Many choose to buy their diamonds from online sources, but what are the risks? "Buyer beware, " says Joe Urbanowicz, Graduate Gemologist. There is more to buying diamonds than the 4 C's. Some buyers want a 1carat diamond, but end up with a stone that looks much smaller. How?
"Although a diamond may weigh one carat, if the diamond is cut too to deep, you will have a smaller diameter diamond with very poor light return. In other words, your diamond won't sparkle like it should", says Joe. “You just can't see these things online and you will not see this in the stone descriptions". Always buy from a store with a graduate gemologist on staff.
Another issue is the cut of the girdle. The girdle is the rim around the diamond. “Customers bring in diamonds they have purchased from online sources, only to find they paid for a thick girdle, something that only adds weight, but does not add sparkle or increase the value of the diamond. It’s simply extra weight to bring the stone to 1 carat. It would be like buying a watermelon, paid by the pound, injected with extra water to make it heavier.”
When you buy a diamond from an independent jeweler, “you get to see the stone before you get out your credit card,” says Joe.
