Advice for choosing a diamond from a store?

[warheadwl]

Hi all,

I've asked my local small jeweler to bring in 3 diamonds, and I'll be taking a look tomorrow. I've seen some of the stones at some online stores' inventory.

Can anyone give me any advice on how to select which diamond is superior? Other than the obvious sparkle, what should I be looking for, and what kind of lighting should I ask him to show me the diamonds?

He'll give me some idealscope/aset/etc. imagery, but I'm more concerned about what I should be looking for with my eyes.

Thanks!

 

[yssie]

Hi all,

I've asked my local small jeweler to bring in 3 diamonds, and I'll be taking a look tomorrow. I've seen some of the stones at some online stores' inventory.

Can anyone give me any advice on how to select which diamond is superior? Other than the obvious sparkle, what should I be looking for, and what kind of lighting should I ask him to show me the diamonds?

He'll give me some idealscope/aset/etc. imagery, but I'm more concerned about what I should be looking for with my eyes.

Thanks!

First call in and ask about what tools the jeweller may have that you can take advantage of (diamond dock? etc.) if they have the tools to get IS/ASET pics they may have other fun tools too

Wear a white or grey shirt - avoid cream/yellow/brown. Have them confirm the stones are spotless, then compare them in spotlights, in diffuse back office type of lights, in "mixed" lights. You may not be able to carry them around the store/office but there should be enough variation to get some idea. Then get them grubby - fingerprints all over - and inspect them again. If you're looking at lower-clarity stones you'll want to check visibility of inclusions as well - inclusions are sometimes more visible when the stone is a bit grubby and you aren't distracted by incredible amounts of sparkle!

Hopefully you trust this vendor, so ask what they think and which they'd recommend and why