Quest for the Perfect Ring

Ready...?

2010-11-17T01:28:00.004-05:00

...........

Ready to go....

Will You....?

...........

Bruted vs Faceted

2010-07-21T17:33:00.014-04:00

I haven't updated this blog for a while... at least not with this kind of info.

If you pay close attention to your stone's certificate, you will see 2 pieces of information that relates to the Girdle. They are the thickness and the 'type' of girdle. In this post, I'm going to explain the 'type'.

Girdle
Girdle is the thin line between the top half of your diamond and the bottom half when viewed from the side. If you refer back to this simple diamond diagram, you can see where it is:

It is the widest part of the diamond and divides the top from the bottom. (It doesn't divide equally of course with the bottom being longer than the top) After being set, the girdle is usually visible unless it is purposely covered by the setting or band like the famous Tiffany Bezet line =P

There are primarily 2 types of girdles:

1. Faceted
2. Bruted

Faceted

Nowadays, this is probably the most common girdle type. Faceted means that the girdle is finished with a faceted feel. Even without a microscope, if you look carefully, you'll see numerous facets along the girdle as you turn the ring. It gives the ring a more 'clean' look. Faceting is done after bruting a diamond. These are the last and final steps in diamond cutting.

Bruted

Bruted was more common many years ago and 1 of the reasons why it was common was to prove that the stone was a real diamond. Bruted girdle is achieved by grinding 2 stones together. The appeareance is like a sugarly/frosted look.

Pros & Cons & Facts

-Faceted girdles take an extra step and are considered to be "better" than bruted girdles

-Although there are some out there who argue otherwise

-Faceted girdles cost a bit more as an extra step is involved in the cutting process

-Most diamonds today are faceted

Keep Waiting...

2010-07-03T17:58:00.002-04:00

After getting the ring, sometimes I find it pretty hard to keep hiding it and not proposing it... There are different occassions where I want to present the ring. Sometimes those occassions are not so pleasant, others are better.

The not-so-good occassions are when I keep hearing complaints about how we've been together for so long and I have no plans, no progress, nothing. It's just so hard to put all this effort behind the scenes and keep holding off just to have the perfect proposal. Complaints turn into agruments and there has been several times where I just want to get the ring and present it and tell her all the time and effort I have put into this. There was once or twice when I was really that close to doing it. But I was able to control my emotions and hold back. Sometimes I think to myself, if I had presented it, it wouldn't be so bad after all. Maybe that's memorable and the spontaneous nature of it would've made it special. Still I wanted to go with my plan of doing it in a somewhat public and beautiful place =)

Then there are those pleasant occassions where I just feel it's about time and don't want to wait any longer. Trust me, if I could, I would've already done it. It's just I put so much time and effort that I don't want it to happen somewhere and sometime that I didn't plan on having it. But sometimes I think, good things are not meant to be waited for and put on hold for. That's why I really can't wait sometimes and just want to give her the ring....

Well, we'll just wait and see how it goes...

Microscope Update

2010-05-31T21:36:00.002-04:00

Well, finally got the chance to view the Perfect Ring under the microscope today.

Tiffany Toronto was awfully quiet today, which I actually liked. I was only 1 of 2 customers when I got there. I went to find the gemologist who had briefly helped me last time. I actually like her a lot since she's very knowledgeable about diamonds and did not hesistate to get into "technical" talks with me about it. She's also the type that cuts the BS doesn't try to be a fancy sales. That doesn't mean she doesn't have good customer service, it's just her style is more passive which is similar to mine.

Anyway, enough about the nice sales, on to the microscope experience. I had emailed my sales lady the night before and she replied saying that they would be expecting me. So when I went to find the gemologist, she asked another sales to "bring it out" (the microscope) and "get it ready". It sounded so cool lol. However, I was a little surprised since I expected it to be in a nice little private viewing room. I believe even the Tiffany Yorkdale store has this semi-private room with a microscope inside. That's actually where I got the idea thinking if the Yorkdale store has a microscope, then the prestigious Tiffany Toronto store must have it. Well, I was pretty disappointed when the guy the gemologist instructed came out carrying this rather pre-2000s looking microscope out in his nice fancy suit.

They plug it in, turned it on and the gemologist got to work. She said she would need to set it up and calibrate it correctly for me. She played around with this clip that could not hold the ring. Then she explained that it was for loose diamonds only. That struck me odd since, aren't all Tiffany diamonds set and they don't sell/have loose diamonds? If so, then why would they have a microscope that can only hold loose diamonds?

Anyway, I had to hold the diamond with my fingers and that was inconvenient for several reasons. Under such magnifications, moving the diamond a little would cause it to be blurry and out of focus. Therefore, you had to keep your hand and fingers really steady to keep it in focus.

There are basically 2 knobs on their microscope. One was for focusing. So it what you're seeing in the lens is blurry, just turn it. If it gets worse... well turn it the other way =P There's a small knob that you would turn to zoom in or out. Fully zoomed out, the diamond would take up about 1/3 of what you see through the lens. Fully zoomed in, I believe you can only see like 1/2 of the diamond.

