Are you a "closet" diamond expert?

[mia1181]

Okay Musey''s post got me thinking..... How many others constantly hide their knowledge of diamonds in order to avoid awkward conversations?

I am a total "closet" diamond expert. Okay well I''m not an expert exactly, but I know a heck of a lot more about diamonds than the average person.

My friends and family know I like diamonds but who doesn''t? I''ve mentioned PS in passing "oh this diamond forum I am on..." But I don''t go into specifics and I usually play dumb!

Why? I love PS and want to talk about diamonds with people, but most people just don''t get it.

For example, when my sister got engaged she called me and read the diamond specs off the certificate and said "What does I2 mean?" What was I to say? "Oh it means your diamond probably has visible spots on it."

Instead I said "Oh yeah that''s something about the clarity of the stone, not sure what it means though."

If you can''t say something nice don''t say anything at all, so I keep quiet about what I know.

That''s why PS GTG''s are sooo refreshing! Not to mention I can admit out loud that yes my center stone is a J SI2

but is blazing with sparkle because of it''s awesome cut!

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Mostly I never say anything unless a diamond is very pretty and then I''ll compliment or ask questions. Most of my friends/family know I''m into diamonds, but nobody has asked me about diamond quality and that''s possibly because often times people are afraid to hear the answer or don''t even know how to differentiate between good and bad and don''t want to look like idiots by asking me if their diamond is good quality or not.

The only two gals I''ve actually inquired about their diamonds happened to be one with a beautiful halo ring and another with an impeccable set of 1.5 ct studs and with both, I''ve asked to look closely at their pieces and have been able to admire them. I ONLY discuss a diamond piece that I like and do not have to lie and say, "oh, isn''t that pretty?" in fake appraisal. With the two gals I just mentioned, neither knew the specs of their diamonds, but to me that doesn''t matter, truely, as much as the beauty of a piece.

 

[*Danielle*]

I am the same way. I have been lurking here for over a year and now know a lot about them (at least compared to the people I know). It does make it hard to talk with friends about rings, etc but it helps me

 

[iheartscience]

I am totally a closet diamond expert! Well, expert is probably a stretch, but I am in the closet about it! Only my close friends know the level of my obsession! When I talk to my friends/acquaintances about jewelry I offer up knowledge if they ask but if not, I just keep mum. I have sent a few people links to PS but I don''t know if they ever check it out.

I am going to help my friend pick out the diamond for his girlfriend''s engagement ring soon, though, which is exciting! And I helped him find the setting his girlfriend wants. (Etienne Perret bezel setting-gorgeous!) And I sent my fiance''s friend to WF to get his wife''s e-ring, but I didn''t really help him with it because he knew what he wanted already.

 

[pinkstars]

Absolutely! I came across PS by accident and I''m so glad I did! When I did I encouraged friends to look at everything on here, but they didn''t seem to be all that interested.
Everybody that I know knows that I want diamonds, but only some know that I really love diamonds and that I''m informed.
So I''m basically in the closet with my diamond info, I have no one to share it with besides my bf!

 

[redfaerythinker]

ME! Whenever I notice a diamond I have to stop myself from discussing it''s possible specs with the people I''m with. They look at me like, what the hell are you talking about?

It also pained me greatly when my friend proposed to his girlfriend with a three stone princess ring from *gasp* Zales. And it was 12 diamonds pretending to be 3 larger ones. I saw the specs and the price online and I just wanted to die. She keeps flaunting it like it''s something special and I just want to scream. Haha, she thinks she''s so lucky cause her ring''s better than mine. *Snicker*. Mine will sparkle more than hers ever will.

 

[oobiecoo]

I definitely know wayyyy more than my friends or family know about diamonds. If they ask me a question then I''ll try to let them know the answer in the most non-bragging way possible.

 

[dani13]

Date: 12/17/2008 3:27:10 AM
Author: oobiecoo
I definitely know wayyyy more than my friends or family know about diamonds. If they ask me a question then I''ll try to let them know the answer in the most non-bragging way possible.

Ha ha!! Ditto!!!

 

[neatfreak]

I don't know that I am closeted...most of my good friends know that I am very knowledgeable about diamonds and jewelry...in fact I have helped a few of their SO's buy rings! And I always offer ring cleaning services when people come over! But I do NOT offer opinions unless asked (or unless I genuinely want to compliment them on something)...and if it's something they already own, I will given them very vague answers if the stone/ring is poor quality because I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings!

 

[geckodani]

Date: 12/17/2008 3:27:10 AM
Author: oobiecoo
I definitely know wayyyy more than my friends or family know about diamonds. If they ask me a question then I''ll try to let them know the answer in the most non-bragging way possible.

Me too.
I try to keep my mouth shut, but I do often compliment other''s pieces, just because I always notice, LOL!

