Diamond Buying Course

Part 1

Diamond Buying 101

Buying diamond jewelry is not a task to be taken lightly. If you

don't do your research, you could end up getting swindled. Brush

up with a little Diamond Buying 101 so that you can navigate

your way through the wide world of diamond jewelry without

getting lost. These days, there is more fake diamond jewelry

made than there is real diamond jewelry so you need to be able to

recognize the difference. I can tell you it is sometimes very

difficult.



The first four things that you have to get straight when you are

buying diamond jewelry are what people in the diamond jewelry

business refer to as the four C's: carat, cut, color, and clarity.

Carat refers to the weight, and subsequently, the size of the

diamond whereas the cut refers to the shape of the diamond

which are the most common cuts are round, princess and pear.



Diamonds also come in different colors (colorless or near

colorless diamonds are far more expensive than slightly colored

diamonds) and clarities (some diamonds are totally flawless

while other have visible inclusions). Popular colored diamonds

these days are pink, blue and yellow diamonds thanks to celebrity

buys.Most diamond jewelry is priced according to the diamond

cut, carat, color and clarity. If someone offers you a diamond of

poor clarity, one that is fraught with visible inclusions, you'll

know that it's not worth much and then you can bargain

accordingly.



Part 2

Buying Diamonds for Men

Men's diamond jewelry makes an ideal gift these days. Men tend

to wear jewelry that's given to them, but often never think to buy

something for themselves. That's why so many men end up

wearing chunky class rings decades after graduation. It's not

school pride that keeps them with the same old piece of

collegiate men's jewelry it is probably a lack of other options.

However slowly that is changing.



More and more men are starting to buy jewelry like chains,

diamond watches, rings, bracelets and even earrings. Most men

buy jewelry as a status symbol. More and more men are starting

to buy themselves diamond studded jewelry and gemstones. The

days when men hated to wear any jewelry that wasn't a wedding

ring are over. It is a great thing for retailers however; women are

fast loosing the firm grip on the jewelry market.



Finding men's jewelry in a regular retail store rarely offers much

in the way of selection. Typically, the men's jewelry section

might offer only a small array of watches, and sometimes an

ostentatious ring or two. For this reason, many men who want to

find masculine jewelry of all kinds are now going online to see

their options. It is simply for variety and price that this is

necessary. Whether it's a wedding band for the big day, or just a

beautiful gold bracelet to wear with that power suit, men now

know that they have options.



Part 3

Buying Diamonds Wholesale

If you have ever walked down the aisles of a flea market and

wondered where the peddlers get all their merchandise from? As

many times as you've emptied your wallet at these Sunday affairs,

you always wonder what a stand of your own would be like or if

you could make any money from it. What you are looking at is

wholesale jewelry. That is why you can find it so cheap at some

of the places that you go to get your jewelry. Wholesalers like:



• Costco (there is always a jewelry department here)

• Flea markets (you can get great deals on vintage and antique

diamond jewelry)

• Bargain shops

• Auctions (both online and off)



These places are popular for selling jewelry at wholesale prices.

They can sometimes get the deals that they do because the items

that they are selling is very outdated and have to be sold in order

to make room for new items. Generally in order for you to get

jewelry from wholesalers you have to have a memberships with

them. Of course the money that you can save in the cost of the

jewelry more than makes up for the fees that go with membership.



You can also find a lot of wholesale jewelry at various online

resources that do not charge fees for memberships however you

will have to pay for shipping fees. You can visit online auction

houses too if you want to get good wholesale prices for your

jewelry. Online auction houses like eBay can give you better than

wholesale prices for used items or you can buy wholesale

jewelry from retailers that sign up with eBay.



Part 4

Buying Diamonds Online

Although it may seem like a risky venture to buy jewelry online,

buying over the Internet can be a very safe way to buy the most

beautifully cut diamonds at the best prices out there. Of course

there are pros and cons to doing this. Let's look at those first!



Pros:

Selection - when you shop online, you can find the best-cut and

lovely diamonds. This is because many Internet sellers list entire

wholesaler inventories, whereas most stores that buy diamonds

can only buy so many and may not have the knowledge or desire

to stock the best ones.



Prices -The Internet prices are excellent too because the market

is so large and they are all competing for your business and

because of lower operation cost for some and many dealers are

competing to sell the very same diamonds. Not to mention that

you can save on taxes by getting the diamond shipped to you from

another state.



Flexibility - One benefits of Internet shopping is the ability to

have diamonds shipped to you where you can view them in the

best possible light. Online consumers can also take a diamond

shipped to them to a local jeweler to make comparisons. You

should simply be aware of the return policy of the vendor from

whom you buy.



Cons:

Uncertainty - you may not get what you pay for



No trust - will you get what is promised?



Doubts - Can you get your money back if its not what you

wanted?



If you really want to be sure that your internet purchase is a good

one you will need to educate yourself on the subject first. Before

you shop, you need to get a good education about diamonds and

what makes one more valuable and beautiful than the next. You

will also want to pay special attention to crown and pavilion

angles which are not shown on GIA reports.



Part 5

How to Buy Fine Diamond Jewelry Online

Buying fine diamond jewelry online is as safe as if you'd walked

into the jewelry store across town these days. Fine diamond

jewelry stores that you can find online are equally subject to the

stringent rules of product quality and consumer satisfaction you

find at traditional establishments. Armed with just common sense

and a few basic tips, you should feel fully confident that the

purchase you make online will meet all of your expectations.



Every piece of fine diamond jewelry that you buy has the

potential to be a treasured piece that is handed down through

generations. Being able to trust the quality of the fine diamond

jewelry you purchase from an online source is essential. You

should be looking for online establishments that are members of

professional trade associations. These organizations enforce

ethical business practices. You should also look for online stores

that have affiliations with consumer privacy protection groups.



These association logos should be displayed somewhere on the

website. If you're unsure, call the phone number listed on the

website to speak to a store representative. Most of the time, you

will get a good online store however sometimes you could be

fooled so it is best to make sure. When you are buying fine

diamond jewelry online, you should opt for a credit, rather than

debit, card. This way, in the unlikely event that anything goes

wrong, you have greater recourse. This can save you a lot of time

and trouble if something does happen to go wrong.