How To Spot High Quality Diamond Jewelry

Whether you are looking for an engagement ring or just a pair of earrings, diamond jewelry quality can be hard to evaluate on your own. For the untrained shopper, a high quality diamond might look very similar to a lower quality one. However, with a few pointers you will be able to increase your diamond knowledge and to know when a jeweler might be giving you less than honest information. The more you know, the more comfortable you will be that you are getting your money’s worth. The first thing to consider when buying diamond jewelry is the color of the diamond. A clear or slightly yellow colored diamond is more valuable than a bluish diamond. If you hear a jeweler say that a diamond is blue-white, he may be trying to trick you into purchasing a lower quality diamond by saying it is worth more than it is. Diamonds that are slightly yellow-tinted look whiter in sunlight, while bluish diamonds tend to look cloudier. When you visit a jeweler, be sure to look at any diamond jewelry under alternative lighting. Most jewelers show their diamonds under the most favorable lighting conditions possible so they tend to look clearer than they actually

are. Before making a decision on a diamond, ask to see it in a different lighting situation. That way, you can make sure that the bluish tinting of the lights is not what is making the diamond sparkle. If you are planning to purchase a high quality diamond, one way to insure that you are getting what you pay for is to ask for a certificate from an independent lab. That way you have a written guarantee that the color and clarity of the diamond you purchase is truly what the jeweler says it is. Lab certificates will also tell if a diamond has been laser drilled to remove black carbon spots. The laser drilling process makes diamonds more fragile, and therefore worth less money.