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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (March 19, 2001)
HOW TO BUY A DIAMOND □MSMOOT RING WITH CONFIDENCE AND KNOWLEDGE By John Tavlin, President Nebraska Diamond At Nebraska Diamond we have perfect ed the Art of making thepurchase of engagement and wedding rings easy, com fortable and fun. Over the years our most important business has been producing tens of thousands of happy, satisfied cus tomers, one at a time. A major reason for our suocess is the heavy emphasis we give to providing consumers with the informa tion they need to buy a diamond engage ment ring with confidence and knowledge. UNDERSTANDING CLARITY, COLOR & CARAT WEIGHT Serious shopping for diamonds begins with an understanding of the Gemoiogical Institute of America (GIA) and its diamond grading terminology.. The GIA is a non profit organization dedicated primarily to the pursuit of gemoiogical education. The GIA is considered by the diamond industry to be the final and most authoritative word on diamond grading standards and its dia mond grading terminology is, by far; the dominant terminology used by diamond cutting firms and jewelry manufacturers throughout the world today. GIA diamond grading terminology describes the darity and color of diamonds. The GIA clarity terminology classifies dia monds based on the number; size, location and description of markings which may be present in or on the diamond. These mark ings range in size from pinpoints so tiny tha they can barely be seen under magnificatior to markings which are large enough to be seen with the naked eye. The GIA color term nofogy classifies diamonds based on the amount of color saturation present in the body of the diamond. ' The accompanying chart shows G1A diamond darity and color grading termi nology. A diamond of a specific clarity can occur in any of the colors. A diamond of a specific color can oocur in any of the clari ties. Accordingly, the chart shows 240 possi Me darity/color combinations. Within any specific budget there is an enormous range of choice in size, darity and color combine lions. “Flawless” clarity and ‘TT color are th only grades which represent a singular, unwavering, exact and objective standard. AD of the other darity and color grades rep resent subjective classifications of qualify ing gemological characteristics. This sub jective nature of diamond grading results ii the potential of somewhat differing degrees of interpretation by two or more graders , b other words, multiple graders can examine the same diamond and disagree on the darity and cMor grade of that diamond As a result, a diamond which is assigned a GL grade by a jeweler who grades on the basis of lenient subjective criteria may actuaDy be significantly inferior to a diamond, with a seemingly kirer (HA grade, which has been graded by a jeweler who adheres to strict subjective criteria. This means that although a diamond in one jewelry store may “sound” like a better quality than a diamond in a second jewelry store, the dia mond in the second jewelry store may actu aDy be better quality and substantially moi valuable. Furthermore, except for “Flawless” darity and “D” color, all of the other clarit and color grades represent ranges of quali fying gemok^cal characteristics. Ihis means that within aD of the other clarity and color grades, there are many versions of each grade, each different from aD othei within the same grade, with some versions being considered better; more desirable anc more valuable than other versions. For example, if internal markings consistent with a specific darity grade are located on the edge of a diamond where they can be covered by prongs when the diamond is set this verson of the clarity grade is consid ered better; more desirable and more valu able than a version with the saipe internal markings located in the center of the dia mond where they cannot be covered by prongs. SimUarfy, a version of a specific color grade which is almost the next higjhe color grade is considered better, more desir aMe and more valuable than a version which is almost the next lower color .grade This means that although two diamonds may each be within the same darity and ’ color grade and, thus, “sound” like equal quality diamonds, one of the diamonds may, in fact, be substantially more valuable than the other Most consumers are aware of the fact that “cant weight” is a standard of measure ment in the diamond industry. Few con sumers are aware of the fact that “carat weight” and “size” are not the same thing. “Carat weight” denotes the weight of the dia mond as measured by a scale. One carat equals 1/5 gram. “Size” denotes the millime ter dimensions of a diamond as measured bj a millimeter gauge. TVso diamonds can have the exact same carat weight yet have greatly differing mil limeter dimensions. Whether two diamonds of the same carat