questions about black diamonds

[charlo177]

I am new at the Diamond game and would like any input that i can get from you knowledgeable ppl. I am currently in a area in afghanistan that i can get fairly cheap rough cut and even uncut black diomonds. questions one where would i find a list of companies/individuals that could facet these gems for me, and two would it be more profitable for me to buy in uncut or roughcut gems. i would be dealing in the states and im not sure how the best way for me to go would be thanks for any help i get and i will have some pictures soon. btw nice site ive been looking for just this site for weeks.

 

[stone-cold11]

Best not to touch them, think they need to be have some certificate to ensure that they are not blood diamonds, that is if they are real in the first place and even experts get fooled sometimes. If no certs are available, no cutters would touch them and you could be charged for money-laundry, trafficking, etc.

 

[charlo177]

Well that is very good info to get . glad i posted here thanks for the quick reply. they do have certificates there sold by a US Military affiliat and there employees are suposed to be military and US freindly.

 

[stone-cold11]

Kimberley Process Certificate. Search online for more info.

 

[denverappraiser]

Hi Charles,

Thank you for your service.

The AAFES connection is a good place to start in finding a credible merchant but what that is attesting to is that you will actually receive your purchase, you aren’t likely to be mugged in the store, that the goods are reasonably likely to be what is described, etc. All good things to be sure but this is importantly different from saying what is being offered a good business plan. To put it bluntly, THERE IS NO WAY YOU WILL MAKE MONEY ON THIS DEAL. None. Zip. Nada. For starters, the cutting charges alone are going to be more than you will be able to get for the finished product. This has to do with both the dynamics of hiring a cutting company to do a small production run and the competitive environment among dealers at the end. As a small and inexperienced player you will be paying more on the front and getting less at the end.

The other thing to be aware of is that your buying environment isn’t nearly as isolated as you think. The ‘good’ rough has already been picked through way before it made it through to your market. Your supplier DOES have other outlets as does his supplier and material that is conducive to commercial production is already on it’s way to the cutting centers before you ever saw it. Even if you were buying directly at the mine site (which your not) you would be an amateur buyer dealing with a sophisticated seller. What remains is material that the pros didn’t want or where the seller is trying to get more than the smart buyers are willing to pay. That is to say, material that can’t be cut and sold at a profit even by an outfit that does both steps efficiently.

I hear quite a bit of this story coming out of Afghanistan and I have yet to see someone make a single dollar on the deal. It’s usually about colored gems instead of diamonds but the pitfalls are the same. Becoming a successful gem manufacturer and dealer is way more difficult than it seems at first blush and although there are lovely things for sale there at attractive prices that are often far lower than what you would see them cost back home, don’t take this as evidence of a business opportunity. Buy things you like, buy things that your loved ones are likely to like and come home safely but please don’t spend your paycheck on stones in the hopes of making money off of them when you get home. You’re odds are better with the lottery.

Thank you again for your service.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver

 

[charlo177]

Thank you so much for you post i really apreciate the kandidness. as you can immagine I dont make great deals of money and the thought of waisting it sends chills down my back..... thanks again.

 

[Pandora II]

You''ve been given great advice above, I''d just like to add that black diamonds are quite fun as a conversation piece, but they''re hard to work with.

I designed a ring once for my diamond dealer''s wife who had a 2ct black diamond. As you can imagine with her husband''s job, she had about as good a black diamond as you can get - and it still looked like a faceted chunk of pencil lead!

However I have also seen what is generally available and it''s not very nice - basically a big block of inclusions - even finished stones tend to have cracks, pits and white bits in them. I''m not a diamond cutter, but I imagine they''re not much fun to cut.

I get a lot of people inquiring about black diamonds for engagement rings and I always tell them to buy a very dark sapphire if they want a black stone.

 

[LD]

Here''s my 4.1ct faceted chunk of pencil lead! I''m generally not a fan of black diamonds but this was VERY cheap and was only $300 for black diamond (came with a Cert from a reputable lab and sold by a diamond dealer friend of mine) and in all honesty I don''t think, even if you managed to buy the rough, then pay somebody to facet it for you, you''d be able to make money. You''ve had some great advice. Please don''t part with any money.

 

[DiamondFlame]

The demand for black diamond is abysmal. Personally I think black diamond is simply ''clever marketing''. Would you be able to distinguish black diamond from onyx? I''d choose a smoky quartz over a black diamond any day...

 

[Pandora II]

Date: 3/26/2009 4:29:18 PM
Author: DiamondFlame
The demand for black diamond is abysmal. Personally I think black diamond is simply ''clever marketing''. Would you be able to distinguish black diamond from onyx? I''d choose a smoky quartz over a black diamond any day...

Absolutely - the onyx will generally look a heck of a lot better than a black diamond!

LD - that''s a pretty good-looking specimen you''ve got there!

 

[mausketeer]

As a gothey chick I gotta throw my two cents in here...... before I knew anything about diamonds I was VERY excited to find out they "made" black diamonds (see? I was a twit, what can I say) Now that I know a few things (just enough to be dangerous) I can say I would also never be interested in one. I do know a LOT of people who are interested in them though. It''s one of those things that has more to do with the IDEA of it than anything else, you know? My hairdresser was talking about designing his own ring for his wife the other day and I BEGGED him to let me hook him up with a stone before he spent too much money on one. He was SO surprised to hear how much he SHOULD pay for a black diamond (he was all prepared to spend the SAME as a white diamond for one!!! YIKES!)

- Jodie -