Finally, I had to say I'm a tad disappointed with the diamond, despite it's good specs. I think I saw about 2-3 black pinpoint conclusion, as well as, a cloud of clear inclusions. These clouds are kinda like teeny-weeny air bubbles trapped in the diamond during the growth process. They're called clouds because they come in clusters. So there we go, 2 black pinpoints and a cloud that I could not see even under the loupe. That's pretty disappointing. I did get the opportunity to verify the serial number that I cleverly spotted the other day under the loop. I thought it was a big inclusion, which was odd because it was so nicely parallel to the table. The gemologist looked and laughed and said that's the serial number that is etched near the table. She complimented saying that I have a very good eye and majority of their customers would not even see it if she told them where it was.

After the microscope, I insisted that we look again using the loupe and I realized that what I thought were dust particles before were actually the cloud themselves. And by tilting the diamond at the right angle where the entire table has light reflecting off it directly, you can see all the inclusions actually. I found a great way to view inclusions using this method that I learned today. Hands-on experience!

After this whole ordeal, the gemologist kept emphasizing that this is a really, really good ring and that I picked a really good one. As I mentioned before, it seems she cuts the BS and since I'm technically not her client, there is really no point for her to sugarcoat everything. She said that I'm getting the best bang for the buck by getting a G, VS2 and the triple excellent, no fluorescence, faceted medium girdle. She said the numbers (proportions) are really nice too! I said that's exactly why I picked this diamond and asked if she knew about the HCA tool. She said she's not particularly aware of that tool, but she knows such tools exist. But to her, with her background and knowledge as a gemologist, she knows right off the bat which numbers and ranges are good and which aren't. That was pretty impressive since I always have to resort to the HCA tool. To her, it's like picking some nice, sweet oranges or picking fresh fish at the supermarket.

In conclusion, I was rather disappointed after finally seeing the inclusions. I guess I can't expect too much since it's a VS2 after all, not IF or F. However, having a decent eye and being really picky, I couldn't see much with the loupe. And now that I learned how a cloud really looks like (not dust particles!), I realized I have that too on the diamond. But I'm not going to turn around. I think this is still a really good diamond and I'm getting a great deal on it (well subjective I know lol)... I hope it's worth it and I'll have no regrets....

Microscope...

2010-05-30T23:20:00.003-04:00

Going to see the ring under a microscope tomorrow.... hopefully...

First time looking at a diamond under the microscope. I wonder how it's going to be. I'll definitely update after the experience =P

I wonder if it's going to be shocking or pleasant or both. It'll probably be pretty cool seeing it under such great magnification, but at the same time all the inclusions that I missed even with a loupe will show up. I hope it doesn't turn me off lol.

...

2010-05-24T03:00:00.002-04:00

Going to rant a little here...

I'm a pretty understanding and sensitive guy, but I can never truly understand why girls get so anxious about knowing when they're going to get married and have everything planned out. If this is coming from a single girl, going into her 30s, okay, I think I see where they're coming from and definitely have sympathy in that scenario. But what about those girls who's been dating someone for years, or even longer? I know, I know, "Since it's been so long, how come he hasn't popped the question yet?!?!" What if the girl knew the answer to that question? Would she want to know? Then what is the whole point of a so called surprise proposal? Isn't that what girls want at the end of the day? The perfect proposal? How is that going to be possible if they keep inquiring and complaining about when it's going to happen?

If the guy's a good guy, shouldn't the girl have faith in him? Especially if he says to trust him and leave it up to him? Why is it so hard to think from the other perspective that maybe... just maybe, he might be planning something and didn't want to give you any hints so it would be a big surprise? Instead why does it have to be, oh he's not telling me, he must be a loser. Next girls night out, every girl-friend bashes on him. "Why is he such a coward?" "Why doesn't he want to propose and get engaged with you?" "Doesn't he treasure you?" "Does he not respect you?"

I'm not a coward. I do want to get engaged. I absolutely treasure you. I respect you the most out of anyone in the world. Can't you understand that I need to plan things on my own and find the perfect moment and opportunity to propose?

To Buy or Not to Buy...

2010-05-15T01:56:00.001-04:00

Big day tomorrow... Can't make up my mind!

--Tiffany Price Differences Worldwide--

2010-03-23T18:22:00.002-04:00

Catered towards the T&Co fans, this blog post shows the rough price difference between locations throughout the world.

Based on my research, here are how the prices diff:

(Cheapest) US > Asia (Hong Kong) > Asia (Taiwan) > Canada (Expensive)

These are rough comparisons from gathering different prices on similar spec diamond rings and factoring in exchange rates, taxes, etc. With Canada having a high sales tax, it easily claimed the last spot and the most expensive place to purchase a Tiffany ring. Surprisingly, major cities (Hong Kong and Taipei (Taiwan)) in Asia were not much cheaper. The good thing is, there isn't any sales tax in Hong Kong, so that brings the price down a little. (Bringing the ring back to your native country is a different story... FYI, Canada is really tight on customs and taxation on good imported). With T&Co being an American company and brand, it's almost a no-brainer that it would be the cheapest in the US. They are on average, about 5-8% cheaper than the rest of the locations I have compared with. Finding a state with a low sales tax is a bonus =P

--Conflict Diamonds--

2010-03-17T19:43:00.003-04:00

In continuation of my last post, I'm going to blog a little bit about Conflict Diamonds.

