law & Brier -r
---—'
Disturbance
A woman who honked at a slow
driver had her life threatened by a
man with a hammer Monday
evening.
The woman was driving down
33rd Street toward South Street
with her three children when she
honked at the slow moving car in
front of her.
The passenger of the slow mov
ing car then gave her the finger.
At the stoplight, a man got out
of the slow car with a hammer and
said “Come on b-, I’ll kill you
right here,” Lincoln police Sgt. Ann
Heermann said.
The woman got the license plate
number of the suspect’s car. Police
tracked the car to 2527 H St.
When officers found a Stanley
hammer in the apartment, they booked
24-year-old Brian Gillam for making
terroristic threats.
Students lead homosexuality talks
By Sarah Baker
Staff Reporter
Audience members at a student dis
cussion for gays and lesbians were
forced to run the conversation after the
scheduled speakers failed to attend.
The conversation took place Tues
day night at the Harper-Schramm
Smith study lounge.
Although the panelists didn’t arrive
for the discussion, the students who
came to the forum still talked about the
issues.
Brian, an audience member who
asked that his last name not be used, said
he had known since childhood he is gay.
“I remember not knowing what the
big deal was about boys chasing girls
in the second grade,” Brian said.
Brian said the lack of understanding
was based on the way many straight
people look at gay people’s lifestyles.
“It’s not a way of having sex; it’s a
way of loving one another,” he said.
PAID ADVERTISEMENT
HOW TO BUY A DIAMOND ENGAGEMENT RING
WITH CONFIDENCE AND KNOWLEDGE
By John Tavtin
President
Nebraska Diamond
For the average consumer, buying a dia
mond can be one of the most confusing and
frustrating experiences imaginable. The con
sumer is often confronted with a barrage of con
flicting claims from various jewelers intent on
selling their product. If the consumer is not
armed with adequate product knowledge, they
stand little chance for success in the jewelry
marketplace.
A UNIFORM SYSTEM
OF DIAMOND GRADING
Serious shopping for diamonds begins with
an understanding of the Gemotogical Institute of
America (GIA) and its diamond grading system.
The GIA is a non-profit organization dedicated
primarily to the pursuit of gemotogical education.
It owns and operates the most prestigious trade
laboratory for the identification and classification
of gem stones in this country. The GIA is consid
ered by the diamond industry to be the final and
most authoritative word on diamond grading stan
dards in the United States and its diamond grad
ing system is, by far, the dominant grading sys
tem used by diamond cutting firms and jewelry
manufacturers in this country today
Knowledge of the GIA diamond grading sys
tem is a prerequisite for informed buying of dia
monds, and knowledge of that system without
an actual “hands on’ demonstration is virtually
impossible. The accompanying chart shows a
total of 240 separate and distinct combinations
of GIA grades and there to a separate and dis
tinct price list for each grade within each size
category. At Nebraska Diamond we give all cus
tomers a thorough explanation and demonstra
tion of the GIA diamond grading system under
» laboratory conditions usmg actual examples, so
that the customer can see with his or her own
eyes the characteristics and appearance of the
various grades. As a result, Nebraska Diamond
customers can identify the various GIA grades
by themselves and do not need to helplessly
rely on the jeweler’s representations. The two
principal reasons why customers need this spe
cial instruction and knowledge to survive in the
jewelry marketplace are:
1. ivicm iy jcwcroio u ivoi u u icii uwi i pciduncu
grading system because by doing so they make
it difficult or impossible for the consumer to com
parison 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 diamonds to
customers in GIA terms often take liberties with
the GIA system and just “puff” the grade up to
whatever level is necessary to make the sale,
believing that the customer will not be able to
identify the deception. A diamond which is
assigned a GIA grade by one of these jewelers
may actually be significantly inferior to a diamond
offered, with a seemingly lower GIA grade, by a
jeweler who adheres to the strict grading stan
dards we use at Nebraska Diamond. Unless the
consumer has adequate product knowledge, they
risk being duped into purchasing a low quality
diamond. Your only real protection as a consumer
is to educate yourself about the product. At
Nebraska Diamond we provide our customers
with an education that makes them the best
informed damond buyers in the market and
we've been doing it for over fifteen years. You do
not get the Nebraska Diamond consumer educa
tion program at any other jewelry store.
CLARITY, CUT AND CARAT WEMHT
Cokx, clarity, cut and carat weight al have
an important impact on lie ultimate value of
your damond. In The Complete Guide to
Buying Gems’ (Copyright 1964, Crown
Publishers, Inc. New York), damond authorities
Antoinette Leonard Matins and Antonio C.
Bonamo, F.G A, P.G. state, If we were to iden
tify the factors that determine the value of a da
mond in order of their importance, we would Rst
them as folows:
1. Body Color (odor grade)
2. Degree of flawlessness
(clarity grade)
3. Cut and proportion
(often referred to as the make)
4. Carat woighT
Color refers to tire hue present in the body of
the dfemond. Color ie observed by placing the
damond upside down in a white color gradng
trough and viewing through the side of the gem.
