Friday, January 24, 1986
Wedding Supplement
Page 2
PAID ADVERTISEMENT
PAID ADVERTISEMENT
PAID ADVERTISEMENT
WD
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TJ
If U
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Dy John Tavlin
Prctldtnl
Nttoratka Diamond Salts Company, Inc.
For the average consumer buying a
diamond can be one of the most confus
ing and frustrating experiences imagin
able. The consumer is often confronted
with a barrage of conflicting claims
from various jewelers intent on selling
their product. If the consumer is not
armed with adequate product know
ledge, he stands little chance for suc
cess in the jewelry marketplace.
The Gemological
Institute of America
Serious shopping for diamonds be
gins with an understanding of the
Gemological Institute of America (GIA)
and its diamond grading system. The
GIA is a non-profit organization dedi
cated primarily to the pursuit of gemo
logical education. It owns and operates
the most prestigious trade laboratory
for the identification and classification
of gem stones in this country. The GIA
is considered by the diamond industry
to be the final and most authoritative
word on diamond grading standards in
the United States and its grading sys
tem for diamonds is, by far, the domi
nant grading system used by diamond
cutting firms and jewelry manu
facturers in this country today.
Knowledge of the GIA grading system
is a pre requisite for informed buying of
diamonds, and knowledge of that system
without an actual "hands on" demon
stration is virtually impossible. At
Nebraska Diamond we give all custo
mers a thorough explanation and dem
onstration of the GIA diamond grading
system using actual examples, so that
the customer can see with his or her
own eyes the characteristics and appear
ance of the various grades. As the
accompanying chart shows,, there are a
total of 353 separate and distinct com
binations of GIA grades, and each has
its own price list. The two principal
reasons why consumers need this spe
cial instruction and knowledge to sur
vive in the jewelry marketplace are:
1. Many jewelers invent their own per
sonal grading system because by
doing so they make it difficult or
impossible for the consumer to
comparison shop. The GIA system
gives the consumer a standard of
comparison.
2. Jewelers who do represent diamonds
to consumers in GIA terms often
"puff' the grade up to whatever
level is necessary to make the sale.
A diamond which is assigned a GIA
grade by one of these jewelers may
actually be inferior to a diamond
offered, with a seemingly lower GIA
grade, by a jeweler who adheres to
the strict grading standards we use
at Nebraska Diamond. The unfortu
nate result is frequently a customer
who is duped into purchasing a low
quality diamond. At Nebraska Dia
mond we will show you how to iden
tify the various grades by yourself,
and we will guarantee the quality of
your diamond in GIA terms in writ
ing. You do not get the Nebraska
Diamond guarantee at any other
jewelry store.
The Relationship of
Color, Clarity and Cut
Color, clarity and xut all have an
important impact on the ultimate value
of your diamond, The order of impor
tance of these characteristics and the
relative value of each is:
1. Color: Represents 50 of the value
2. Clarity: Represents 35 of the value
3. Cut: Represents 15 of the value
Color refers to the hue present in the
body of the diamond. Color is observed
by placing the diamond upside down
on a white color grading through and
viewing through the side of the gem.
Among color, clarity and cut, color is
the characteristic most easily noticed
by the human eye and it has the most
impact on the appearance of the gem,
hence, color carries the most value.
--v
Nrbraska Diamond
Shapes
Brilliant Heart Shape
GIA
Color
D
COLORLESS I
F
H
Oval
Emerald Cut
Pear
Marquise
NEAR
COLORLESS
FAINT ,
YELLOW
VERY
LIGHT
YELLOW
LIGHT
YELLOW
FANCY
YELLOW
J
"k I
, M
N
O
P
0
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
V
.z
GIA
Clarity
FLAWLESS F
i
VERY ws,.!
VERY;
SLIGHT wsi-2
IMPERFECTION
VERY VSI-1
SLIGHT
IMPERFECTION VSI-2
SLIGHT sl1
IMPERFECTION
SI-2
I -
1
IMPERFECT .2
1-3
Carat
Weight
1 ct.
78 ct.
34 ct.
58 ct.
12 ct.
716 ct.
38 ct.
13 ct.
14 ct.
15 ct.
16 ct.
18 ct.
110 ct.
90 to
80 to
70 to
56 to
45 to
40 to
36 to
29 to
23 to
18 to
15 to
12 to
9 to
110 pts.
89 pts.