Conflict Diamonds, are illegitimate diamonds that come from areas where the mining process is not controlled. Furthermore, the revenue made by the sale of these diamonds are used to fund wars against the local government. This is exactly what was portrayed in the movie Blood Diamond. Illegitimate forces recruit and force men to mine and dig up these diamonds, and of course there is no paycheque. As you can see, many people who are aware of this topic avoid the purchase of these stones, which indirectly funds the warfare and the continuity of this practice. There are many, many people affected by this and poor innocent villagers who are forced away from their family to help the these illegitimate organizations mine the stones. Because there is absolutely no process, injuries and deaths are extremely common from the mining process.

All of these conflict diamonds are mined in different parts of Africa, with Angola, Sierre Leone, Liberia being the main countries. The Civil wars that constantly plagued these countries are heavily funded by these Conflict Diamonds.

UN and the diamond industry have stepped in to attempt to put a stop on the sales of Conflict Diamonds. The Kimberley Process, introduced in May 2000, is a huge step in controlling and eliminating the sales of Conflict Diamonds.

At the end of the day, it is up to the individual's conscience to decide if they will avoid the purchase of a diamond with unknown origins. Sometimes (although rarely), unknown origins does not automatically make the diamond a blood diamond. For the reason of it being illegitimate and exported from war zones, blood diamonds sell for a lower price than legitimate diamonds mined in controlled mines by legitimate organizations.

--Blood Diamond--

2010-03-15T00:06:00.003-04:00

On a boring Sunday afternoon, I pulled out a DVD that I haven't watched, Blood Diamond. I heard it was a pretty good movie. Well it sure was. A 2hr+ movie, but well worth the watch.

Blood Diamond star Leo DiCaprio, Mr. Titanic, Jennifer Connelly, and Djimon Honsou. It's an entertaining film that will indirectly educate you about conflict and blood diamonds. I think the whole point of the film was exactly that and it definitely delivered. Although along with delivering that, the movie was action packed, and filled with love and family love side stories. It is dedicated to the battle towards the ban of conflict diamonds.

My thoughts after this movie on conflict diamonds definitely changed. Without knowing what is really happening and seeing it (through the movie), it is really hard to relate to buying certain diamonds with unknown origins which makes them likely conflict diamonds.

I would really recommend this movie for any of you guys looking to buy a diamond from wholesalers that do not guarantee their stones origins, or those ladies who demand a huge rock from their significant others, which might force them to have to buy conflict diamonds to fulfill your wish.

Honestly, sometimes I think this whole diamond ring thing is...... I don't know how to express it in words. A lot of people know why diamonds cost so much; controlled supply leads to high demand. A diamond could be sold for much, MUCH less than what they are sold today, but with the supply so closely monitored and controlled, coupled with the constant advertisement and brainwashing commercials and social pressure to have a nice big rock on a girls hand, the price of diamonds sits at where it is today. Paying $10,000+ for a tiny rock no more than the size of a marble. Imagine no such thing as a diamond engagement ring existed? That money could be put into a bigger house, a nicer wedding, a car, savings for the future...... But regardless, this is how society is today and it's hard to defy the "norm". Even if one can understand that, it'll take a lot to convince the other half and even then, as a couple, you have to be willing to accept all the "consequences" (I don't want to use that word as it is too negative in this context, but it's the most suitable word I can think of) that family, friends and society will place on you...

--Tiffany Price Increase...--

2010-03-02T18:48:00.002-05:00

I just got word that Tiffany US has raised their prices 8%...

This pretty much removes the idea of possible cross border ring shopping. With the recent CAD-USD conversion rate and the lower sales tax in the US, it made sense to make the drive across.

I was able to get the prices in both CAD and USD from Tiffany and in general, the Canadian stores have a markup of about 15-20%. Factor in US sales taxes, roughly 6-8%, the conversation rate, roughly 5-7%, you're still looking at saving quite a bit. The only question remains how you can bring it across the border. I do not endorse not declaring the ring, but that is where you'll see the most savings. Factoring in Ontario taxes of 13%, you're looking at saving about $500-700 at the end of the day.

I have heard success as well as horrid stories of cross border shopping. It's up to the individual of making that decision and how it may be the carried out. Please know the consequences before making your final decision.

--HRD--

2010-02-24T23:48:00.003-05:00

Previously, I had discussed the two top diamond grading bodies, GIA and AGS. Well, it turns out that in North America, predominantly the US, GIA and AGS are the most favorable and trusted bodies. Over the Altantic Ocean, in the city of Antwerp, the world's largest diamond trade center, there exists another reputable diamond grading body, the HRD.

