PAID ADVERTISEMENT HOW TO BUY DIAMONDS WITH CONFIDENCE AND KNOWLEDGE By John Tavlln President Nebraska Diamond For the average consumer buying a diamond can be one of the most confus *P<* frustrating experiences imagin able. The consumer is often con fro i ,tod with a barrage of conflicting claims from various jewelers intent on selling their product. If the consumer is not armed with adequate product knowledge, he stands little chance for success in the jewelry marketplace. A UNIFORM SYSTEM OF DIAMOND GRADING Serious shopping for diamonds be gins with an understanding of the Gemo fogical Institute of America (GIA) and its diamond grading system the GIA is a non-profit organization dedicated primar ily to the pursuit of gemological education (towns and operates the most prestigious trade laboratory for the identification and classification of gem stones in this coun try. The GIA is considered by the diamond industry to be the final and most authori tative word on diamond grading stan dards in the United States and its grading system for diamonds is, by far, the domi nant grading system used by diamond cutting firms and jewelry manufacturers in this country today. Knowledge of the GIA diamond grad ing system is a pre-requisite for informed buying of diamonds, and knowledge of that system without an actual “hands on" demonstration is virtually impossible. The accompanying chart snows a total of 240 separate and distinct combinations of GIA grades and there is a separate and distinct price list for each grade within each size category At Nebraska Dia mond we give all customers a thorough explanation and demonstration of the GIA diamond grading system using actual examples, so that the consumer can see with his or her own eyes the characteris tics and appearance of the various grades. The two principal reasons why customers need this special instruction and knowledge to survive in the jewelry marketplace are 1. Many jewelers invent their own personal grading system because by doing so they make it difficult or impos sible for the consumer to comparison shop The GIA system is a uniform sys tem of diamond grading and gives the consumer a standard of comparison 2. Jewelers who do represent dia monds 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 ad heres 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 In our opinion, fraudulent mis representation of diamond grades repre sents one of the most serious and wide spread problems in the jewelry industry today. Your only real protection as a consumer is to educate yourself about the productand demand a written guaran - tee At Nebraska Diamond we will show you how to identify the various £IA grades by yourself, and we will guarantee the quality of your diamond in GIA terms in writing You do not get the Nebraska Diamond guarantee at any other jewelry store. THE RELATIONSHIP OF COLOR, CLARITY, CUT AND CARAT WEIGHT Color, clarity, cut and carat weight all have an important impact on the ultimate value of your diamond. In “The Complete Guide to Buying Gems" (Copyrignt 1984, Crown Publishers, Inc. New York), dia mond authorities Antoinette Leonard Matlins and Antonio C. Bonanno. F.G.A., P G state. “If we were to identify the factors that determine the value of a dia mond in order of their importance, we would list them as follows: 1. Body Color (color grade) 2. Degree of flawlessness (clarity grade) 3. Cut and proportion (often referred to as the make) 4 Carat weight" Color refers to the hue present in the body of the diamond. Color is observed by placing the diamond upside down in a white color grading trough and viewing through the side of the gem Among color. clarity, cut and carat weight, 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 Clarity refers to a measurement of the internal flaws and surface blemishes present in or on a diamond Sometimes internal flaws and surface blemishes can be seen only under magnification To magnify a diamond a jeweler's loupe or a microscope is used The microscope is often used more as a sales tool than a gem instrument because its “laboratory” appearance can be impressive to con - ■— sumers. The microscope, however, is a cumbersome piece of equipment and is less flexible than the loupe for examina tion of diamonds. For these reasons, among others, the loupe is by far the dominant diamond grading instrument used by diamond dealers. At Nebraska Diamond you may view your diamond under both a jeweler's loupe and under a microscope designed for professional diamond examination. Among color, clar ity, cut