Among odor, 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 fefers to a measurement of the inter
nal flaws and surface blemishes present in or on
a damond. Sometimes internal flaws and sur
face blemishes can be seen only under magnifi
cation. To magnify a damond a jeweler’s loupe
or a microscope is used with 10X magnification.
The microscope is often used more as a sales
tod than as a gem gracing instrument because
its laboratory* appearance can be impressive to
consumers. The microscope, however, is a cum
bersome piece of equipment and is less flexible
than the loupe for examination of diamonds. For
these reasons, among others, the loupe is by far
the dominant grading instrument used by dia
mond dealers. At Nebraska Diamond you may
view your diamond under both a jeweler's loupe
and under a microscope designed for profes
sional diamond examination. Among color, clari
ty, cut and carat weight, clarity is the second
most observable characteristic and has the sec
ond 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 dia
mond to diamond. As explained below, propor
tion analysis is extremely subjective and the
effect of differing proportions on the appearance
and value of the diamond is often a matter of
opinion. Generally, however, except for the pro
portion 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 dia
mond and not to its size. This is an important
distinction because two diamonds which weigh
the same can appear drastically different in size
and this may result in drastically different values
even if color and clarity are the same in both
gems. Sometimes customers forget that size is
a dimensional linear 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 proportion called the “heavy make”,
it will appear much smaller than a diamond of
the exact same carat weight cut with its weight
concentrated in its width. The difference in value
between these two diamonds can be substan
tial, often exceeding 40%. At Nebraska Diamond
we avoid the “heavy make”, but we have
observed that the “heavy make” is very preva
lent in today’s diamond market. Therefore, it is
extremely important that the consumer know
how to recognize the “heavy make”. As dis
cussed below, however, consumers who do not
have the consumer education we provide at
Nebraska Diamond are at a tremendous disad
vantage when it comes to recognizing the
“heavy make” and they risk buying it unknowing
ly
CUT: THE MISUNDERSTOOD “C”
Among the 4 “C’s’ (Color, Clarity, Cut and
Carat Weight) the subject of diamond propor
tioning (04) is easily the most misunderstood.
The GIA has subdivided proportion analysis into
four Classes based on table diameter, crown
angle, pavilion depth, girdte thickness, finish and
symmetry. Each Class contains wide parameters
for proper proportioning and, therefore, provides
an infinite variety of differing cutting proportions
all of which are considered equally appropriate
within each Class. The GIA proportion analysis
format, thus, illustrates what every dtemond
expert in this business knows: that there are lit
erally hundreds of dtfferent diamond proportions
available which create beautiful and highly desir
able gems.
Because there are so many accepted types
of proportioning in demond cut, there is no
agreement in the demond industry on what con
stitutes the TresT cut This is because the main
factors affected by cut (dispersion and brilliance)
cannot all be maximized in the same gem.
“Dispersion* is sometimes referred to as
Tire*. Dispersion means tfe abtftfy of the de
mond to break down light into the spectral cokxs
(blues, reds, yetfows, etc.).
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DTHuance refers to uie aDHity of in© oarnona
to return coiortess or “whiter Rght to the viewer.
As common sense wi ted you, if you
increase a diamond’s ability to break light into the
spectral colors, you reduce its abtftfy to return
coiortess or “white* fight Conversely, if you
increase a diamond’s ability to return coiortess or
Write* fight you reduce its abtftfy to break fight
into the spectral colors. That is why there is no
such thing as a diamond cut to maximum dteper
sionarto maximum briKance, both at the same
time. By cutting to maximize one of these factors
the other is compromised, and since both are of
equal importance, it is impossilto to authorita
tively classify one type of cut as the “best".
In buying a demond it has been our experi
ence that the consumer desires the most beauti
ful gem his or her budget can afford. Precisely
how (fispersion and briKance translate into
beauty, however, is a matter of personal opinion.
