Does anyone have advice on the best way to go about buying a loose diamond? I know a jeweler who is a friend of my girlfriend''s family (who they trust very much), but the prices he quotes are a bit more than the prices I find on Internet sites such as diamonds.com. For example, the price he quoted me for a 1.3c ring could buy a 1.5c ring with the same "qualities" on these Web sites. Are there other variables that are not obvoius from the 4 C''s that need to be taken into consideration?
Also, does anyone have a book they recommend regarding this topic that maybe talks about not only buying a diamond (for example, making sure it is the one covered by a GIA certificate and not a switched diamond -- absent a special marking, I still don''t understand why a jeweler can''t use copies of the same certificate with dozens of different diamonds), insurance for rings/diamonds, and other relevant topics?
Thanks.
Also, does anyone have a book they recommend regarding this topic that maybe talks about not only buying a diamond (for example, making sure it is the one covered by a GIA certificate and not a switched diamond -- absent a special marking, I still don''t understand why a jeweler can''t use copies of the same certificate with dozens of different diamonds), insurance for rings/diamonds, and other relevant topics?
Thanks.