and carat weight, 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 refers to the proportions of the diamond A diamond can be cut to any one of an infinite number of proportions depending on the angles of the facets These angles can vary from diamond to diamond. As explained below, proportion analysis is extremely subjective and the effect of differing proportions on the ap pearance and value of the diamond is often a matter of opinion. Generally, however, except for the proportion called the "heavy make" discussed below, cut is a less observable characteristic than color or clarity from a quantitative stand point and, hence, cut generally carries less value. Carat weight refers to the weight of the diamond and not to its size This is an important distinction because two dia monds which weigh the same can appear drastically different in size and this may result in drastically different values even if color and clarity remain constant. Sometimes consumers forget that size is a dimensional measurement expressed in millimeters. The term “Carat" is only a weight measurement. One Carat is equal to 1/5 gram. If a diamond is cut with its weight concentrated in its depth, a pro portion called the “heavy make", it will not appear as large as a diamond of the exact samecaratweightcutwith its weight con centrated in its width. The differenced value between these two diamonds can be substantial, often exceeding 40% CUT* THE MISUNDERSTOOD “C” Among the 4 “C's" (Color, Clarity, Cut and Carat Weight) the subject of diamond proportioning (Cut) is easily the most misunderstood The GIA has subdivided proportion analysis into four Classes based on table diameter, crown angle, pavilion depth, girdle thickness, finish and symmetry Each Class contains wide parameters for proper proportioning and, therefore, provides for an infinite variety of differing cutting proportions, all of which are considered equally appropri ate, within each Class. The GIA propor tion evaluation format, thus, illustrates what every diamond expert in this busi ness knows that there are literally hun dreds of different diamond proportions available which create beautiful and highly desirable gems. Because there are so many accepted types of proportioning in diamond cut, there is no agreement in the diamond industry on what constitutes the “best" cut. This is because the main factors af fected by cut (dispersion, scintillation and brilliance) cannot all be maximized in the same gem. “Dispersion" is sometimes referred to as “Fire". Dispersion means the ability 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 light between and as reflected off 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 and maxi mum scintillation and maximum brilliance all at the same time By cutting to maxi mize 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". in Duymg a oiamono n nas oeen our experience that the consumer desires the most beautiful gem his or her budget can afford Precisely how dispersion, sdntil lation and brilliance translate to beauty, however, is a matter of personal opinion. In their chapter on "The Importance of Cut and Proportion" the authors of "The Com plete Guide to Buying Gems" state, with reference to the percentage measure ments of various diamond cutting propor tons, "No one has come to an agreement, however, on what the percentages should be, since some people prefer fire to brilliance and vice versa This is why there are several accepted types of pro portioning found in diamond cut, and "best" is a matter of personal preference" In actuality, the difference in dispersion, scintillation and brilliance between some differing diamond proportions is so slight that it is measurable only with sensitive laboratory instruments and is impossible to see with the naked eye. As discussed above, one area in which cut makes a big difference in the value of a diamond concerns the "heavy I----—1 _ Nebraska Diamond Shapes GIA GIA Color Clarity Weight Brilliant Heart Shape | FUWLESS f 1 ct. = 90 to 110 pts. COLORLESS L 7/8 ct = 80 to 89 pts. NEAR I JgJwSM 3/4 CJ.-70 to 79 pU. COLORLESS L SLIGHT WS|.2 ct = 45 to 55 pts! Oval Fm*ra£d Cut FA,NT f ,MPERFECT,ON|_ 7/16 ct. = 40 to 44 pts. a! Emm YELLOW M VERY VSI-1 3/8 ct. = 36 to 39 pts. VERY o SLIGHT 1 /3 ct. = 29 to 35 pts. UGHT ° IMPERFECTION VSI-2 J cf = 23 to 28 ptS. YELLOW J „, 1/5 ct. = 18 to 22 pts. Wo-* SLIGHT l/£ ct. = 15 to 17 pts. nSE#7 T IMPERFECTION ' .„ . i .. M.rnta|,# u SI-2 1/8 ct. = 12 to 14 pts. 4 ir Marquise light . v Hi 1/10 ct. = 9 to 11 pts. ^ YELLOW w bj