HRD, The High Diamond Council or Hoge Raad voor, was started in 1976 (much later than GIA - 1930s) is much like its North American counterparts and is a very reputable and trusted diamond grading authority. Since its origins are in the world's "diamond capital", you can tell how reliable their grading certificates are.

However, there have been debates and opinions on the differences between GIA/AGS and HRD. Researchers and diamond enthusiasts have compared reports generated by the two separate bodies and have found differences in their grading across the 4C's. I'm not going to go into details regarding the differences, but overall, neither is superior to the other. It's almost like comparing AGS000 and GIA Triple Excellent.

What you should learn from this blog post is the existence of a third reputable and proven diamond grading body, HRD, and it is based in the world's largest diamond trading city, Antwerp. So next time when you're out shopping for a ring and you see a grading certificate from HRD, don't freak out and instead, showcase your knowledge to the sales =P...

--To Splurge Or Not To Splurge--

2010-02-16T18:28:00.004-05:00

Well, looks like my whole budget has taken a different turn. Now that we're shopping around for a place, and with the way the housing market is heading, I need to save, and save a lot for a downpayment. This changes everything. I still want to give the Perfect Ring, but at the same time, I want to buy a place for us that is nice and that can't be compromised simply because I need to budget for the ring. Decisions, decisions... I need some way to make more money ><

Pros & Cons:
-real estate generally goes up in value over time.... diamonds do not
-the Perfect Ring might have a wow factor, but so does a nice place (or lack thereof)
-one cannot live without a place, but you can live without a ring
-a diamond is forever... but a house is where you live and rest in, every single day...
-skip the hardwood floor, big screen TV and granite countertop to go from a 50 points, I colour, SI1 to a 1.3 ct, F colour, VS1....? Argh...
-earnings from selling a house that has increased in value can easily buy a decent ring

--The Story (Part 2)--

2010-02-08T22:12:00.003-05:00

This Quest for the Perfect Ring has been long and tiring. Not only because it is pretty hard to find a really, really nice ring for a really, really good price, but also because of the timing.

I have been meaning to buy a ring, propose and get engaged almost 2 yrs ago. When I first decided that, I took things easy and just casually educated myself on the 4C's, much like how I'm educating some of you who follow this blog. I also had to save enough money so I wouldn't be broke, or restricted on the budget.

With every year that pass, me and my girlfriend have been together for another year. Most of her friends are now engaged or married, yet, she, the one who's been dating since high school, who's always been the ideal couple, is, unfortunately, still unengaged. I totally understand how she feels since most of our common friends thought we would be the first ones to get engaged and married. However, I tend to see it in a different way. Up to a certain extent, there is no deadline to be engaged. Not after 2 yrs of dating, not after 5, not after 10. A proposal should happen when things feel right, and not dictated by people around you, including family. I always thought as long as you give your significant other security, make them feel that you're serious, and your relationship is stable, and it's just a matter of time before you get engaged and married, that everything would be ok. Well I guess I am partially wrong. Maybe as a female, there is some sort of social pressure, much like how girls compare their engagement rings...

I'm learning to compromise and trying to speed up my schedule, but I still don't want to ruin it just because of what others impose.

To be continued...

Band & Setting Choices Part 1

2010-02-04T22:16:00.002-05:00

I wanted to blog a bit about this topic as I see it as an important component of the Perfect Ring. So you got yourself a shiny, big rock, but you're still missing the other half of a ring, the setting!

Typically, the circular part is called a setting, or band. For engagement rings, they usually come in the form of gold, white or yellow, or platinum. To further break it down, the gold bands come in either 14K or 18K gold. Platinum costs significantly more than gold. A 14K gold band could cost around $300-600 CAD, while a platinum one might sell for at least $1000+ CAD.

When brand new, it is pretty hard to tell the difference between platinum and white gold. So the first thing that may come to your mind is, why not buy the cheaper one. Well, like most things in life, you get what you pay for and there's obviously reasons why platinum costs more. Let me break down the differences...

White gold bands typically are a mix of white gold and other metals like silver, palladium and is usually treated with a layer of rhodium to make it white and shiny. Over time, the Rhodium plating chips and fades away and will make the band look dull and not as white. However, for a small price, most jewellers will re-Rhodium plate a white gold ring to "renew" it.

Platinum on the other hand is an almost pure metal when made into bands and is more dense, and white. Due to its density, platinum bands weight more than white gold bands. Platinum is also a lot stronger and thus can take more wear and not show it. Lastly, it is also more rare and therefore costs more than gold.

If you don't mind chips and scratches on your band, gold may be your better choice due to its price point. That and you have to get it replated with Rhodium every few years to keep the whiteness. On the other hand, if you want a stronger, more chip resistant band, platinum may be the way to go. However, you probably won't be able to replate or polish it (it's much more difficult than gold) and over time, it may dull a little bit.

If you can afford the extra money, a platinum band would be my choice =)

--Cut--

2010-02-02T10:47:00.003-05:00

The last and final C, Cut.