79 pts.
69 pts.
55 pts.
44 pts.
39 pts.
35 pts.
28 pts.
22 pts.
17 pts.
14 pts.
11 pts.
Nebraska Diamond
O Wholesale Prices
O Midwest's Largest
Selection
O All Diamonds
Appraisal-Backed
and Guaranteed
in Writing
O Your BEST
Diamond Deal
1 Exact Carat 100 Points
Nebraska Diamond Sales Company, Inc.
(402)474-6400 1 3lh & O
865 NBC Center Lincoln, Nebraska 68508
THE GIA GRADING SYSTEM
Clarity refers to a measurement of
the internal flaws and surface blem
ishes present in or on a diamond.
Sometimes internal flaws and surface
blemishes can be observed with the
naked eye but sometimes these flaws
and blemishes can be seen only under
magnification. To magnify the diamond
a jeweler's loupe or a microscope is
used. The microscope, however, is a
cumbersome piece of equipment and is
less flexible than the loupe for exami
nation of diamonds. For these reasons,
among others, the loupe is by far the
dominant diamond grading instrument
in use by diamond dealers. Among
color, clarity and cut, clarity is the
second most observable characteristic
and has the second most impact on the
appearance of the gem, hence, clarity
carries the second most value.
Cut: The
Misunderstood "C"
Among the "4 C's" (Carat Weight,
Color, Clarity and Cut), the subject of
diamond proportioning (Cut) is easily
the most misunderstood. An examina
tion of the GIA Proportion Chart quickly
reveals that a diamond may be cut to
any one of at least 126 different propor
tions and still be considered in total
conformity with GIA specifications for
a properly cut diamond. Some jewelers
carry a limited selection of diamonds
cut to only one proportion. Of course
they often represent to the uneducated
consumer that their cut is the "best"
cut. Sometimes they give their cut a
title, such as "A" cut and represent
that other cuts are "B" cuts or "C" cuts
or even lower. Such titles are abso
lutely meaningless, tor ail practical
purposes they do not even exist in the
diamond industry, and they are gener
ally in-house inventions intended pri
marily to create a certain calculated
impression in the consumer, an im
pression which the jeweler hopes will
lead to a sale. In fact there is no agree
ment in the diamond industry on what
constitutes the "best" cut. This is
because the main factors affected by
cut (dispersion, scintillation and bril
liance) cannot all be maximized in the
same gem.
"Dispersion" is sometimes referred
to as "Fire." Dispersion means the abil
ity of the diamond to break down light
into the spectral colors (blues, reds,
yellows, etc).
"Scintillation" is sometimes referred
to as "Sparkle." Scintillation refers to
the play of the light between and as
reflected off of the diamond facets.
"Brilliance" refers to the ability of
the diamond to return colorless light to
the viewer.
There is no such thing as a diamond
cut to maximum dispersion, maximum
scintillation and maximum brilliance
all at the same time. By cutting to
maximize one of these factors, the
other two are compromised, and since
all three are of equal importance, it is
impossible to authoritatively classify
one type of cut as the "best."
The Misnomer of
The "Ideal Cut"
One cutting proportion which is
sometimes touted as the "best" is
called the "Ideal Cut." The Ideal Cut is
a very specific cutting proportion but,
in fact, it is only one of the 126 so called
"perfect cuts" shown on the GIA Pro
portion Chart, and it gets no higher
rating from GIA than the other 125. The
title "Ideal Cut" should be considered
by the consumer to be more of a trade
name than a descriptive term. The title
itself is misleading because it can
create an inaccurate impression in the
mind of the consumer. The controversy
present in the diamond industry re
garding the subject of cut can well be
illustrated by a discussion of the
advantages, disadvantages and misun
derstandings related to the Ideal Cut.
The theory of the Ideal Cut is to cut a
diamond to its maximum brilliamce.
The key work in the preceding sent
ence is the word "its." Brilliance is a
measure of efficiency. If 100 of the
colorless light going into a diamond is
reflected back to the viewer, then that
diamond can be said to be totally effi
cient. While cutting parameters can
affect this measure of efficiency, other
factors can affect it even more. For
example, the lower the color of the
diamond the more light loss occurs due
to the filtration of the light through the
yellow body color of the diamond (more
light will pass through a colorless win
dow than a yellow one). Additionally,
the lower the clarity of the diamond the
more substantial the imperfections
which are present to block the return
of the light. An Ideal Cut diamond of
inferior color and clarity may be cut to
"its" maximum brilliance, but it will
not be as brilliant as a diamond of
superior color and clarity cut to any of
the other 125 proportions.