weight have the same mil limeter dimensions depends on how the weight of each diamond is distributed. For example, if one round diamond weighing 1 carat has a great proportion of its carat weight distributed in its depth, it will appear to be much smaller in “face-up” appearance than another round diamond, also weighing carat, which has a great proportion of its carat weight distributed in its diameter. This difference can be very substantial Some 1 carat diamonds face up smaller than some 1/2 carat diamonds. So if two diamonds are exactly the same carat weight, exactly the same darity and exactly the same cola; the two diamonds “sound” the same, yet one can appear to be twice the size of die other So even though the two diamonds are identical in carat weight, identical in darity and ident cal in color, the millimeter size difference car make the larger appearing diamond worth as much as 300% more than the smaller appeal ingdiamond. * When consumers fail to understand that, except for “Flawless” darity and “D” color, darity and color grades are based on subjective, and not objective, criteria, and constitute ranges of qualifying gemological characteristics, and when they fail to under stand that “carat weight” and “size” are no! the same thing, they make cosdy buying mistakes. As a result of these failures, these uneducated consumers, in effect, make thel buying derisions with their ears, based only on what the diamond “sounds” like. t Educated consumers do not purchase dia monds with their ears. Educated consumers understand that although one diamond ma “sound” equal to or better than another, thi truth may be otherwise. Educated consume buy diamonds with their eyes, on the basis < a visual examination. At Nebraska Diamond our staff of Certified Diamontologjsts* will show you your diamond under laboratory grading conditions so you can see your diamond under the exact same conditions our . Diamond Buyer used when he selected it fbi our store. No other area store provides this service. Accordingly, you do not have to tak* . our word for the fact that our diamonds an dearly superior. You will see it for yourself. e Our incredible diamond inventory is one important reason why Nebraska Diamond will sell more diamond engagement rings than all of the other area jewelry stores con bined. UNDERSTANDING CUT i The “cut” of a diamond is divided into two components: (1) “Shape” and (2) i “Make”. “Shape” is a two dimensional con cept consisting of length and width in whid the outline of the outer edge of the diamon in its “face-up” position is described. Typica t shapes indude round, oval, pear, marquise, heart, radiant, prinoess, emerald and trillio) Each “Shape” is subdivided into various vei aoas of that “Shape”. For example, some marquise diamonds are long anl narrow; others are short and fat, and others are in between. Some versions of “Shape” are con sidered in the diamond industry to be con siderably better, more desirable and more valuable than other versions. “Make” is a much more complicated e concept than “Shape”. “Make” involves the entire geometry and all of the cutting propoi tions of the diamond. The “Make” of a dia f mond is defined in terms of how the physica dimensions and angles of cutting interrelate and how each and all of these factors affect the physical appearance and optical light handling capabilities nf the diamond s Hie optical light handling capabilities i a diamond produce two primary results: (1] i Brilliance and (2) Fire. Brilliance is “reflect ed” light and fire is “refracted” light In sin 'pie terms, brilliance is “white” light and fin is light which has been broken down into the primary and secondary spectral colors , (red, blue, yellow and their secondary com binations). Reflected light (brilliance) phis refract* light (fire) equals 100% of the light you see As an increment of one type of light is increased, the increment of the other type o light must decrease, because the total of the r two cannot exceed 100% of the light you se* ■ These are the laws of optics. Accordingly, if the cutter fashions a diamond to increase il brilliance, the co-result has to be a reductic in fire. Conversely, 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 a : to maximum brilliance and maximum fire simultaneously. Accordingly, there is no sue thing as a single “best” cut Any jeweler wh< ■ tdls you otherwise is giving you a sales pitch. Hie most important characteristic in light handling capability that is affected by “Make” is the improvement of the effidenc with which die diamond handles light When light enters a diamond three things ' happen: (1) Some of the light is reflected back out from the diamond as brilliance, 0 some of the light is refracted back out from the diamond as fire, and (3) the remainder of the light leaks through the diamond and is lost Hie more efficient a diamond, the * NEBRASKA DIAMOND GIA