The Fraction Scam
Some jewelers will list the weight of a diamond strictly in fractions. For example, you might ask them the weight of a diamond and they will say it’s % of a carat. Your next question should be: “Well, is it exactly 75 points or not?” Many jewelers will call anything from 65 points to 75 points a % carat diamond. Those are the same jewelers who will call any diamond that weighs 90 to 100 points one carat. Jewelers that round up the weight of a diamond are breaking the law. You’ll notice that these jewelers will never round a diamond down-for example, calling an 85 point diamond % carat. They’ll never do it. The way to make sure the diamond you may purchase is the weight the jeweler says it is is to ask the jeweler to please weigh the diamond in front of you on an electronic scale. If the diamond he’s showing you is already in a setting and he says he can’t weigh it, don’t buy that diamond. You should only purchase a loose diamond that can be weighed.
The 50% Off Sale
It’s a beautiful Sunday morning; you’re flipping through your three-pound newspaper reading about everything on sale from cookware to automobiles. Then you see it: Your local jeweler is running a 50 percent off sale!! Wow! You are excited! You hop in your car, drive out there, and make what you believe is an incredible buy. It isn’t till a couple of weeks later, while you’re strolling through the mall, that you see the same item you purchased in another store selling at regular price and their regular price is cheaper than what you paid! You’re furious; you thought you bought your piece of jewelry at 50 percent of a regular price. The reality is that you didn’t. Many jewelers run fake sales. They take the cost of a piece of jewelry, multiply it by four, and then take 50 percent off that price. For example, let’s say the jeweler has a diamond ring that cost him $1,000. If he takes the cost and multiplies it times four that makes $4,000. He then tells you that $4,000 is the regular price, takes 50 percent off of that, and says he will sell the diamond to you for $2,000. Now most people’s reaction is that they’re saving $2,000. The reality is the average jewelry store has a 100 percent markup. Diamonds said to be worth $4,000 would normally only sell for $2,000. So when you think that you are saving $2,000 you’re really paying full retail. The way to determine whether you’re really getting a sale price or not is to compare their sale price to the prices listed under “Step Two: Know Prices.” If their original price is more than double the price listed, then they’re playing games with you. For example, let’s say you go to Joe’s Jewelry Store and he’s got a one carat VS1 G on sale at $9,600 from $19,200. The price I list in “Step Two” shows that a one carat VS1 G should sell wholesale for $4,800, and we discussed that maximum retail is double that price. That means the most the diamond should sell for would be $9,600. So if we bought at Joe’s and thought we were saving $9,600, we still really just paid maximum retail.
Bait and Switch
Bait and switch is a term that actually has been around for a long time. It refers to anyone who runs an advertising special on a particular item and when you go to their store to buy it they’re suddenly sold out and will attempt to sell you something else. Don’t fall for this old trick. Many jewelers hope that since you already have made a trip out to their establishment and were ready to buy their advertised item then they probably can talk you into taking something else home. Don’t let impatience cloud your decision. Many people get so excited about taking something home that they end up buying something they really don’t want. Remember, grade each jeweler with the J.Q.S., and then if they rank high enough use a scratch sheet to check each diamond. Make sure it’s the quality you want, and then compare their selling price to the prices quoted in the book and see how good a deal you are getting. Remember, if you work hard enough there’s no reason you can’t find the right diamond at the right price.
Finally! You’re reviewed all the jewelers, graded all the diamonds, and found the diamond you want. You lay down your cash and ask for the diamond to be set. You come back the next day and pick up your ring, and you’re happy. A few days later, you decide to have the ring independently appraised, and find out that the diamond you picked up is not the same diamond you looked at originally. The jeweler has done the old “switcharoo.” You then go back and confront the jeweler and he says that you must have switched the diamond. Well, you are stuck! Now the way you prevent this from happening is after you find the diamond you like and before the diamond is mounted, have the diamond plotted. What this means is have the jeweler show you where the inclusions or blemishes are in the diamond and have him plot them down on a drawing. Keep this drawing with you. Then when you return to pick up the diamond, review the diamond in the setting and look for the same characteristics that you had plotted. If they match, you have the right diamond.
Well, this is an easy one. Diamonds do come in all colors (or mainly) -white, yellow, brown, gray, red, blue, orange, etc.-but the ones we are most concerned with are white or yellow diamonds. Ninety-nine percent of diamond purchases fall in these categories. Colored diamonds are very rare and very dear. Most people don’t like yellow diamonds. There is a good reason for this; the more yellow in the diamond (caused by nitrogen in the stone), the less sharp it looks. In contrast, a whiter diamond lets light pass through it a little easier, making it prettier. Another element of color is that we, as humans, are not all blessed with equal powers of color discrimination. Some people will detect yellow other people cannot see. These people will insist on a higher color grade while others are happy with a lower grade. The only way to pick a color grade that you might be happy with is to look at a master set of diamonds. A master set is a group that has already been graded in a laboratory. By looking at a master set and comparing one right next to another you will be able to pick the one you like. The average color purchase in the United States is M-N. The following GIA grading scale will enable you to compare one diamond to another.
A person’s first question concerning diamonds usually is: What is a carat? A carat is a measure of weight. The word carat actually is derived from the word carob. In olden times when someone wanted to determine how much a diamond weighed, he would balance the scale using carob beans. Carob, by the way, is used today as a chocolate substitute. You might have seen it in stores as carob-covered raisins or carob-covered malted milk balls. Anyway, the actual weight of a one carat diamond is now standardized at two hundred milligrams (a fifth of a gram). In the Far East they didn’t have carob beans so they used rice. If you ever see a diamond that is called a four-grainer, that equals one carat as well. Another way to discuss the weight of diamonds is in terms of points (decimals); one hundred points equal one carat. Some people think that if they are looking at a 75 point diamond it means a diamond with 75 points on it. What it means is that the diamond is 75 percent or 3/4 of a carat; just as a 33 point diamond would mean it is 33% or 1/3 of a carat. There is a correlation between the diameter of a diamond and its weight, but it is only approximate.