Cut
This is arguably the most important of the 4C's. The cut grade of a diamond refers to how 'well' the diamond is cut into the commercial stone from the raw stone. The cut of a diamond directly reflects how shiny and sparkly, and the brilliance and fire a diamond gives off. An excellent cut diamond can often mask flaws and lower grades in the other C's.

Technically speaking, the cut of a diamond is how much light is reflected back to the eye and surface of the diamond. A badly cut diamond will lose all the light by reflecting it to the sides or even bottom of the diamond. It can further be classified as shallow or deep cut depending on where exactly the light is reflected. In both cases, it is not reflected back up to the table of the diamond. On the contrary, excellent cut diamonds reflect maximum light right back up to the table and thus gives it more fire and brilliance.

That is also the reason why an excellent cut diamond can mask other defects. For example, if there are inclusions in an excellent cut diamond, the amount of light reflected back can make the inclusion harder to spot, or smaller than it appears. The same can be said for a lower colour grade like I, or J stone with excellent cut. The amount of light reflected back can offset the yellowish colour and make the stone appear more white than it actually is.

Cut is generally measured from Poor, Fair, Good, Very Good, and Excellent. However, different grading bodies have different grading for Cut. For GIA, the highest cut is an Excellent cut. For AGS generally likes to grade their cut on a scale of of 0 - 10, with 0 being Ideal/highest, and 10 being Poor/worse cut. It's not entirely true that GIA Excellent = AGS Ideal 0, but they are pretty much the best cut stones around. Again, using GemScan, they have their Ideal cut, which is their highest cut grade. But do not compare this to the AGS Ideal 0 cut, as the latter is far better.

Personally, I try to maximize this spec. As I mentioned, having the highest cut can mask out and offset the other specs, so having an Excellent cut, G stone is probably better than a Good cut, E colour stone. Well, it is really hard to compare like that, but you get the idea =P Drawing comparisons to RPG games again, the cut is like your main weapon, your sword, Ultima Weapon, Ragnarok and colour and clarity are like head or body armour. If you were to only have one item, you'd pick your weapon, your best sword right? Same analogy here =)

--Colour--

2010-01-27T09:50:00.002-05:00

Another one of the 4Cs, Colour...

Colour
For those new to ring shopping, this colour grading does not refer to coloured diamonds like purple, red, blue, yellow that are naturally or synthetically made that way. Those kind of coloured diamonds cost much more than a white diamond.

The colour that this category represents is how 'white' a diamond is. It ranges on a scale from D, being the most white, or absolutely colourless, all the way to Z, a diamond that is extremely yellow. Of course, the whiter a diamond is, the more expensive it'll cost.

The broad range of most commercially sold diamonds will hover around D to J/K/L. They can be generally grouped into:

Colourless: D, E, F
Near Colourless: G, H, I, J

The colourless range will cost a pretty penny and you cannot tell the difference just by casually looking at it. Even the near colourless range are still fairly white and again, unless put beside whiter diamond, you cannot tell what colour grade it is. The ones below J are a different story. The lower the grade, the more significantly yellow it gets and will probably be visible without comparison by the naked eye.

In my opinion, anything above G/H is already really good, and you don't have to get D or E to get an awesome diamond. In general, anything within the near colourless category is buyable.

Keep in mind, even gemologists grade these stones using comparison. They have a set of diamonds from D to Z and they just compare one by one until they find what colour grade it is. In other words, to tell the colour grade of a diamond, you will always need to compare with another colour.

GIA / AGS vs GemScan

2010-01-25T14:56:00.003-05:00

For all the fellow Canadians, this post might be worthwhile to spend some time to read up.

Since my quest for the perfect ring, I've learnt a few things regarding the diamond grading system. First, of course, you always want good or great specs if your budget can accommodate. Secondly, however, and often even more important, is WHO or WHERE the grading certificate came from. I don't think there is much debate that GIA and AGS are the highest and most authoritative grading institutions in North America at least, but probably worldwide too. If the diamond you're looking at has a grading certificate from either one of them, rest assured the specs are accurate and have been through strictest grading possible. However, make sure the certificate is authentic (later blog on this)!

GemScan is a reputable appraisal and grader that is based in Toronto, Ontario. A lot of the wholesalers and retailers in the GTA area get their grading certificates from them. I've heard good stories as well as not so good stories regarding their grading. From what I conclude, their standard is definitely not as strict as GIA or AGS, so take their grading with a grain of salt. I would safely subtract a grade to the specs they give you. So if they give you a G colour, VS2, consider the diamond a H colour, SI1.

The reason behind GemScan's "loose" grading is that most of the jewellry dealers in the GTA area give their business to GemScan. By grading diamonds higher for the dealers, the dealers in return can sell more diamonds and get a higher profit. Then they give more wholesale, loose diamonds to GemScan and thus a mutual benefit is created. That is not to discredit or say GemScan is not reputable, but to gain a better understanding of the background of how it works will yield a better judgement call on your behalf.

