanship and the angles to which a diamond is cut. The quality of a diamond's cut is widely considered the most important aspect of the four C's in determining the beauty of a diamond; indeed, it is gemonly acknowledged that a well-cut diamond can appear to be of greater carat weight, and have clarity and color appear to be of better grade than they actually are. The skill with which a diamond is cut determines its ability to reflect and refract light.In addition to carrying the most importance to a diamond's quality as a gemstone, the cut is also the most difficult to quantitatively judge. A number of factors, including proportion, symmetry, and the relative angles of various facets, are determined by the quality of the cut and can affect the performance of a diamond. A poorly cut diamond with facets cut only a few degrees out of alignment can result in a poorly performing stone. For a round brilliant cut, there is a balance between "brilliance" and "fire." When a diamond is cut for too much "fire," it doesn't look real. A well-executed round brilliant cut should reflect light upwards and make the diamond appear white when viewed from the top. An inferior cut will produce a stone that appears dark at the center and in some extreme cases the ring settings may show through the top of the diamond as shadows.There are mathematical guidelines for the angles and length ratios at which the diamond is supposed to cut at in order to reflect the maximum amount of light. Round brilliant diamonds, the most gemon, are guided by these specific guidelines, though fancy cut stones are not able to be as accurately guided by mathematical specifics.The techniques for cutting diamonds have been developed over hundreds of years, with perhaps the greatest achievements made in 1919 by mathematician and gem enthusiast Marcel Tolkowsky. He developed the round brilliant cut by calculating the ideal shape to return and scatter light when a diamond is viewed from above. The modern round brilliant has 57 facets (polished faces), counting 33 on the crown (the top half), and 24 on the pavilion (the lower half). The girdle is the thin middle part. The function of the crown is to diffuse light into various colors and the pavilion's function to reflect light back through the top of the diamond.Often diamond cut is confused with shape. Diamonds do not show all of their beauty as rough stones; instead, they must be cut and polished to exhibit the characteristic fire and brilliance that diamond gemstones are known for. Diamonds are cut into a variety of shapes that are generally designed to accentuate these features. Diamonds which are not cut to the specifications of Tolkowsky's round brilliant shape (or subsequent variations) are known as "fancy cuts." Popular fancy cuts include the baguette (from the French, meaning rod or loaf of bread), marquise, princess (square outline), heart, briolette (a form of the rose cut), and pear cuts. Generally speaking, these "fancy cuts" are not held to the same strict standards as Tolkowsky derived round brilliants and there are less specific mathematical guidelines of angles which determine a well-cut stone. Cuts are influenced heavily by fashion: the baguette cut which accentuates a diamond's luster and downplays its fire was all the rage during the Art Deco period, whereas the princess cut which accentuates a diamond's fire rather than its luster is currently gaining popularity. The princess cut is also popular amongst diamond cutters: of all the cuts, it wastes the least of the original crystal. The past decades have seen the development of new diamond cuts, often based on a modification of an existing cut. Some of these include extra facets. These newly developed cuts are viewed by many as more of an attempt at brand differentiation by diamond sellers, than actual improvements to the state of the art. WHEN REFERRING TO GOLD WHAT DOES 10K OR 14KT MEAN?A karat is a unit of measure for the fineness of gold, equal to 1/24 part. The karat system is used to reveal the amount of pure gold found in an item. k or kt are the abbreviation for karat.* 24 karat (24K) gold is pure gold.* 18 karat (18K) gold contains 18 parts gold and 6 parts another metal or metals, making it 75% gold.* 14 karat (14K) gold contains 14 parts gold and 10 parts another metal or metals, making it 58.3% gold.* 10 karat (10K) gold contains 10 parts gold and 14 parts another metal or metals, making it 41.7% gold. 10k gold is the minimum karat designation that can still be called gold in the US.