 

[geckodani]

I also have a bunch of friends that ask to use my US cleaner when they come over, LOL. I forcibly removed my sister''s rings from her hand and cleaned them. When I gave them back she was in SHOCK at how good her rings looked, LOL! Duh people. Clean your rings.

One of my close friends asked me to look at a ring she had inherited. It was marquise sapphires and RB diamonds - and holy cow those diamonds (5 of them) were AMAZING. Probably close to .25 each, with visible arrows, and I couldn''t see a single inclusion (no loupe). The sapphires had some visible little inclusions, but still lovely. When I told her that the diamonds were amazing, I found out she had almost pawned it for $350. OMG I am so glad she didn''t! I told her to go get it appraised ASAP.

Those are the moments when knowing a bit is fun.

I try to never act like I know more than I do, LOL, and send people to appraisers more often than not.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

For me being a closet diamond nut depends on whether the person is about to buy or already bought.

If a friend comes to me before buying, I''m not closeted at all. I don''t consider myself an expert, but I will go over the basics with them and point them in the right direction (PS, trusted vendors, etc.) and am happy to go with them so they feel they are at least on the right track. I absolutely hate seeing people ripped off, so if I can help, that''s great.

If somebody already has a stone, I try to be more closeted. What''s done is done and if they love their ring, who am I to point out the flaws? Most just want reassurance, anyway, and I try to focus on the sentimentality of the ring/earrings/pendant/whatever.

 

[fieryred33143]

I wouldn''t call myself an expert by any stretch of the imagination. But my time on PS has taught me a few things

I do hide my knowledge, especially from coworkers. An example:

My coworker always talks about the beauty that is her sister''s ring. She says that it is so sparkly and so white, that it''s like "a drop of water." And being the PS lover that I am, I have been dying to see this stone because when I hear "drop of water" I think D-F, ideal cut and to be 100% honest I have only seen these kinds of diamonds on PS, not IRL. She had also mentioned her sister taking it to a family jeweler who said he had never seen a diamond so "clean" so I''m thinking it had to be VVS1 to VS2. Anyway, the coworker came to me very excited that her bf gave her the heads up to start searching for rings/diamonds. In talking about the specs that she wanted for her ring she mentioned her sister''s diamond again but this time she gave me the specs. She told me it was an H, VG, SI1. Now, I happen to love warmer tones in diamonds and my diamond is a VG and I still see the fire in it. But I was surprised to have gotten the previous descriptions and to find the true specs of the stone.

 

[ladypirate]

Me! I was talking to my mom about a couple of pieces she has from her parents and she was looking at me like "how on earth do you know so much about this?!?" I at least got her to insure them--she had been walking around wearing a gorgeous 2+ carat OEC pendant and my grandmother''s gorgeous antique platinum & diamond engagement ring uninsured!!!

My 2 best girlfriends & K are really the only ones who know and they just laugh at me about it.

 

[Circe]

Date: 12/17/2008 9:21:43 AM
Author: NewEnglandLady
For me being a closet diamond nut depends on whether the person is about to buy or already bought.


If a friend comes to me before buying, I''m not closeted at all. I don''t consider myself an expert, but I will go over the basics with them and point them in the right direction (PS, trusted vendors, etc.) and am happy to go with them so they feel they are at least on the right track. I absolutely hate seeing people ripped off, so if I can help, that''s great.


If somebody already has a stone, I try to be more closeted. What''s done is done and if they love their ring, who am I to point out the flaws? Most just want reassurance, anyway, and I try to focus on the sentimentality of the ring/earrings/pendant/whatever.

Expert, yes, closeted, not so much. Everybody who knows me is on on the running joke that in a past life, Circe was a magpie ... or a dragon.

I''m probably closer to NEL''s position than anything else - The Circumstantial Expert would be a great title for something - but I have "broken the bad news" to friends if they''ve, a) asked outright, and b) been within the return period. Tactfully! And so far, no one''s wanted to kill the messenger.

 

[Elmorton]

Totally closeted. I only talk openly about jewelry with four people IRL - my DH, my mom, and two friends who don''t think I''m a complete fool for hearting jewelry My pals think my Coach bag obsession is tacky, so you can imagine what they''d think about diamonds...

 

[dianne]

Date: 12/17/2008 9:21:43 AM
Author: NewEnglandLady
For me being a closet diamond nut depends on whether the person is about to buy or already bought.

If a friend comes to me before buying, I''m not closeted at all. I don''t consider myself an expert, but I will go over the basics with them and point them in the right direction (PS, trusted vendors, etc.) and am happy to go with them so they feel they are at least on the right track. I absolutely hate seeing people ripped off, so if I can help, that''s great.

If somebody already has a stone, I try to be more closeted. What''s done is done and if they love their ring, who am I to point out the flaws? Most just want reassurance, anyway, and I try to focus on the sentimentality of the ring/earrings/pendant/whatever.

