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Buying
Essentials List
Estate
Jewelry Information
1. Most Jewelry is marked up around 100% or more if
you see three little keys that means the prices shown are
"triple key," which means three times the wholesale
price. The markup on diamonds has been squeezed by the existence
of a diamond price list.
2. The "Wholesale" Diamond Price List, There
is a cushion built in so that jewelers have some room for
profit now that there are customers walking into stores with
price lists.
3. Beauty remembers
this: Diamonds are graded UPSIDE DOWN. Even people who
grade diamonds for a living can't tell the color or clarity
grade when the stone is right side up, which is the only way
that you will ever see it once it is set in a ring. If you
want to buy a better diamond, you are just investing in something
that is more rare. As far as beauty is concerned, you are
much better off paying for a better cut.
4. Cut Is the Most Important C because it shows brilliance
and contributes with angles and proportions. The diamond quality
factor that makes the most difference in the beauty of the
stone is the factor that makes the least amount of difference
in its price.
5. Fluorescence Costs Less (And Looks Better) which
is not actually true and really does not affect the diamond's
price The Gemological Institute of America did a study to
test expert and non-expert opinions on diamond appearance
and fluorescence. They showed diamonds with identical grades
except fluorescence to a group of dealers and asked them which
was better. Guess what? They can't tell the difference, except
when the color of the original diamond is in the yellowish
range (K and down.).
6. Size Matters, But It Goes Up In Steps Diamond pricing
is based on rarity, so the bigger the diamond the more it
costs per carat. The biggest step, not surprisingly, happens
at 1.00 carat. People want a one carat diamond. They don't
want a 0.96 carat diamond. So a 1.00 carat diamond costs a
lot more per carat.
7. Some Certs are Not Worth The Paper They are Written
On…DON'T ASSUME THAT ALL REPORTS HAVE THE SAME STANDARD!
EGL and HRD reports have good reputations but it is odd when
a diamond of a carat or more doesn't have a GIA report. GIA
and AGS are the most repeatable.
8. Anyone Can Say They are a Jewelry Appraiser The
other huge problem is conflict of interest. Most appraisals
are done by retail jewelers. And they are selling the piece
to you, judging a piece that their competition sold you, or
evaluating a piece that you want to sell to them. How can
they be objective?
9. Treatment the main impact of treatments on the gem
diamond market is that the technology used to make diamonds
can also be used to improve diamonds. Look at colored gemstones:
they are almost all treated in some way and people still buy
them.
10. Costs can
vary in diamonds with how well the diamond is cut can make
a big difference as well as how colorless and as few inclusions
as possible and the carat weight.
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