Even worse is when a vendor gives you a sheet of paper stating the grades and authenticity of the diamond without any body of appraisal. These likely come from their in-house grader and obviously is very biased in their grading. Definitely try to stay away from this type of seller.

In conclusion, you will pay a premium for GIA or AGS certified diamonds. And that's the very reason why some friend of yours might have gotten a diamond of higher spec than you for a fraction lower than yours. But keep in mind, you get what you pay for. I would strongly recommend getting a GIA/AGS certified diamond and make sure it's the same one as the one stated on the certificate!

New Hope?

2010-01-21T17:05:00.004-05:00

I just went to a new store today with a friend of mine who's also looking at engagement rings. I looked at their website and they had a surprisingly decent inventory of GIA/AGS graded diamonds (not sure of the authenticity). I asked to see some of the GIA diamonds as my friend was looking at the GS (GemScan) ones. They told me they did not have any in the store, but could bring in ones for me to see. So I gave them my specs and they put in an order for me. We'll see how that goes. But their prices seemed decent. Now I have to research if this place is authentic or not.

After ring shopping with my friend several times, I realized that I'm really picky when it comes to diamonds. Perhaps, obssessive. My friend brought along another friend who had already bought a ring for his girlfriend. While the three of us were looking at the rings in that store, it seemed like I was the only one who actually put thought and cared about the actual specs of the ring, the symmetry, what colour grade, and not just the price! When I asked for GIA stones, they thought oh what's the difference besides the fact that they cost twice as much? And maybe there isn't much of a difference, but to know that I will buy a diamond that is graded by one of the strictest, prestigious diamond governing bodies, makes me that much more comfortable.

They even fell for the sales trick "look at all of them, aren't they just shiny? You wouldn't regret picking any one of them!" Obviously, because you have a zillion spot lights shining on them. Even crystals will look shiny under those conditions. My friend only paid attention to the price and as long as it was reasonable specs, he was okay with it. He ended up picking a SI2, E colour, 1 carat, while a G colour, VS2, 1 carat only cost a fraction more. He looked at all of the loose diamonds before I met up with him and he advised me they were perfect. I looked at hte SI2 and immediately saw a feather and an inclusion right at the dead center of the diamond...

Ah well, as long as he's happy (and let's hope his future fiance too), then that's all that matters. I guess I put myself through way too much in choosing this diamond ring. But hey, at the end of the day, that's what matters to me and I want to find The Perfect Ring ... =P

Bad Sales?

2010-01-19T16:30:00.002-05:00

In the past few months, I have been in this certain "big" retail store shopping around for rings. There was this nice girl who offered to help and had great customer service. As usual, they ask you for specs on the ring you want and if there isn't anything in the store, they will offer to look around their "global inventory" for you. So I was happy to give her the specs I want, and my contact information (Tip: Don't leave your cell phone number in case you're shopping for a ring secretly and a store calls you telling you the great news that they have found your Perfect Ring. This goes for email accounts as well if your girlfriend has access to it. Bottom line: Leave contact information that your girlfriend can't check or you will not be contacted at a time where you might not be available. Of course, if you're shopping together with her, then that's no problem at all...)

Anyway, getting back to the point, after a day or two, I receive an email from the girl with information on a few particular rings in within my spec range and above my price range. That's no problem since it's their responsibility to upsell. (Tip: If your budget is $8000, tell the sales it's something closer to $7000 or $7500. They will upsell you) We email back and forth several times narrowing the specs down even more and she said she would contact me once the rings I was interested in came to the store.

Days passed... Weeks passed... and I'm still waiting for her confirmation. Since it's been forever, I decided that I would continue shopping around. Well, literally several months later, I went into the store again just to look around and guess who serves me? That's right, that girl. She had no idea or recollection that we've talked several times in person before and emailed each other numerous times. I reminded her that we've talked before and nicely left out the part that she never emailed me back. Again, she was enthusiastic and had great customer service, so we proceeded to the information collecting and spec narrowing again.

Once again, she was prompt with email replies and was very thorough and informative. The same thing happens... and yeah, literally, the same results. I've now waited almost a month for her confirmation that the rings I was interested are in.

It's sad that as a potential buyer and customer of this "big" jewellry store, that this type of scenario can happen. How much commission could she possibly make if she only followed through thoroughly with each and every customer? It doesn't take that much time or effort does it?

Now I'm left with the question should I email her back or just go with another sales rep? I'm also confused as to whether she actually put in the request to have the rings I was interested in sent over or not. Because if she did, how can she not be reminded to follow up on this customer when the rings she had transferred over for me came in.

Argh, ring shopping is sooo time consuming!

Updates

2010-01-18T00:15:00.002-05:00

Please check out the post on Clarity that I made earlier here. I have updated it with lots and lots of good information =)

For those who live in the US, Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day. For those of us in Canada, enjoy work tomorrow and feel free to drop by my blog!

Online Vendor vs Local Store

2010-01-15T00:11:00.005-05:00

I'm going to keep this post short and sweet... perhaps discuss the topic in more details in subsequent post.