I handle it this way, too, and I''m sure I have nowhere near the expertise of the average person on PS...but I do know more than my friends and family. Lord, there are times I would almost pay someone to sit and listen to me talk about diamonds just so I can share what I know. A friends son asked if I would help him pick out his future fiance''s ring and I was so excited but then he went and purchased it himself...a noble gesture, and sweet, but I was chomping at the bit to help him so I was disappointed for myself.

I will say he went to a very reputable local jeweler, one I have visited as well, and tried to understand the 4C''s from the salesperson so I gotta give him credit for that....and his, now, wife absolutely loves it so that''s what''s important!

I did have a friend who got engaged with a CZ. She confessed this to me because she thought I would know it wasn''t a diamond just by looking at it on her hand. Sorry, no, I''m just not that good--I would have never known!

 

[DivaDiamond007]

I''m nowhere near an expert but I''ve learned so much from PS. Unfortunately I found this site years too late and the diamonds in my engagement ring/wedding band are from the mall. There are no upgrades in the foreseeable future so I''m happy with what I have. I found this site because I love jewelry and I''ve truly learned that there is so much more to a diamond that what meets the eye. If I ever do get lucky enough to enjoy an upgrade I''ll definately be seeking the expert opinions from here.

Diva

 

[snlee]

I''m not an expert but I know a lot more than the average person. I would say I''m mostly closeted but I''ll offer my opinion and advice if they are interested. If I don''t have something nice to say, I don''t say it.

 

[mia1181]

Wow! Loved reading all these posts. I am most like Elmorton:

Date: 12/17/2008 2:00:26 PM
Author: Elmorton
Totally closeted. I only talk openly about jewelry with four people IRL - my DH, my mom, and two friends who don''t think I''m a complete fool for hearting jewelry My pals think my Coach bag obsession is tacky, so you can imagine what they''d think about diamonds...

Most of my friends would think it was tacky too, to talk about diamonds so I keep quiet about it. Somehow I''d come off as materialistic or something so I just don''t talk about it too much.

Really only my DH knows my obsession or that I lurve PS so much

. My brother stayed with us for a while recently and happened to be there when I recieved my new bezel studs (haven''t posted about them yet but promise to soon!). Anyway I''m pretty sure he figured it out after watching me obsessively take pics and examine them with my loupes!

Other family members just know I love my diamonds, but who doesn''t?

So most of the diamonds I see are already bought so I have to say only nice things. My sister wanted her FI to have me shop with him for her Ering, and I was really hoping to put some of my knowledge to use. He went to a mall store on his own instead, and was pretty proud of himself for doing it on his own. So I didn''t get my big chance!

I''ve just had to play stupid so many times that I think most people I know would never dream of coming to me for advice on a stone.

Oh well, I guess I''ll just have to use the info for myself!

 

[curiopotter]

I don''t hide my knowledge! I don''t go around asking people the specs of their diamonds, but if they have questions about my ring or just in general, I let them know some basic tips in diamond buying. I have a stack of WF cards I hand out if people ask me who my jeweler is

 

[bebe]

Half way out of the closet!!

Most of my friends know I know way more than they do. I''m not pushy about it, but I will answer their questions if I can. I am far from any kind of expert, but I think I know enough to be dangerous !
Just tonight I told a friend about Leon Mege. She was questioning why would I go all the way to NYC for a ring setting !!!!

 

[butterfly 17]

Yes, I am a closet diamond expert and jewelery nut. No one knows my obsession with jewelry except for my sister and even then, it''s just to an extent.

Today my friend called me up and asked me if I had ever heard of the jewelery exchange in hackensack. I told her I had seen the commercials and she told me what I thought about their $1199 special for a 2 carat diamond ring and if I thought their diamonds were good. I told her that I didn''t think for that price she would get a good diamond, maybe one with a lot of black inclusions.

I didn''t have the heart to tell her what a "good" 2 carat diamond should really go for.

If I told her, then she would guess what we paid for my ring and I just didn''t want to go there.

I love jewelery but I don''t want anyone else to know how crazy I am or obsessed I am. My mom asked me once how much I paid for my upgrade and I just could not tell her. I told her I got a great deal on it.

 

[musey]

Haha! Oh man. I wish I could contain myself better. It just irks me when I hear "I wouldn't DARE buy jewelry online" or "platinum is the hardest metal--it stays shiny forever." Most of the time I don't offer info but if I'm involved in the conversation, it's tough not to!

No one has tried to utilize me as a resource, which I would love, so I should just learn to keep my mouth shut. People are probably more annoyed than anything else if I offer up info. I don't think anyone I know is even REMOTELY interested in jewelry. In the vast majority of cases, I've reduced myself to "Ooh, it's sparkly!"