By John IkvUn, President
Nebraska Diamond
At Nebraska Diamond we have perfected the Art
of making the purchase of engagement and wedding
rings easy, comfortable and fun. Over the years our
most important business has been producing tens of
thousands of happy satisfied customers, one at a time.
A major reason for our success is the heavy emphasis
we give to providing consumers with the information
they need to buy a diamond engagement ring with
confidence and knowledge.
UNDERSTANDING CLARITY, COLOR
A CARAT WEIGHT
serious snoppmg tor diamonds Degins witn an
understanding of die Gemological Institute of America
(GIA) and its diamond grading terminology.. The GIA
is a non-profit organization dedicated primarily to the
pursuit of gemological education. The GIA is consid
ered by die diamond industry to be die final and most
authoritative word on diamond grading standards and
its diamond grading terminology is, by far, the domi
nant terminology used by diamond cutting fimis and
jewelry manufacturers throughout die world today
GIA diamond grading terminology describes the
clarity and color of diamonds. The GIA clarity terminolo
gy classifies diamonds based on the number, size, loca
tion and description of markings which may be present
in or on the diamond. These markings range in size
from pinpoints so dny that they can barely be seen
under magnification to markings which are large
enough to be seen with the naked eye. The GIA color
terminology classifies diamonds based on the amount
of color saturadon present in the body of die diamond.
The accompanying chart shows GIA diamond
clarity and color grading terminology A diamond of a
specific clarity can occur in any of the colors. A dia
mond of a specific color can occur in any of the clari
ties. Accordingly, the chart shows 240 possible
clarity/colcr combinations. Widiin any specific budget
diere is an enormous range of choice in size, clarity
and color combinations.
“Flawless” clarity and “D” color are die only
grades which represent a singular, unwavering, exact
and objective standard. Ail of the other clarity and
color grades represent subjective classifications of
qualifying gemological diaracterisdcs. This subjective
nature of diamond grading results in die potential of
somewhat differing degrees of interpretation by two or
more graders, in other words, multiple graders can
examine die same diamond and disagree on the clari
ty and color grade of diat diamond. As a result, a dia
mond which is assigned a GIA grade by a jeweler who
grades on die basis of lenient subjective criteria may
actually be significantly inferior to a diamond, with a
seemingly low er GIA grade, which has been graded by
a jeweler who adheres to strict subjecdve criteria. This
means diat aldiough a diamond in one jewelry store
may “sound” like a better quality dian a diamond in a
second jewelry store, the diamond in the second jew
elry store may actually be better quality and substan
tially more valuable.
runnermore, except ror riawiess ciamy aim
“D” color, all of (he other clarity and color grades rep
resent ranges of qualifying gemological characteristics.
This means that within all of the other clarity and
color grades, there are many versions of each grade,
eadi different from all others within die same grade,
with some versions being considered better, more
desirable and more valuable than other versions. For
example, if internal markings consistent with a specif
ic clarity grade are located on the edge of a diamond
where theycan be covered by prongs when the dia
mond is set, this version of the clarity grade is consid
ered better, more desirable and more valuable than a
version with the same internal markings located in the
center of the diamond where they cannot be covered
by-prongs. Similarly; a version of a specific color grade
which is almost the next higher color grade is consid
ered better, more desirable and more valuable than a
version which is almost the next lower color grade.
This means tliat although two diamonds may each be
within die same clarity and color grade and, thus,
“sound” like equal quality diamonds, one of the dia
monds may, in fact, be substantially more valuable
dian the other.
Most consumers are aware of the fact dial “carat
weight” is a standard of measurement in the diamond
industry Ffew consumers are aware of the fact that “carat
weight” and “size” are not the same thing “Carat
weight" denotes the weight of the diamond as measured
by a scale. One carat equals 1/5 gram. “Size” denotes
the millimeter dimensions of a diamond as measured by
a millimeter gauge.
TWo diamonds can have the exact same carat
weight yet have greatly differing millimeter dimensions.
Whether two diamonds of the same carat weight have
the same millimeter dimensions depends on how the
weight of each diamond is distributed. For example, if
one round diamond weighing 1 carat has a great pro
portion of its carat weight distributed in its depdi, it will
appear to be much smaller in “face-up” appearance
than another round cbamwidStal*) weighing 6)1
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which has a great proportion of its carat weight distrib
uted in its diameter. This difference can be very substan
tial: Some 1 carat diamonds bee up smaller than some
1/2 carat diamonds. So if two diamonds are exactly the
same carat weight, exactly the same clarity and exactly
the same color, the two diamonds “sound” the same, yet
one can appear to be twice the size of the other. So even
though the two diamonds are identical in carat weight,
identical in clarity and identical in color, the millimeter
size difference can make the larger appearing diamond
worth as much as 300% more than the smaller appear
ing diamond.