I was on a particular message board and read a thread where someone suggested buying from an online vendor.

In my opinion, it is not in your best interests to buy from an online vendor unless you are extremely knowledgable about diamonds and have done your research (and know of the few reputable online vendors). Here are the reasons why not to:

You cannot truly see the diamond, even with all the fancy images that online vendors post, it's hard to believe 100% that those images are from the same diamond that will be shipped to you, or they're not enhanced in any way to hide inclusions or black dots, or the pictures merely do not show them due to the angle or lighting in which the picture was taken.
You cannot truly estimate any broker, customs, duties, taxes, and/or other fees that could come with your purchase. Typically, these are estimated at 25% on top of the final price, after tax of your diamond/diamond ring. Some could be less, some could be more. But the point is, you never know and any unknowns when it comes to money should be avoided.
There could be procedures and documentations that you have to fill out and fax and distribute to different parties before you can properly receive the ring from your online vendor (of course, we're talking from another country)
Returns (if they have such a policy) may be difficult since shipping time could come into play.
At the end of the day, you're making a pretty big purchase without ever even seeing or touching the diamond. What if it comes to you and you're not in any way satisfied?

There are however, some pros in buying online...

Price! Online vendors tend to have lower prices than local retail stores due to the fact they have much less overhead in running their businesses. There is probably a whole slew of other reasons as well.
You can find higher quality diamonds such as Hearts & Arrows, AGS000 (more about these as well) and in different carat weights from online vendors. Even Tiffany may not have these high quality diamonds in their selection and you wouldn't be able to tell from their certification.
Accompanying these high quality diamonds, sometimes, are idealscope images or those "red x-ray" pictures of the diamond which show how much light is reflected, resulting in a more brilliant, fiery, shiny diamond.

Always, Always, ALWAYS see the diamond before you make a purchase. And when I mean see, I mean take your time, use a loupe, use a idealscope (more about this later too), use whatever higher magnification means you have to view the diamond. Look at it from different lightings (retail stores, especially Tiffany's has superb spotlight and other means of making any diamond shine with fire, so beware!), different angles. Heck, look at it on different days, get your friends to look at it, and then look at it yourself again. When you're truly satisfied with the diamond, that's when you can confidently pay for it.

So much for a short post, I hope you find this helpful! =)

--Clarity--

2010-01-14T14:03:00.003-05:00

The next 'C': Clarity

Clarity
This 'C' grades how much inclusions, imperfections, black dots, white dots, blemishes, feathers..... all fancy words which boil down to stuff in or on the surface of a diamond. There is a wide range of grades for Clarity:

FL Flawless. Nothing. Zero. Nada. This diamond has nothing bad inside. Completely clean and uncontaminated. Extremely rare and extremely expensive.
IF Internally Flawless. Keyword: Internal. The surface of this diamond is the only place where any miniscule imperfections live. These imperfections are much better than the ones inside because with further polishing, they can be eliminated or reduced. Still extremely rare and extremely expensive.
VVS1/VVS2 Very, very slightly included. Just as the name suggests, these are very, very slightly included. "Included" = has "inclusions". Inclusions is a common term for any type of imperfections in the diamond. Next time you visit a store, ask "Where are the inclusions in this diamond?" to sound professional =P. Back on topic, these diamonds are more common than the above two, but are still very expensive.
VS1/VS2 Very slightly included. These diamonds have inclusions that be can viewed under 10x magnification. The difference between this category and the above category is generally the location, size, and type of inclusion. White dots vs black dots (black dots are worse...), feathers, or inclusions that are easily identified will make the stone fall under this category.
SI1/SI2 Slightly included. Diamonds in this category have inclusions that may be visible to the naked eye. This depends on how bad the inclusion is, the location of the inclusion and most importantly, how well trained or experienced the person viewing the diamond is. Most experienced or trained appraisers, gemologists and buyers can usually spot the inclusions without magnification after carefully examining the diamond. Diamonds in this category are, in my opinion, the best bargain because this is sort of the tipping point from bad diamonds to better diamonds. SI's cover the broad range of diamonds in between the good and the bad. If you plan on buying a diamond with this clarity grade, try to make sure it is a "eye clean diamond". What "eye clean" means is that after a diamond is set (remember from my previous posts, this means the diamond is already on the band/ring), vieiwng the diamond faced-up, it is hard to see the inclusions with the naked eye. However, viewing it from the side or bottom/upside-down, you may see the imperfections easily.
I1/I2/I3 Included. These diamonds have inclusions and are probably clearly visible with the naked eye from several feet. Basically, if you're not low on cash, try to stay away from this grade.

Wow, another long, yet informative post! I hope you found this information useful =) Again, please remember these represent my personal opinion. At the end of the day, it's what you feel most comfortable with. I'm just trying to educate you, so you are armed with all the knowledge and experience that I've been through.