Consumers are rarely told all of the
facts concerning the Ideal Cut. The
sole advantage of the Ideal Cut dia
mond is that it is cut to its maximum
brilliance. The disadvantages are many
and should also be disclosed to and
considered by the consumer:
1. While an Ideal Cut diamond may be
cut to "its" maximum brilliance,
the difference between an Ideal Cut
diamond of a particular color and
clarity and a diamond of the same
color and clarity cut to one of the
other 125 proportions may be so
slight that it is measurable only
with sensitive laboratory instru
ments and is impossible to see with
the naked eye.
2. An Ideal Cut diamond sacrifices
dispersion (fire) and scintillation
(sparkle) and will be inferior to
diamonds cut to many other propor
tions in one or both of these re
spects. Brilliance involves colorless
light. Fire and sparkle do not. There
fore, a loss of dispersion and scintil
lation tends to be more easily
observed by the naked eye than an
imperceptable increase in techni
cal brilliance, and may result in a
visably less beautiful diamond.
3. An Ideal Cut, when compared side
by side with a diamond of equal
carat weight cut to many other pro
portions, will appear noticeably
smaller.
4. The Ideal Cut generally carries a
premium price tag which can amount
to 15 or more over other cuts
which are recognized under the GIA
Proportion Chart as being of equal
value in every respect. The reason
for the price difference, in fact, has
nothing to do with value, but results
instead from the inefficiency inher
ent in producing the Ideal Cut. Pro
ducing the Ideal Cut will result in a
diamond which weighs less than the
diamond which would have resulted
if the rough diamond crystal had
been cut to one of many other pro
portions. In other words, there is
more dust on the cutting room floor
when an Ideal Cut is produced as
compared to many other propor
tions. The consumer pays for that
dust.
5. The premium price tag of the Ideal
Cut does not tend to carry over into
the secondary market. Few diamond
dealers will pay a premium for the
Ideal Cut. Many will actually offer
and pay less, or will refuse to buy it
at all because of its deficiencies.
The Ideal Cut has had a very poor
track record of public acceptance
Of the hundreds of diamond cutters
worldwide, only a handful regularly
produce the Ideal Cut. It is outsold
worldwide by other proportions by
an astronomical margin.
b. lne consumer who desires an in
crease in brilliance can often pur
chase it in greater quantities and
more economically by investing in
higher color, and an investment in
higher color always translates to
higher value in the secondary
market.
The controversy surrounding cut is
best resolved by explaining the facts to
the consumer, by presenting the op
tions, and by making every effort to
assist the consumer in making an
informed and educated decision. A
decision is not informed or educated if
it omits consideration of any pertinent
fact. At Nebraska Diamond our custo
mers are assured of getting all of the
facts and every alternate viewpoint
presented without bias and in an
organized manner.
The Consumer's
Right to Know
The ultimate purpose for the con
sumer to acquire product knowledge is
to enable him or her to separate "fact"
from "sales pitch." Your right as a con
sumer to know the facts is unequivocal,
and should include nothing less than
the following:
1. You have the right to demand that
the jeweler accurately grade your
diamond in conformity with the GIA
diamond grading system, that he
fully disclose that grade to you, and
that he provide you with a written
warranty guaranteeing the authen
ticity of that grade. Never purchase
a diamond without such a disclo
sure and warranty.
2. You have the right to examine your
diamond loose before making your
purchase. You cannot fully observe
the color and clarity of a diamond
which is set into a ring. Never pur
chase a diamond that you have not
examined loose.
3. You have the right to examine your
diamond under basic florescent
lights and under natural sunlight
before making your purchase. Basic
florescent lights will generally allow
you the best opportunity to accu
rately observe the color of your dia
mond. Natural sunlight can provide
the fairest environment for observa
tion of the clarity of your diamond.
Generally, the lighting conditions
found in jewelry stores are designed
to make diamonds look artificially
brilliant and tend to artificially
enhance both dispersion and scien
tillation. The consumer has virtu
ally no chance whatsoever to accu
rately observe the color and clarity
of a diamond under such lights.
Never purchase a diamond that you
have not examined under basic flo
rescent lights and under natural
sunlight.
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