In their chapter on‘The Importance of Cut and
Proportion*, the authors of “The Complete Guide
to Buying Gems' state, with reference to the per
centage measurements of various dtemond cut
ting proportions, “No one has come to an agree
ment, however, on what the percentage should
be, since some people prefer fire to briKance
and vice versa. This is why there are several
accepted types of proportioning found in dte
mond cut, and ‘best’ is a matter of personal pref
erence”. In actuality, the dtfferenoe in dtapersion
and briKance between some dtffering dtemond
proportions is so slight that it is measurable only
wnn sensitive laooratory instruments ana 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 make". The term “heavy
make” refers to a diamond that has a dispropor
tionate share of its total carat weight concentrat
ed in the depth of the stone. Visually, this means
that a “heavy make" diamond actually weighing
1 carat may only face up with the appearance
and diameter of a 3/4 carat diamond cut to prop
er proportions. Because they face up so much
smaller than they should, “heavy makes” are
worth substantially less than properly propor
tioned diamonds. Because the “heavy make” is
worth less, it costs the jeweler less, so they can
sell it for less. When the jeweler fails to tell the
customer that they are showing a “heavy make”,
and fails to explain that the “heavy make” is
priced lower because it is worth less, the effect
is to trick the consumer into thinking that they
have purchased a full size diamond at a bargain
price. This illusion is further enhanced when the
jeweler shows only “heavy make” diamonds and
does not show the consumer a fun size diamond
to enable the consumer to compare. In fact, the
problem of “heavy make’ is virtually never
explained to the consumer, so the consumer -
simply assumes that any diamond shown of a
certain carat weight faces up the size that it
should, and they purchase the “heavy make"
unknowingly. We feel that this failure to inform
the consumer is unfair and that it constitutes
deception by omission. At Nebraska Diamond
we give our customers a detailed explanation of
this important subject
HOW TO SPOT DECEPTIVE
TRADE PRACTICES
Consumers should be aware of various trade
practices which are common in the jewelry indus
try but which we feel are deceptive, unfair and, in
many cases, illegal. Deceptive bade practices
cost consumers incalculable sums of money
anmaly. Awareness of these trade practices wi
assist the consumer in spotting them and avoid
ing them when shopping for fine jewelry.
Deceptive trade practices in the jewelry
industry tend to fan generally into two broad cat
egories:
1. Practices which lead the consumer to
befieve that they are receiving a bargain pur
chase when, in fact, they are not (fake “salee”),
and
2. Practices which lead the consumer to
befieve the quality, quantity or description of the
article being purchased is more or bettor than
that which is actualy defivered (active or con
structive misrepresentation of the product either
by act or omission).
The concept of Ihe fake “sale' is an old one.
Basically, it plays on the desire of the consumer
to obtain a bargain purchase. Fake ‘sales1' can
be advertised or unadvertised. Here’s how the
scheme works: In the advertised fake "sate"
scheme the jowolor places an exorbitant and
purely fictitious “regular price* or ‘appraised
value* or “reference price’ oh an article of jewel
ry. They then advertise “special sale prices* or
‘drastic reductions^ or “storewide 50% o* clear
ance sale’ or “certified savings’ or something
similar to drum up excitement, and then they
offer the aitide to the consumer for less titan tire
fictitious “marker price. The consumer buys the
article believing they have received a bargain. In
fact, though, under the scheme, the jeweler has
sold the article for the price they always intended
to s^l ffbc IRere is no bargain because the arti
cle really wasn't marked down at aH, so the con
sumer actually paid full price. The fake “sale”
scheme is also employed in unadvertised
“sales’. In the unadvertised fake “sale" the con
sumer walks into the store and observes a ficti
tious “markerf price on the article and the sales
person simply tells the consumer that the article
is on “sale’ even though the “sale” is not being
publicly advertised, and then offers the article to
the consumer for a “reduced” price. Both adver
tised and unadvertised fake “sales’ are high
pressure sales techniques used to influence the
consumer to buy now before the “sale’ ends. In
fact, under either scheme, there is no “sale’ and
the customer is deceived. The fake “sale’
scheme has reached epidemic proportions. In
our opinion, the fake “sale" is the predominant
tool used in advertised and unadvertised “price
reduction’ promotions in the jewelry industry
today. Jewelers who conduct fake “sales’ are
simply betting that their customers are too stupid
to figure out what is going on. We think that is a
poor bet. Our experience with consumers con
vinces us that they are inteKgent people who are
entitled to be treated with honesty and respect
Anytime you encounter a jewelry “sale* employ
ing any of the above characteristics, we suggest
that you exercise extreme caution. Bring a copy
of the “sate" advertisement or the unadvertised
sale information to NeorasKa Diamond.
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lar everyday prices and see for yourself why
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engagement ring and fine jewelry market
The jewelry industry customariy employs
several subtle techniques in an attempt to con
vince the consuner that the quaKy, quantity or
description of the article being purchased is
more or better than that which is actuafiy deliv
erea. we mmK mat me6e tscnniques are decep
tive and improper and that consumers should be
warned about them. First and foremost among
these techniques is the impiemenlation of spe
aafized fighting condflions designed to enhance
the true appearance of any gem stone or article
of jewelry. This usuafiy takes the form of chande
liers, spot lights, flood lamps, and reflector
lamps, both incandescent and fluorescent, plus
tubular cfisplay twilbff and
other 8imiar type fight sources. These fight
sources are instantly recognizable by their ,hor\
Tjngnr or nraeneer appearance, oucnsgras are
fldaly enhance the appearance, (tispereion,
edr elation and briianco in (fiamonds and, far
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mine the GtA color and darity grade. In other
words, these l^fls make fie rfiamond appear
better than R is. Whfle others may aigue that the
use of spedafized filling is merely a morchan
(fising and dtaplay technique, wb prefer to think
that consumers are entitled to see exactly what
they are getting. As a practical mailer, the only
jewelry store egnong coraeon wrucn is non
deceptive, tnsi is, wmcn presents tne uXjG
appearance of gem stones and articles of jowd
ry.ia color corrected tubular fluorescent fighting.