Here are a couple last pointers:

Lower end stores tend to carry SI's and I's
Tiffany's only carry VS or higher BUT has recently started having a limited selection of SI's as well. They said it'll cater to a broader range of customers since their diamonds are crazy expensive.
VVS are usually not worth the money as downgrading to VS will cost less and probably, the inclusions are still not visible
Having said that, FL and IF are obviously not worth the money either. But how cool is it to say "I have a FL/IF diamond ring" =P
Some VS2s are worse than SI1s. There is a fine line between these grades and keep in mind, every diamond in this world is graded by a human being, so there'll always be discrepancies.
Following the above point, the appraiser or appraisal body of the certificate is extremely important to these grades. A SI1 from one appraiser might be a SI2 from another. I'll blog about this in subsequent posts.
I am looking to buy a VS1 or VS2. I feel this is the best range for me =)

--Carat--

2010-01-12T21:57:00.005-05:00

The long awaited first knowledge post... I'm going to start talking about the first C...

Carat
This is probably the 'C' that most people know about or they don't think they know, but really talk about. Carat, or carat weight is the quantitative measurement of how much the diamond weighs. Carat is actually the unit in which this spec is measured. If there was one most important thing to know about this 'C', it is that the Carat weight IS NOT EQUAL to how big the diamond is or looks! It is merely, the weight of the diamond and is measured in carats (1 carat is equal to 200mg in case any of you wanna know =P)

Obviously, the bigger the carat weight, the bigger the diamond is generally going to be. However, many factors come into play when determining how big a diamond looks. For example, you can have 2 round diamonds with the exact same carat weight, say 0.75 carat (or in diamond industry terminology, "75 points"), but 1 diamond could look bigger than the other. For the sake of argument, let's assume they have the same specs in terms of the 4C's (which will be discussed in subsequent posts). Now how is that possible you ask. Remember, 0.75 carat is the weight of the rock, not the size. When a diamond is "set" (placed on a ring/band/setting), what is visible to the eye is usually only the "table" (see diagram below). Therefore, a diamond can look bigger because it has a bigger table, which is the visible attribute. The rest of the actual carat weight could be elsewhere in the diamond. Of course, given different grades in the other C's, it can affect how big a diamond looks relative to another.

The Carat is actually the only 'C' which does not affect "brilliance" or "fire" (how sparkly the diamond looks).

One might ask, then how big of a diamond should I buy my beloved? That is a very, very subjective question and only you can answer that... and only after you've done your own research and shopping around. The best advice I can give you, is to go to different stores, and ask to look at rings of different carat weights, first, on the same setting and shape, then secondly, compared with different settings and shapes. Lastly, you want to look at different stores as the worksmanship and quality of diamond jeweller is different and may affect your perception of 'how big' 0.50 carats is.

Some random pointers:

Don't be afraid to pick a carat size that you're comfortable with after looking at many.
Be realistic financially and try not to overspend beyond your budget or what you can afford to get a bigger diamond
Hopefully, your significant other will appreciate the effort and time (and money!) you spent on the diamond ring regardless of the carat size or any of the other specs (and that is the bottom line...)
....however... the truth is, different societies, cultures, social groups, sometimes do impose a certain "standard". By no means does that mean you have to obey it, but it's worth noting here.
I would say, from my experiences so far, the most common "standard" is a 1 carat diamond... (My ideal size is just above 1 carat =) )
The higher the carat weight, the more expensive the diamond! (Duh!) But, no I mean it doesn't grow linearly, but the price difference between a 60 points and a 70 points diamond is much less than the difference between a 70 points and a 80 points diamond and so on.

Let me actually go ahead and invent my law

Perfect Ring Law #1:

"The higher the carat weight, the more expensive it is to move incrementally higher"

This can be proven because it is more rare to find a clean and good spec diamond (high grades in the 4C's). Also, the bigger the diamond, more diamond is lost when cutting from the raw diamond into the retail diamond shapes to be sold.

--The 4C's--

2010-01-11T12:55:00.004-05:00

For all the beginners who are about to start their own quest, this is probably the first primer you'll need to equip yourself with. For those who have played RPG games in the past (or still do =P), learning and having knowledge about the 4C's is kinda like obtaining the first map to the first area of the game. I would've compared it to learning about the objective or background of the main story... or even obtaining your first sword, but having access to the first map is a much better comparison.

In analogy, if you don't have the first map, you're just wandering around the darkness, trying to figure out way around, and not knowing what's out there.
-You could wandering forever and not find the way out, or what you're looking for.
-You could be going around in circles.
-You could potentially wander into a dangerous area and have your charactered heavily hurt or even killed.

When applied to the 4C's...
-You have no idea what you're shopping, and therefore cannot truly compare quality and pricing
-Because you do not know of quality and pricing, you can go around in circles forever and not be able to find a good diamond
-And due to those 2 above points, or similar to wandering into a dangerous area in a RPG game, you could fall victim to those malicious, insane priced, low quality, or even CZ dealers and pay double, triple, for a ring of inferior quality.

Therefore, as you can see, learning about the 4C's is vital to the beginner.

*** The 4C's ***

Cut
Clarity
Carat Weight
Colour