When consumers fail to understand that, except
for “Flawless” clarity and “D" color, clarity and color
grades are based on subjective, and not objective, crite
ria, and constitute ranges of qualifying gemologica]
characteristics, and when they fail to understand that
“carat weight” and “size” are not the same thing, they
make costly buying mistakes. As a result of these fail
ures, these uneducated consumers, in effect, make
their buying decisions with their ears, based only on
what the diamond “sounds" like. Educated consumers
do not purchase diamonds with their ears. Educated
consumers understand that although one diamond
may “sound” equal to or better than another, the truth
may be otherwise. Educated consumers buy diamonds
with their eyes, on the basis of a visual examination.
At Nebraska Diamond our staff of Certified
Diamontologists* wilt show you your diamond under
laboratory grading conditions so you can see your dia
mond under the exact same conditions our Diamond
Buyer used when he selected it for our store. No other
area store provides this service. Accordingly you do not
have to take our word for the fact that our diamonds
are clearly superior. You will see it for yourself Our
incredible diamond inventory is one important reason
why Nebraska Diamond will sell more diamond engage
ment rings than all of the other area jewelry stores
combined.
UNDERSTANDING CUT
The “cut" of a diamond is divided into two com
ponents: (1) “Shape” and (2) “Make”. “Shape” is a two
dimensional concept consisting of length and width in
which the outline of die outer edge of the diamond in
its “face-up” position is described, typical shapes
include round, oval, pear, marquise, heart, radiant,
princess, emerald and trillion. Each “Shape” is subdi
vided into various versions of that “Shape”. For exam
ple, some marquise diamonds are long and narrow,
others are short and fat, and others are in between.
Some versions of “Shape” are considered in the dia
mond industry to be considerably better, more desir
able and more valuable than other versions.
“Make” is a much more complicated concept than
“Shape”. “Make” involves the entire geometry and all of
the cutting proportions of the diamond The “Make” of a
diamond is defined in terms of how the physical dimen
sions and angles of cutting interrelate, and how each and
all of these factors affect the physical appearance and
optical light handling capabilities of the diamond
The optical light handling capabilities of a dia
mond produce two primary results: (1) Brilliance and
(2) Fire. Brilliance is “reflected” light and fire is
“refracted” light. In simple terms, brilliance is “wliite”
light and fire is light which has been broken down into
the primary and secondary spectral colors (red blue,
yellow, and their secondary combinations).
Reflected light (brilliance) plus refracted light
(fire) equals 100% of the light you see. As an increment
of one type of light is increased, the increment of die
oilier type of light must decrease, because the total of
the two cannot exceed 100% of the light you see. These
are the laws of optics. Accordingly; if the cutter fashions
a diamond to increase its brilliance,’ the co-resuit has to
be a reduction in fire. Converse!]; if the cutter fashions
a diamond to increase its fire, the co-result has to be a
reduction in brilliance, this is why there is no such
thing as a diamond cut to maximum brilliance and
maximum fire simultaneously. Accordingly there is no
such thing as a single “best” cut. Any jeweler who tells
you otherwise is giving you a sales pitch.
The most important characteristic in light han
dling capability that is affected by “Make” is the
improvement of the efficiency with which the diamond
handles light. When light enters a diamond three things
happen: (1) Some of die light is reflected back out
from die diamond as brilliance, (2) some of die light is
refracted back out from the diamond as fire, and (3)
die remainder of the light leaks dirough the diamond
and is lost. The more efficient a diamond, the less light
it leaks. The less light a diamond leaks, the brighter its
overall appearance.
A superior “Make” increases the efficiency with
wtiich the diamond handles light because a diamond of
superior “Make” suffers a comparatively small amount of
light leakage/loss. An inferior “Make” decreases the effi
ciency with which die diamond handles light because a
diamond of inferior “Make” suffers a comparatively large
amount of light leakage/loss. Accordingly since a superior
“Make” returns to die viewer a larger total volume of
light, it appears brighter and shows correspondingly larg
j^jolumes of reflected (brilliance) and refracted (fire)
r -i
light.
As noted above, in addition to affecting the opti
cal light handling capabilities of a diamond the
“Make” also affects the physical appearance of the
diamond. Diamonds of superior “Make” face up the
size expected for their carat weight and show excep
tional brilliance and fire.
UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
RARITY AND BEAUTY
As you move up the clarity scale toward
“Flawless” you move into clarity qualities tlut are
increasingly rare. As you move up the color scale
toward “D” you move into color qualities that are
increasingly rare. It is important to understand that
an increase in rarity does not inherently or automati
cally translate into an increase in beauty
To the naked eye, there is no difference in beau
ty between a diamond graded “Flawless” and the
same diamond if it was graded “SI-2”, because nei
ther "Flawless” nor “SI-2” diamonds are considered
to show markings visible to the naked eye. “Flawless"
clarity and “SI-2” clarity are different versions of
beauty. The diamond will cost more if it is “Flawless”
clarity than it will if it is “SI-2” clarity but that higher
cost is primarily a function of rarity, not beauty
Similarly, one color is not inherently and auto
matically more beautiful titan another. “D” color is icy
in appearance compared to “M” color. “M” color is
warm in appearance compared to “D” color. “D" color
and “M" color are different versions of beauty. The dia
mond will cost more if it is “D" color than it will if it
is “M” color, but that higher cost is primarily a func
tion of rarity, not beauty
Rarity is a fact of nature. Beauty is in the eye of
the beholder. When consumers assume that higher
clarity diamonds are automatically more beautiful
than lower clarity diamonds, or assume that higher
color diamonds are automatically more beautiful than
lower color diamonds, they make costly buying mis
takes. Paying extra for rarity does not guarantee you a
more beautiful diamond. It bears repeating that edu
cated consumers buy with their eyes, on the basis of a
visual examination. Uneducated consumers buy with
their ears, on the basis of what the diamond “sounds”
like.
UNDERSTANDING THE TRICKS OF HIE TRADE
Consumers should be aware of various trade
practices in the jewelry industry which are used to
unduly influence buying decisions. The three most
prominent “tricks of the trade” are (1) Deceptive
showroom lighting conditions, (2) fake sales, and (3)
misdirection.
Promoting diamond jewelry by showing it undo
special showroom display lighting is considered normal
practice in the jewelry industry This lighting is recog
nizable by its “hot”, “bright” or “intense” appearance,
and includes spot lights, flood lamps, reflector lamps,
tubular display case bulbs, chandeliers and similar light
sources. This type of display lighting is unfair to con
sumers because it artificially enhances the appearance
of diamond brilliance and fire and, in addition, such
lighting makes it impossible to reliably determine dia
mond clarity and color grades. The effect is so extreme
that even very poor quality diamonds shown under
such lighting will sparkle like they belong in the Crown
Jewels of England.
Professional diamond buyers never purchase
diamonds under such lights. Professional diamond
buyers purchase diamonds only under laboratory
grading lights. Laboratory grading fights are “TUbular
fluorescent color corrected daylight bulbs rated at
5000 Kelvin”. Laboratory grading fights neutralize
brilliance and fire and render colors accurately. Only
under laboratory grading lights do you see exactly
what you are buying, with no surprises later.
At Nebraska Diamond our Diamond Buyer
insists on laboratory grading lights and our customers
deserve nothing less. We use laboratory grading lights
in every overhead fluorescent fixture in our store. Our
customers purchase their diamonds under the exact
same lighting used by our own Diamond Buyer. No
other area jewelry store provides its customers with
the strict 100% laboratory lighting conditions we have
at Nebraska Diamond
Fake sales have reached epidemic proportions in
the jewelry industry. In the fake sale scheme the store
places a fictitious and exorbitant “regular" price on
the merchandise and then advertises it at some seem
ingly giant “discount”. In reality the store has never
sold the item at the “regular” price and has simply
marked it up to mark it back down to give the con
sumer the illusion of a “bargain”.
At Nebraska Diamond our pricing policy follows
the no nonsense philosophy of “lowest price every
day”. This means that you never have to wait for a
“sale” at Nebraska Diamond We are very serious
about fulfilling our commitment to offer our mer
chandise at the lowest prices in the market every day.
That commitment is an important reason why
Nebraska Diamond has grown to completely domi
nate Lincoln's diamond jewelry market.
“Misdirection" is the Art of getting the consumer
to make a buying decision on the basis of something
other than the product itself In the jewelry industry
“misdirection” takes two primary forms: (1) Using a
“gizmo” to “prove” that the diamond meets a superi
or standard and (2) using third party “authentica
tion” to “prove" one diamond is better than another.
Analyzing brilliance and fire in a diamond is
such a complicated subject that to properly study dia
mond light handling characteristics the CIA has uti
lized computer technology to create a computerized
“virtual diamond” with 20,122 different proportion
combinations. The GIA studied the way light travels
through these 20,122 combinations and measured
the brilliance of each through a numerical evaluation
the GIA calls “Weighted Light Return" (WLR). Because
thousands of these proportion combinations produce
beautiful diamonds, die GIA has never been able to
develop a scientifically proven cut grade rating system
and, in that regard, GIA research is still in progress..