Even litis fi^it, in order to be non-deceptwe,
must be presented at a low height in a dosed
and carefufiy cortirofled environment, undfiuled
and unconlaminalad by other fight sources.
These are the fighting concfitions which are used
for laboratory greeting of (fiamonds, and these
are the fighting condflions you wl find at
Nebraska Diamond. At Nebraska Diamond we
sen quality jewelry, and we adhere to the philos
ophy that when you seH quality jewelry you don’t
need deceptive Sg'iing conditions.
THE CONSUMER'S RIGHT TO KNOW
The ultimate purpose for the consumer to
acquire product knowledge is to enable him or
her to separate “fact” from “sales pitch". Your
right as a consumer to know the facts is
unequivocal, and should include nothing less
than the following:
1. You have the right to demand that the jew
eler accurately grade your diamond in conformi
ty with the GIA diamond grading system, that
they fufly cfisdose that grade to you and that
they show you how the grade was determined.
Never purchase a diamond without such a dis
closure.
2. You have the right to examine your dia
mond loose before making your purchase. You
cannot accurately observe the color or clarity of
a diamond or authenticate its carat weight or
determine that it is not chipped if it is already set
into a ring. Never purchase a diamond that you
have not examined loose.
3. You have the right to examine your dia
mond under the lighting conditions used for lab
oratory gracing of diamonds, that is, undercolor
corrected tubular fluorescent lighting, presented
at a low height in a dosed and carefully con
trolled environment undiluted and uncorrtaminat
ed by other light sources. Never purchase a dia
mond that you have not examined under such
lighting condtions.
4. You have the right to examine the color of
your diamond in a white color grading trough
and to examine the clarity of your diamond
under a loupe or microscope, and you have the
right to expect the jeweler to point out exactly
what you should see. Never purchase a dia
mond that you have not examined irtthip man
ner.
5. you nave tne ngrn to nave your aamona
weighed in your presence on an electronic dia
mond scale to verify its claimed carat weight.
Never buy a diamond that you have not
observed in this manner.
6. You have the right to ask any questions
pertinent to your purchase and you have the
right to expect a courteous, informed, accurate
•and complete answer. Never purchase anything
from a jeweler who shows disrespect for your
right as a consumer to know.
A FINAL WORD
At Nebraska Diamond we’ve built our reputa
tion on unhurried personal service, tremendous
selection, superb quality and unbeatable value.
That’s why Nebraska Diamond will provide more
engagement and wedding rings to more satisfied
customers that all of the other area jewelry
stores combined. Nebraska Diamond isUncoin’s
only Engagement and Wedding Ring Superstore.
We regularly stock virtually every engagement
and wedding ring style imaginable and with each
we also include our free Wedding Savings
Package™ coupon booklet which entitles
Nebraska Diamond customers to huge discounts
at 30 other area merchants on everything need
ed for a perfect working. At Nebraska Diamond
we botiovo that earning your trust is the most
important thing we do, and that trust is earned
with quality, service, value and honesty. Our per
formance record speaks for itself; Nebraska
Diamond has been named "Best place in Lincoln
for engagement and wedding rings’for 15 con
secutive years, and we have the highest industry
rating of any jewelry store in the State of
Nebraska. We look forward to serving you.
©Copyright 1996 Nebraska Dianond Sales
Company, Inc. Al Rights Reserved.
NEBRASKA
DIAMOND
8th Floor, NBC Center
13th & O Streets
Lincoln, Nebraska 68508
(402)474-6400
USA 1'800'334-GEMS
Hie Engagement &
Wedding Ring Superstore*4
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1 ct = 90 to 110 pts.
7/8 ct = 80 to 89 pts.
3/4 ct — 70 to 79 pts.
5/8 ct = 56 to 69 pts.
1/2 ct = 45 to 55 pts.
7/16 ct — 40 to 44 pts. ..
3/8 ct = 36 to 39 pts.
1/3 ct *= 29 to 35 pts.
1/4 ct ■ 23 to 28 pts.
1/5 ct = 18 to 22 pts.
1/6 ct = 15 to 17 pts.
1/8 ct = 12 to 14 pts.
1/10 ct = 9 to 11 pts.
1 Exact Carat33 100 Points
yGIA DIAMOND COLOR AND CLARITY TERMINOLOGY/