Diamond Buying 101

Buying diamond jewelry is not a task to be taken lightly. If you
don't do your research, you could end up getting swindled. Brush
up with a little Diamond Buying 101 so that you can navigate
your way through the wide world of diamond jewelry without
getting lost. These days, there is more fake diamond jewelry
made than there is real diamond jewelry so you need to be able to
recognize the difference. I can tell you it is sometimes very
difficult.

The first four things that you have to get straight when you are
buying diamond jewelry are what people in the diamond jewelry
business refer to as the four C's: carat, cut, color, and clarity.
Carat refers to the weight, and subsequently, the size of the
diamond whereas the cut refers to the shape of the diamond
which are the most common cuts are round, princess and pear.

Diamonds also come in different colors (colorless or near
colorless diamonds are far more expensive than slightly colored
diamonds) and clarities (some diamonds are totally flawless
while other have visible inclusions). Popular colored diamonds
these days are pink, blue and yellow diamonds thanks to celebrity
buys. Most diamond jewelry is priced according to the diamond
cut, carat, color and clarity. If someone offers you a diamond of
poor clarity, one that is fraught with visible inclusions, you'll
know that it's not worth much and then you can bargain
accordingly.

Buying Diamonds for Men

Men's diamond jewelry makes an ideal gift these days. Men tend
to wear jewelry that's given to them, but often never think to buy
something for themselves. That's why so many men end up
wearing chunky class rings decades after graduation. It's not
school pride that keeps them with the same old piece of
collegiate men's jewelry it is probably a lack of other options.
However slowly that is changing.

More and more men are starting to buy jewelry like chains,
diamond watches, rings, bracelets and even earrings. Most men
buy jewelry as a status symbol. More and more men are starting
to buy themselves diamond studded jewelry and gemstones. The
days when men hated to wear any jewelry that wasn't a wedding
ring are over. It is a great thing for retailers however; women are
fast loosing the firm grip on the jewelry market.

Finding men's jewelry in a regular retail store rarely offers much
in the way of selection. Typically, the men's jewelry section
might offer only a small array of watches, and sometimes an
ostentatious ring or two. For this reason, many men who want to
find masculine jewelry of all kinds are now going online to see
their options. It is simply for variety and price that this is
necessary. Whether it's a wedding band for the big day, or just a
beautiful gold bracelet to wear with that power suit, men now
know that they have options.

Buying Diamonds Wholesale

If you have ever walked down the aisles of a flea market and
wondered where the peddlers get all their merchandise from? As
many times as you've emptied your wallet at these Sunday affairs,
you always wonder what a stand of your own would be like or if
you could make any money from it. What you are looking at is
wholesale jewelry. That is why you can find it so cheap at some
of the places that you go to get your jewelry. Wholesalers like:

* Costco (there is always a jewelry department here)
* Flea markets (you can get great deals on vintage and antique
diamond jewelry)
* Bargain shops
* Auctions (both online and off)

These places are popular for selling jewelry at wholesale prices.
They can sometimes get the deals that they do because the items
that they are selling is very outdated and have to be sold in order
to make room for new items. Generally in order for you to get
jewelry from wholesalers you have to have a memberships with
them. Of course the money that you can save in the cost of the
jewelry more than makes up for the fees that go with membership.

You can also find a lot of wholesale jewelry at various online
resources that do not charge fees for memberships however you
will have to pay for shipping fees. You can visit online auction
houses too if you want to get good wholesale prices for your
jewelry. Online auction houses like eBay can give you better than
wholesale prices for used items or you can buy wholesale
jewelry from retailers that sign up with eBay.

Buying Diamonds Online
Although it may seem like a risky venture to buy jewelry online,
buying over the Internet can be a very safe way to buy the most
beautifully cut diamonds at the best prices out there. Of course
there are pros and cons to doing this. Let's look at those first!

Pros:
Selection - when you shop online, you can find the best-cut and
lovely diamonds. This is because many Internet sellers list entire
wholesaler inventories, whereas most stores that buy diamonds
can only buy so many and may not have the knowledge or desire
to stock the best ones.

Prices -The Internet prices are excellent too because the market
is so large and they are all competing for your business and
because of lower operation cost for some and many dealers are
competing to sell the very same diamonds. Not to mention that
you can save on taxes by getting the diamond shipped to you from
another state.

Flexibility - One benefits of Internet shopping is the ability to
have diamonds shipped to you where you can view them in the
best possible light. Online consumers can also take a diamond
shipped to them to a local jeweler to make comparisons. You
should simply be aware of the return policy of the vendor from
whom you buy.

Cons:
Uncertainty - you may not get what you pay for

No trust - will you get what is promised?

Doubts - Can you get your money back if its not what you
wanted?

If you really want to be sure that your internet purchase is a good
one you will need to educate yourself on the subject first. Before
you shop, you need to get a good education about diamonds and
what makes one more valuable and beautiful than the next. You
will also want to pay special attention to crown and pavilion
angles which are not shown on GIA reports.

Part 5
How to Buy Fine Diamond Jewelry Online
Buying fine diamond jewelry online is as safe as if you'd walked
into the jewelry store across town these days. Fine diamond
jewelry stores that you can find online are equally subject to the
stringent rules of product quality and consumer satisfaction you
find at traditional establishments. Armed with just common sense
and a few basic tips, you should feel fully confident that the
purchase you make online will meet all of your expectations.

Every piece of fine diamond jewelry that you buy has the
potential to be a treasured piece that is handed down through
generations. Being able to trust the quality of the fine diamond
jewelry you purchase from an online source is essential. You
should be looking for online establishments that are members of
professional trade associations. These organizations enforce
ethical business practices. You should also look for online stores
that have affiliations with consumer privacy protection groups.

These association logos should be displayed somewhere on the
website. If you're unsure, call the phone number listed on the
website to speak to a store representative. Most of the time, you
will get a good online store however sometimes you could be
fooled so it is best to make sure. When you are buying fine
diamond jewelry online, you should opt for a credit, rather than
debit, card. This way, in the unlikely event that anything goes
wrong, you have greater recourse. This can save you a lot of time
and trouble if something does happen to go wrong.