Color GIA Clarity Carat Weight rI. y— Flawless p *1 ct = 90 to 110 pts. 1 Colorless 1_-7/g ct = 80 to 89 pts. -GZ Very Very WS1-1 3/4 ct = 70 to 79 pts. Near h_ Slight 5/s ct = 56 to 69 pts. Colorless 1_ ImperfectL VVSI-2 £ * = 45 55 i* i_ Very Slight VSI-1 7/i6 ct = 40 to 44 pts. Faint Yellow 1_ Imperfection 3/g ct = 36 to 39 pts. -_ Vs1-2 1/3 ct = 29 to 35 pts. VeryUght T . SM Yellow -5— Imperfection */5 ct - 18 to 22 pts. SI-2 1/6 ct = 15 to 17 pts. ' F Imperfect TT~ = “*“!4J* i JL_ ^ ylOct = 9 to 11 pts. JL_ I 7 ' Light Yellow V_ 1_z II 1-3 Y -- _Z Fancy Yellow *1 Exact Carat = 100 Points GIA Diamond Color and Clarity Terminology less light it leaks. Hie less light a diamond leaks, the brighter its overall appearance. A superior “Make” increases the efficien cy with which the diamond handles light ’ because a diamond of superior “Make” suf fers a comparatively small amount of light leakage/loss. An inferior “Make" decreases the efficiency with which the diamond han dles light because a diamond of inferior ? “Make” suffers a comparatively large ‘ amount of light leakagtyloss. Accordingly, ' * since a superior “Make” returns to the view * er a larger total volume of light, it appears brighter and shows correspondingly larger volumes of reflected (brilliance) and refract ed (fire) light As noted above,in addition to affecting the optical light handling capabilities of a diamond the “Make” also affects die physi cal appearance of the diamond. Diamonds of superior “Make” face up the size expect ed for their carat weight and show excep tional brilliance and fire. As you mow up the darity scale toward h “Flawless” you move into darity qualities that are increasingly rate. As you move up the color scale toward “D” ydU move into color qualities that are increasingly rare. It is important to understand that an increase in rarity does not inherently or automati cally translateinto an increase in beauty, lb the naked eye, there is no difference | in beauty between a diamond graded 1 “Flawless” and the same diamond if it was graded “SI-2”, because neither “Flawless” L nor “SI-2” diamonds are considered to show markings visible to the naked eye. “Flawless” darity and “SI-2” darity are dif ferent versions of beauty. Hie diamond will cost more if it is “Flawless” darity than it will if it is “SI-2” darity, but that higher cost is primarily a function of rarity, not beauty. Similarly, one color is not inherently and automatically more beautiful than another. “D” color is icy in appearance compared to “M” color. “M” color is warm in appearance compared to “D” odor. “D” ‘ color and “M” color are different versions of beauty Hie diamond will cost more if it is “D” color than it will if it is “M" color, but that higher cost is primarily a function of rarity, not beauty. * Rarity is a fact of nature. Beauty is in 1 the eye of the beholder. When consumers assume that higher clarity diamonds are automatically more beautiful than lower ‘ darity diamonds, or assume that higher color diamonds are automatically more beautiful than lower color diamonds, they make cosdy buying mistakes. Paying extra for rarity does not guarantee you a more d beautiful diamond. It bears repeating that educated consumers buy with their eyes, cm the basis of a visual examination. * Uneducated consumers buy with their ears, on the basis of what the diamond “sounds” like. s UNDERSTANDING THE TKKKS OF THE a ™“ Consumers should be aware of various trade practices in the jewelry industry which are used to unduly influence buying I decisions. Hie three most prominent “tricks of the trade” are (1) Deceptive showroom [j lighting conditions, (2) fake sales, and (3) , misdirection. Promoting diamond jewelry by showing it under special showroom display lighting is considered normal practice in the jewelry industry. Hiis lighting is recognizable by its , “hot”, “bright” or “intense” appearance, and includes spot lights, flood lamps, reflector lamps, tubular display case bulbs, chande liers and similar light sources. This type of I) display lighting is unfair to consumers because it artificially enhances the appear ance of diamond brilliance and fire and, in addition, such lighting makes it impossible to reliably determine diamond 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 dia monds only under laboratory grading lights. Laboratory grading lights are “Tbbular fluorescent color corrected day light bulbs rated at 5000 KeMn”. Laboratory grading lights neutralize bril liance and fire and render colors accurate ly. 