JohnQuixote
Ideal_Rock
- Joined
- Sep 9, 2004
- Messages
- 5,212
As the director of our consumer education efforts I’m well acquainted with the exposure most people on the street have (or don’t have) to the range of information, education and goods found using the internet as a resource. Still, I occasionally like to unplug from the matrix and walk the earth to see new developments.
Recently I accompanied a friend into an area Jared (a large chain here in the states, generally considered a step above more common mall chain stores). I was pleasantly surprised to see AGS graded diamonds are being highlighted in the store and a better-than-average degree of cut education occurring. I put a report together since there are things here that may be of interest to regulars and those new to PS.
Education
The location had a computer monitor with touch-screen and a 4 Cs tutorial at the counter. Carat Color and Clarity had appropriate info for consumers. The cut portion of the tutorial featured a graphics of AGS’ old ideal proportions (it was a graphic clipped from the AGS site) and cited the old requirements for an ideal grade. PS regulars would consider much of the information good. There were only two bits that would not pass muster: One was the claim that all ideally proportioned diamonds have, and are sold as, Hearts & Arrows. The other was that most diamonds sold on the market fall into the I1-I3 clarity range. The salesperson said this (that content was not in the tutorial itself) but she used the tutorial’s clarity graphics when pointing it out. The monitor setup is new, the salesgirl told us it had been put in the day before.
Diamonds
The round brilliant diamonds in this store were decent, large-table IGI-graded 60/60 fare. The sales staff were proud to announce their newest additions to inventory: 2 AGS graded ideal diamonds, a 0.50 ct and a 1.53 ct round brilliant. These were kept in a separate portion of the counter, strongly advertised as Ideal. Since my friend likes size she asked to see the 1.53 ct. It was a nice enough diamond: 1.53 H SI1, 7.46-7.52x4.57, 55, 61.1, 40.8, 34.3, 0.7-1.5, med fl, with an inclusion near the girdle that was just eye-visible to me (in tweezers out of the direct lights, about 8-10 inches away - 20/20 vision, no corrective lenses). The AGS report was an old one. Retail was $13,980. This was about 32% more expensive than a similar 1.51 IGI G SI1 non-ideal in the case.
When seen in the H&A viewer (the salesgirl called it an ideal-scope…more on that later) the 1.53 AGS ideal had 6 visible hearts with ok patterning, apx. 81% lgf. The other two hearts were misaligned and failed to appear due to shift/yaw. The arrows view was ok, but in places the shafts failed to meet heads and arrow tips did not meet the girdle – this was to be expected due to the pavilion patterning.
I asked to see the 1.51 IGI non-ideal in the H&A viewer and it actually had better patterning than the AGS ideal diamond, but with evenly distributed shift and lgf in the mid to high 80% range, resulting in splits in all hearts clefts. The arrows were better than the ideal diamond, but under magnification in the H&A viewer the inclusions resembled pepper scattered all over the diamond (IGI SI1).
Information
My friend’s questions were answered with appropriate information. When asking about the different grading reports, the AGS report was pronounced ‘the best certificate in the world.’ The implication was that any diamond graded by the AGS was of highest quality (thus the 30%+ markup). Jared’s has begun carrying ideal diamonds recently, due to ‘more worldwide demand for ideal diamonds.’
Internet 101
When I told the salesgirl I had learned some things on the internet she took it in stride and allowed me to communicate some of those things. I gave her an opportunity to slam the door on my ‘net ed’ but she never reacted negatively. She was receptive to a few borderline-pesky questions. When she did not know the answer to a question she sought help. The information received was not always correct, however.
Urban Legends
My only advice to Jared, were I to be asked, would be to clear up the following misnomers that were put forward:
1. Only diamonds that will qualify for ideal are graded by AGS, and all ideal diamonds are ‘hearts & arrows.’
2. We were showed an ‘ideal-scope’ to see the hearts and arrows shapes (that ‘ideal-scope’ was a H&A viewer called Ideal-Loupe).
3. We were showed a ‘Gem-Scope’ to see the AGS girdle inscription (her ‘GemScope’ was a microscope).
4. The tutorial literature identified the H&A viewer as a ‘GemScope.’
5. The H&A viewer had another term, ‘Ideal-Loupe’ written on it.
6. Combining these things (H&A viewer had ‘Ideal-Loupe’ written on it, but referred to in lit as ‘GemScope’ and by salesperson as ‘Ideal-Scope,’ while the microscope was called ‘Gem-Scope’) and noting that other sales staff were under similar impressions it seems like confusion was unavoidable.
I asked for clarification on the H&A viewer twice. Each time she said it was an ‘ideal-scope.’ I asked her if it was for showing light performance in a diamond and she said yes. Garry, it seems GIA isn’t the only place that has you mixed up as a “H&A” guy. You’re famous at Jared…just nobody knows it.
Summary
Every staff member, especially the salesgirl, was very nice. She had 8 years of experience and has been working for the chain for a little over a year. The experience was pleasant, and I wager that someone going in with no diamond knowledge could have come out with more correct information than incorrect (as cut enthusiasts know, shopping on the street may not always yield that result). This ranked near the top of my chain store information exposure experiences for the past few years, thus the report.
Of course there are B&M retailers who eclipse the level of education and product availability reported here. However, they remain few and far between. I believe that the consumer’s best option for thorough diamond education remains the internet, specifically interacting with other consumers on forums like PS, well-equipped appraisers, and select internet and private B&M vendors like those featured on PS.
Some time ago a thread was started asking if sites like PS have had, or will have, any influence on the market. As I see computer monitors with information on cut, diamonds from AGS coming in because they have a cut grade, “ideal-scope” (wrong usage but right intent), “gem-scope,” etc., entering the lexicon of a major B&M chain I have to think the internet phenomenon is driving some of this awareness and demand.
