Want a better diamond than what the mall stores have?
Want a better deal than the other jewelers offer?
How would you like to learn how to grade a diamond's color, clarity and cut? We'll show you. We'll show you how to use a jewelers loupe to peer inside a diamond, so you can really see how "clean" it is, or isn't. We'll even give you a real jewelers loupe - for free. That way if you are shopping around for a diamond, you will be armed and prepared to see how nice the diamond is that some salesperson is trying to sell you. (Kind of fun too to see their faces when you whip out your own jewelers loupe....)
Always compare 2 or more diamonds.
If there is a certain diamond you are interested in, you need to compare it to another one very similar in size and quality. Never buy a diamond without comparing to others side by side. Often times you will notice something you would not have picked up on when you look at the diamond by itself.
Learn the 4 Cs
Cut, color, clarity and carat weight. These four factors determine a diamond's value. You need to learn at least the basics so you can make the best choice. Click here to learn the 4 Cs of diamonds.
Insist on looking at the diamond with 10X magnification.
You can do this with a jewelers loupe (that we'll give you), or a microscope. Diamond grading laboratories use 10X magnification when they grade diamonds for diamond reports, certificates as some call them. Without looking at the diamond with magnification you will miss important factors in determining the diamonds clarity, and thus it's value.
Never buy a large diamond without a recognized diamond laboratory report such as GIA.
Some jewelers will try to sell you a "house graded" diamond. Don't fall for it. A diamond that is house graded, or graded by the jewelry store will be graded in the favor of the seller - not you the buyer. And should you ever try to sell that diamond you will be in for a big surprise most likely. In most of the cases I have seen in 26 years, the house graded diamond will not stand up to G.I.A. standards. Imagine the heartache when you treasured diamond is not the grade you paid for. I've seen this happen hundreds of times.
Make sure the lab report, or certificate, is from a respected and recognized grading diamond laboratory.
A few helpful hints for your diamond shopping adventure are listed below.
Always compare 2 or more diamonds.
If there is a certain diamond you are interested in, you need to compare it to another one very similar in size and quality. Never buy a diamond without comparing to others side by side. Often times you will notice something you would not have picked up on when you look at the diamond by itself.
Learn the 4 Cs
Cut, color, clarity and carat weight. These four factors determine a diamond's value. You need to learn at least the basics so you can make the best choice. Click here to learn the 4 Cs of diamonds.
Insist on looking at the diamond with 10X magnification.
You can do this with a jewelers loupe (that we'll give you), or a microscope. Diamond grading laboratories use 10X magnification when they grade diamonds for diamond reports, certificates as some call them. Without looking at the diamond with magnification you will miss important factors in determining the diamonds clarity, and thus it's value.
Never buy a large diamond without a recognized diamond laboratory report such as GIA.
Some jewelers will try to sell you a "house graded" diamond. Don't fall for it. A diamond that is house graded, or graded by the jewelry store will be graded in the favor of the seller - not you the buyer. And should you ever try to sell that diamond you will be in for a big surprise most likely. In most of the cases I have seen in 26 years, the house graded diamond will not stand up to G.I.A. standards. Imagine the heartache when you treasured diamond is not the grade you paid for. I've seen this happen hundreds of times.
Make sure the lab report, or certificate, is from a respected and recognized grading diamond laboratory.
The ones you should buy:
- G.I.A.
- AGS
- HRD
Do not put any trust, or your money, in a lab report from outside these. The diamond will be over graded and you will not be getting the diamond you think you are getting. No ethical jeweler will offer you lab reports outside that list I mentioned.
Recently, EGL-International has had tons of negative press in the diamond industry. Because they blatantly over grade diamonds. Do not buy a diamond with EGL International lab report. Read the story of a T.V. station criticizes jewelry store for using EGL International Diamond Reports.
Read Martin Rapaport's article about diamond overgrading being a threat to the diamond industry Honest (Diamond) Grading.
There are many so called "diamond labs" out there. Kind of interesting some of the labs are even real labs, but just a certificate with a lab name on it. They are set up by a retail jeweler. You can check the address - it matches the address of the jewelry store. And sometimes they use names that sound very close to GIA, which confuses the shopper thinking they are getting a legit diamond grading report.
Compare prices.
This sounds really simple, right? Surprisingly not everyone will compare prices. They should. Some jewelers have a very high markup. Being a high profile jewelry store in a great location costs money. Spending huge amounts of money on advertising costs money. Commissioned sales people cost money. All this overhead makes these jewelers to charge more. Or maybe because they've been around for a long time they think they can charge whatever they want.
Come see us.
We will help you learn how to look inside a diamond with a jewelers loupe. Show you how to compare multiple diamonds side by side. How to compare the clarity of a diamond. See how to determine the color or the "whiteness". See how a the cut of a diamond effects it's sparkle. We will show you all of this. We will compare similar diamonds side by side. Explain why a GIA graded diamond is worth more than an EGL USA graded diamond. Show you how a GIA with a cut grade of Excellent will out sparkle a GIA Good cut grade.
Why Yates & Co Jewelers?
You'll get a more beautiful brilliant diamond, for less cash than you've seen elsewhere. You will confident knowing you got the best diamond, at the best price.
We've seen and compared the low quality diamonds that the other stores sell. And we won't sell you one of those low quality commercial diamonds.
You will get a diamond that is cut to very good standards so it will sparkle better. We aren't a big mall store, or a national chain, so we can be picky on the diamonds we stock. You will appreciate this when you see the difference in how a diamond from Yates & Co will outsparkle a diamond from Zales, Kays, and many others I cannot name in print.
Get in touch:
- Call us - (209) 523-1442
- Email us - sales@yatesjewelers.com
