Well it happened. A customer bought one of our rings, kept it for a few days then returned it for a full refund. Our first return for 2006. I spoke with the customer, because I wanted to know why he didn’t like the ring. Turns out, the ring was too heavy, it felt big on his hand. By the way, it was a gold in quartz inlaid men’s band. Apparently, we used too much gold to make this ring. The second problem with the ring was that the quartz was too white. I had never heard THAT one before. That’s kind of like saying:
“Excuse me, waiter? I sifted through my entire bowl of Chili and wasn’t able to locate a single finger tip.”
I guess if you’ve got to have complaints, those are good ones to have.
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Let’s cut through the nonsense.
There’s a very simple reason we buy diamonds: They are beautiful! So, why is it when I wanted to purchase a diamond for my soon to be fiancè back in 2000, I felt like an arriving Freshman at the Gemological Institute of America?
Without warning I was assaulted by most of the alphabet, special numeric codes, pavilions, girdles, and table percentages. Of course these things were important-but not to me! I knew two things: (A) that I wanted a diamond, and (B) how much I could spend.
This was a problem, because if I had been dealing with an unscrupulous jeweler I may have gotten a diamond with 62% table and 56% depth-instead of the other way around, or fallen into the all too familiar trap of Strong Blue Fluorescence, a thick girdle, or abraded crown, or (HEAVENS) purchased a stone with an EGL certificate instead of a GIA certificate, or worse yet-no certificate at all!
It’s common knowledge that a stone is only as beautiful as a GIA trained gemologist (or three) says it is. In fact, most diamonds aren’t even pretty until they are certified. Uncertified stones look like small pieces of gravel.
“But wait” I say, “I think it’s pretty-”
“No.” the teenager in a new GIA lab coat interrupts, “it’s an SI2 H with an oversize cutlet, thick girdle, 61% Table and good polish and symmetry.”
“Hmmm” I say, feigning understanding. “Good is good…”
“No, it’s not good. Only very good is good. Ideal stones are very good, and Super Ideal stones are very very good. Here-look at it through the most powerful microscope in the world. See the feather in the crown?”
“…No… What crown? Is it behind the diamond?”
The newly minted expert looks at me like I would look at him if he asked for my car keys. Then says very slowly (because people that don’t see feathers in crowns while looking at diamonds generally can’t think very well either): “No, the feather is in the crown. The crown is part of the Diamond. The feather is IN the diamond.”
“Oh yes,” I lie. “there it is.”
Well, my ideal stone was the one I could afford, and still be able to see without 10X magnification. But of course I couldn’t buy a stone like that, because if I did, when I proposed my girlfriend would’ve reviewed the stone certificate and turned me down flat.
Back then, ladies had to review the stone certificate. These days, most single women are certified Graduate Gemologists. If your girlfriend asks you probing relationship questions, it’s probably because she wants to know when she needs to start carrying her loupe and color chart.
I bought my wife’s diamond at Goldsmith Gallery. The owner of the store (Chris Fondell) showed me a few stones that he had picked out on a recent trip to Antwerp. He goes there to sift through hundreds of carats of stones to pick out the prettiest stones in different sizes. He knows what all the numbers and percentages mean, but more importantly he knows when a $2000 stone is prettier than a $2500 stone-and he buys them.
So, I was thrilled with my diamond for about a month, then I asked my girlfriend if she wanted it- even if it came with someone who leaves laundry on the floor and spots on the bathroom mirror. The diamond was pretty enough that she didn’t even ASK to review the certificate before she said yes!
About two years later I started working for Chris, and now I have to let him beat me at racquetball every now and then. No, he doesn’t read the blog often. Hi Chris-just kidding about the racquetball.
So in summary, if you have the time to learn all about diamonds-do! It’s interesting and will help you make a more informed purchase. But knowing your numbers doesn’t replace knowing your jeweler. If you don’t have one, I’ve got a jeweler I can recommend.
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