Recently I accompanied a friend into an area Jared (a large chain here in the states, generally considered a step above more common mall chain stores). I was pleasantly surprised to see AGS graded diamonds are being highlighted in the store and a better-than-average degree of cut education occurring. I put a report together since there are things here that may be of interest to regulars and those new to PS.
Education
The location had a computer monitor with touch-screen and a 4 Cs tutorial at the counter. Carat Color and Clarity had appropriate info for consumers. The cut portion of the tutorial featured a graphics of AGS’ old ideal proportions (it was a graphic clipped from the AGS site) and cited the old requirements for an ideal grade. PS regulars would consider much of the information good. There were only two bits that would not pass muster: One was the claim that all ideally proportioned diamonds have, and are sold as, Hearts & Arrows. The other was that most diamonds sold on the market fall into the I1-I3 clarity range. The salesperson said this (that content was not in the tutorial itself) but she used the tutorial’s clarity graphics when pointing it out. The monitor setup is new, the salesgirl told us it had been put in the day before.
Diamonds
The round brilliant diamonds in this store were decent, large-table IGI-graded 60/60 fare. The sales staff were proud to announce their newest additions to inventory: 2 AGS graded ideal diamonds, a 0.50 ct and a 1.53 ct round brilliant. These were kept in a separate portion of the counter, strongly advertised as Ideal. Since my friend likes size she asked to see the 1.53 ct. It was a nice enough diamond: 1.53 H SI1, 7.46-7.52x4.57, 55, 61.1, 40.8, 34.3, 0.7-1.5, med fl, with an inclusion near the girdle that was just eye-visible to me (in tweezers out of the direct lights, about 8-10 inches away - 20/20 vision, no corrective lenses). The AGS report was an old one. Retail was $13,980. This was about 32% more expensive than a similar 1.51 IGI G SI1 non-ideal in the case.
When seen in the H&A viewer (the salesgirl called it an ideal-scope…more on that later) the 1.53 AGS ideal had 6 visible hearts with ok patterning, apx. 81% lgf. The other two hearts were misaligned and failed to appear due to shift/yaw. The arrows view was ok, but in places the shafts failed to meet heads and arrow tips did not meet the girdle – this was to be expected due to the pavilion patterning.
I asked to see the 1.51 IGI non-ideal in the H&A viewer and it actually had better patterning than the AGS ideal diamond, but with evenly distributed shift and lgf in the mid to high 80% range, resulting in splits in all hearts clefts. The arrows were better than the ideal diamond, but under magnification in the H&A viewer the inclusions resembled pepper scattered all over the diamond (IGI SI1).
Information
My friend’s questions were answered with appropriate information. When asking about the different grading reports, the AGS report was pronounced ‘the best certificate in the world.’ The implication was that any diamond graded by the AGS was of highest quality (thus the 30%+ markup). Jared’s has begun carrying ideal diamonds recently, due to ‘more worldwide demand for ideal diamonds.’
Internet 101
When I told the salesgirl I had learned some things on the internet she took it in stride and allowed me to communicate some of those things. I gave her an opportunity to slam the door on my ‘net ed’ but she never reacted negatively. She was receptive to a few borderline-pesky questions. When she did not know the answer to a question she sought help. The information received was not always correct, however.
Urban Legends
My only advice to Jared, were I to be asked, would be to clear up the following misnomers that were put forward:
1. Only diamonds that will qualify for ideal are graded by AGS, and all ideal diamonds are ‘hearts & arrows.’
2. We were showed an ‘ideal-scope’ to see the hearts and arrows shapes (that ‘ideal-scope’ was a H&A viewer called Ideal-Loupe).
3. We were showed a ‘Gem-Scope’ to see the AGS girdle inscription (her ‘GemScope’ was a microscope).
4. The tutorial literature identified the H&A viewer as a ‘GemScope.’
5. The H&A viewer had another term, ‘Ideal-Loupe’ written on it.
6. Combining these things (H&A viewer had ‘Ideal-Loupe’ written on it, but referred to in lit as ‘GemScope’ and by salesperson as ‘Ideal-Scope,’ while the microscope was called ‘Gem-Scope’) and noting that other sales staff were under similar impressions it seems like confusion was unavoidable.
I asked for clarification on the H&A viewer twice. Each time she said it was an ‘ideal-scope.’ I asked her if it was for showing light performance in a diamond and she said yes. Garry, it seems GIA isn’t the only place that has you mixed up as a “H&A” guy. You’re famous at Jared…just nobody knows it.
Summary
Every staff member, especially the salesgirl, was very nice. She had 8 years of experience and has been working for the chain for a little over a year. The experience was pleasant, and I wager that someone going in with no diamond knowledge could have come out with more correct information than incorrect (as cut enthusiasts know, shopping on the street may not always yield that result). This ranked near the top of my chain store information exposure experiences for the past few years, thus the report.
Of course there are B&M retailers who eclipse the level of education and product availability reported here. However, they remain few and far between. I believe that the consumer’s best option for thorough diamond education remains the internet, specifically interacting with other consumers on forums like PS, well-equipped appraisers, and select internet and private B&M vendors like those featured on PS.
Some time ago a thread was started asking if sites like PS have had, or will have, any influence on the market. As I see computer monitors with information on cut, diamonds from AGS coming in because they have a cut grade, “ideal-scope” (wrong usage but right intent), “gem-scope,” etc., entering the lexicon of a major B&M chain I have to think the internet phenomenon is driving some of this awareness and demand.
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