In spite of the foregoing, some jewelers show
consumers a gizmo, place a diamond inside and, by
virtue of some otherwise invisible pattern in the dia
mond revealed by the gizmo, announce that the dia
mond cut is perfect and superior in every way. In fact,
the gizmo used to reveal the otherwise invisible pattern
does not measure beauty or brilliance. The gizmo is a
misdirection tool Diamonds which are pushed on con
sumers by misdirection tricks are called “Gimmick
Diamonds’ by people in the diamond industry.
The two most notorious Gimmick Diamonds are
the “Hearts and Arrows" diamond and the American
“Ideal Cut” diamond, which are marketed at premium
prices under a variety of fancy sounding brand names.
The “Hearts and Arrows" diamond and the American
‘Ideal Cut” diamond are touted by their dealers as “the
most brilliant” diamonds. The claim is pure hype. The
American Gem Society (AGS) “0” cut grade is the basis
of the “Hearts and Arrows” diamond. When the G1A
examined die range of proportions of the AGS “0” cut
grade, examples generated a “Weighted Light Return”
(WLR) value in die “typical” category for brilliance, an
unimpressive rating which is well below GIA's highest
WLR brilliance category. In the same GIA tests the
American “Ideal Cut” proportions generated WLR val
ues in the “moderately low” category for brilliance.
Similarly, some jewelers present “certificates”
containing third party descriptions of the diamond to
“prove” that their diamond is better than the dia
mond at the otiier store. The objective is to get the
consumer to choose a diamond on the basis of what a
piece of paper says about it, and not on the basis of
actually visually examining the diamond. After all, if
these “certificates” are prepared by independent third
parties they must be unbiased and correct, rigid? Not
quite. What the consumer is not told is that all these
certificates contain accuracy disclaimers and, further,
that some third party providers grade diamonds using
lenient subjective grading standards so that their “cer
tificates” read better and the diamonds described in
them “sound” better than if they used strict subjective
grading standards. No “certificate”, regardless of its
detail, tells you whether the diamond is beautiful or
brilliant “Certificates” are misdirection tools.
IN SEARCH OF BEAUTY, STYLE AND VALUE
Every year at Nebraska Diamond we make thou
sands of engaged couples happy they came to see us.
The couples who have the easiest, most comfortable
and most fun time purchasing their engagement ring
all share the same three objectives: (1) They want a
diamond they feel is beautiful, (2) they want a ring
style they both love and (3) they want the diamond
and ring to be within their budget.
The most beautiful diamond to one person may
not be the most beautiful diamond to another. At
Nebraska Diamond our Certified Diamontologists* are
educated and trained to listen to you so that they can
show you a selection of diamonds having the charac
teristics you find the most beautiful. Our tremendous
diamond inventory guarantees dial we always have the
correct diamond on hand to satisfy all of your require
ments for beauty
When it comes to ring style selection, Nebraska
Diamond is Nebraska’s only Engagement & Wedding
Ring Superstore. All the other area jewelry stores com
bined cannot show you the ring style selection you will
see simply by coming to Nebraska Diamond. We guar
antee that no matter where you have been or what
you have seen you will be absolutely astonished by the
selection at Nebraska Diamond.
You, and only you, know what budget is comfort
able for you. Our advice to you regarding the topic of
budget is very simple: (1) Set a budget. (2) Stay with
in that budget. At Nebraska Diamond we show respect
for our customers by honoring the budget limitations
they set. One of the advantages of being the
Engagement & Wedding Ring Superstore is that we
have beautiful engagement and wedding rings to fit
every budget
Any jewelry store can claim to be the “best”, but
the proof is in the performance. Any jewelry store can
claim to have the “biggest and best selection”, but the
proof is in the performance. Any jewelry store can
claim to have the “most beautiful and brilliant dia
monds”, but the proof is in tire performance. Any jew
elry store can claim to have the “lowest prices”, but
the proof is in the performance.
Our performance record speaks for itself:
Nebraska Diamond will sell more engagement and
wedding ring? than all of the other area jewelry stores
combined
We look forward to serving you.
•The distinction of Certified Diamontoiogist is awarded
by the Diamond Council of America, a non-profit educa
tional organization, only after a comprehensive course of
study and proven proficiency by testing.
Copyright© 2000 Nebraska Diamond Sales Company
Inc. All Rights
NEBRASKA
DIAMOND
8th Floor, NBC Center
13th & 0 Streets
Lincoln, Nebraska 68508
(402) 474-6400
USA 1-800-334-GEMS
The Engagement & Wedding
Ring Superstore*