Buying Advice 101

Try to get a basic understanding of the product you are buying. Impulse buying can be a little dangerous

Be very clear on the return policy. Is it only for store credit? Can you get your money back? What is the time frame? If you have a very limited inspection period it should make you a little uneasy.

The sales receipt should state the weights and grading of the stones and not in a range of three or more grades. Read the fine print.

Don’t be pressured to make a purchase because the ‘ship’ is leaving in five minutes

Don’t be fooled by fictitious retail prices. Price paid is a good idea of value. If you pay $5,000 for an item and you are given an “appraisal” stating a value of $10,000 it may perhaps be just a marketing ploy. Consumers do fall for this.

Let them know you are going to have your item independently appraised.

Use a major credit card that has a buyer protection program.

When buying a diamond it is very important to get good documentation of the stone. I prefer to see an American Gem Society Diamond Quality Document or a Gemological Institute of America Diamond Grading Report. Know what these reports look like. www.ags.org or www.gia.edu . I have had clients think they are getting a GIA report but it only looks similar to the format.

Other reports are out there and some are very bad. If you see documentation that is very nice looking and signed by a Graduate Gemologist (GIA) but you can not read who signed it and it is not typed anywhere on the report then you are in trouble. Just because it looks official and is perhaps laminated does not make it right.


Something like this….

Who signed this? Some people will sign anything…
Or how about inflated grading? This stone was sold as a VS2!! This is the plot that went along with the report and is showing no inclusions. A picture paints a thousand words. This is an I2 stone by my grading standards any day of the week. The consumer had no idea what they were buying.

Plot on report

My plot of same stone with my photo showing strain

Another assignment;
Plot that was presented with a stone sold as an SI3
Do you notice there does not seem to be much in the stone?

My plot of the same stone
Do you think the report fairly represented the purchase?

Clarity Enhanced Diamonds
I have had quite a few of these stones show up at my lab. Diamonds that have surface reaching inclusions (poor clarity to start) are subjected to a treatment using fillers to mask the inclusions. Understand what you are buying.


Investments? If you are buying items and being told they are a wonderful investment you had better be very careful. Find out how you are going to liquidate. Where will you go to sell these items? It is very difficult to sell gemstones and jewelry. If you are being told by the seller that they will always be willing to purchase back, what if they are no longer in business in a few years. We have seen this happen too many times.

Reproduction alert! A lot of reproduced vintage items are starting to surface. Provenance is so important. How difficult do you think it is to reproduce a hallmark? If you are buying a Tiffany ring on Ebay you may want to get it verified. They are now cutting stones in an older style and the pieces can be very tricky to detect.

Align yourself with a reputable jeweler. If a deal seems too good to be true then it probably is. Have your purchases checked by a qualified independent appraiser. Buy the best quality that fits your budget and understand the purchase.