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 over head 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 pro portions in the jewelry industry. In the Fake sale scheme the store places a fictitious and exorbitant “regular” price on the merchan dise 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 consumer the illu sion of a “bargain”. At Nebraska Diamond our pricing poli cy follows the no nonsense philosophy of “lowest price every day". Ibis means that you never have to wait for a “sale” at Nebraska Diamond. We are very serious about fulfilling our commitment to offer our merchandise at the lowest prices in the market every day. That commitment is an important reason why Nebraska Diamond « has grown to completely dominate 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 prod uct itself. In the jewelry industry “misdirec tion” takes two primary forms: (1) Using a “gizmo” to “prove” that the diamond meets a superior standard, and (2) using third party “authentication” to “prove” one diamond is better than another. Analyzing brilliance and fire in a dia mond is such a complicated subject that to properly study diamond light handling characteristics the GIA has utilized comput er 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 propor tion combinations produce beautiful dia monds, the 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 diamond revealed by die gizmo, announce that the diamond cut is perfect and superior in every way. In fact, the gizmo used to reveal the otherwise invis ible pattern does not measure beauty or brilliance. Hie gizmo is a misdirection tod. Diamonds which are pushed on consumers by misdirection tricks are called “Gimmick Diamonds” by people in the diamond indus try Hie two most notorious Gimmick Diamonds are the “Hearts and Arrows” dia mond and the American “Ideal Cut” dia mond, which are marketed at premium prices under a variety of fancy sounding brand names. Hie “Hearts and Arrows” dia mood and the American “Ideal Cut” dia mond are touted by their dealers as “the most brilliant” diamonds. Tlie claim is pure hype. The Arqerican Gem Society (AGS) “0” cut grade is the basis of the “Hearts and Arrows” diamond. When the GIA examined the range of proportions of the AGS “0” cut grade, examples generated a “Weighted Light Return” (WLR) value in the “typical” catego ry for brilliance, an unimpressive rating which is well below GLVS highest WLR bril liance category. In the same GIA tests the American “Ideal Cut” proportions generated WLR values in the “moderately low” category for brilliance. Similarly, some jewelers present “certifi cates” containing third party descriptions of the diamond to “prove” that their diamond is better than the diamond at the other 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 dia mond. After all, if these “certificates” are prepared by independent third parties they must be unbiased and correct, right7 Not quite. What the consumer is not told is that all these certificates contain accuracy dis claimers and, further, that some third party providers grade diamonds using lenient sub-. jective grading standards so that their “cer tificates” read better and the diamonds* described in them “sound” better than If they used strict subjective grading stan dards. No “certificate” regardless of its detail, tells you whether the diamond is beautiful or brilliant “Certificates” are mis direction tools. M SEARCH OF BEAUTY; STYLE AND YRLQF Every year at Nebraska Diamond we make thousands of engaged couples happy they came to see us. The couples who have the easiest, most comfortable and most fun time purchasing thdr engagement ring all share the same three objectives: (1) They want a (jjamond they feel is beautiful, (2) they want a ring style they both love and (3) they want die diamond and ring to be with in thdr budget The most beautiful diamond to one per son 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 characteristics you find the most beauti ful. Our tremendous diamond inventory guarantees that we always have the correct diamond (Ki hand to satisfy all of your requirements 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 combined can not show you the ring style selection you will see simply by coming to Nebraska Diamond. We guarantee 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 comfortable for you. Our advice to you regarding the topic of budget is very simple: (1) Set a budget (2) Stay within that bud get 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 engage ment 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 bril liant diamonds”, but the proof is in the per formance. Any jewelry 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 rings thap all of the other area jewelry stores combined. We look forward to serving you. "The distinction of Certified Diamontologist is awarded by die Diamond Council of America, a non-profit educational organization, only after a comprehensive course of study and > proven proficiency by testing. Copyright© 2001. Nebraska Diamond Sales Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. NEBRASKA DIAMOND 8th Floor Wells Fargo Center 13th &0 Streets ‘ Lincoln, Nebraska 68508 (402) 474-6400 USA 1-800-334-GEMS The Engagement & Wedding Ring Superstore91