Brick and Mortar Stores

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BUY DIAMONDS: ONLINE VS. BRICK AND MORTAR STORES

Courtesy of Sam Dial Jewelers

Most people these days don't start shopping at a "Brick and Mortar" store for an engagement ring or a diamond; it's just too easy and convenient to research on your phone. But, according to The Knot, 87% of shoppers still prefer buying in store.

Online research can be daunting. Most websites are trying to promote a certain platform or website from which to buy and they are biased. GIA.edu is a good place to learn credible facts about the characteristics of diamonds. You can learn about cut and how it aff ects overall brightness and light output. You can learn about internal clarity characteristics. You can learn what "color" means and how it aff ects overall brilliance. These attributes are fairly quickly understood superfi cially if you can look at examples in person, but you can get a head-start understanding the concepts on GIA.edu.

On my many trips to Antwerp to buy directly from the cutters, and to get the fi rst pick of all the new stones available, I sorted through hundreds of the exact same size diamonds with exactly the same characteristics on paper. I would narrow my choices down to say 12 from 100, and then look again and again to pick the top 2 or 3. Because of the arrangement and location and size of the natural inclusions, even though they are the same grade, stones can have brilliancy scores that are vastly diff erent. Furthermore, within the same color grade, there can be a further refi nement of the color so that one diamond can face up much whiter than the other.

The result - hand selecting really does mean something. Years of training to pick diamonds that maximize brilliance by selecting top color range and optimal clarity arrangement, all while looking out for issues with faceting, fl uorescence, proportions, and symmetry (to name a few), are essential. Most websites do not even look at the diamond for you; they list stones on a database from sellers all over the world. They, themselves, look at a list and computer images to "help" you select a stone from stock that is LEFT OVER from discerning buyers like me. So, buying one actual diamond from a sea of those choices online, without even comparing them, is not recommended.

Whether or not you buy a stone through me is another issue, but not the purpose of this article; at least buy it from somewhere that is independently and locally owned. You will pay for what you actually get. You will have a professional help you navigate through all the information and choices. You will have someone to see face-to-face if you have questions later, and you will save time and eff ort.