James The Jeweler's Total Page Views For You To See

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Everyone Be "Very Careful" When You Buy A GIA Graded SI1 Clarity Loose Diamond

Everyone i've gotten many emails asking me to discuss what diamond grading lab is better. Is it the GIA or the EGL? And my answer to this question will be and will remain UNBIASED due to the fact that I don't feel the GIA is as top notch as most jewelers say the GIA is.

Below is an F color, SI1 clarity marquise diamond that is 1.02 carats total weight, that i'd like for you to see that has been graded by the GIA. Now this diamond has been graded SI1 in its clarity, which means that you should not see any inclusions with your naked eye.

Well how would you feel if you took a 10X Loupe and seen "BLACK CARBON" within your diamond? And not just "BLACK CARBON" but a nice amount of it at that! I don't purchase diamonds such as this for my clients. Nor would I ever care to sell it to any of my clients. I don't care if the GIA or the EGL graded it an SI1 in clarity.

What I want each and every last one of you to know is this, and that is when you purchase a SOLITAIRE DIAMOND for yourself or someone else, make sure that when you look at it from the top. You don't see any BLACK CARBON nor any CLOUDINESS in the diamond with your naked eye. Even if you use a 10X loupe make sure that you don't easily see any inclusions with the help of a 10X loupe either. This will let you know whether the diamond is really an SI1 clarity diamond or higher or not.

Always make sure your diamond is WHITE in its color and you can always take the diamond and place it against PURE WHITE PAPER to see if the diamond has any body color of YELLOW or BROWN and if it does. Then that diamond is NOT a COLORLESS (D E F) nor NEAR COLORLESS (G H I J) diamond.

I will also ask that you should NEVER purchase a SOLITAIRE DIAMOND of a 1/2 carat or more that has FLUORESCENCE. Because it can lead you to think that your diamonds is a COLORLESS to NEAR COLORLESS diamond when in fact it may not be. Also FLUORESCENCE in a diamond under ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT makes your SOLITAIRE DIAMOND glow and in my own opinion it is NOT a pretty sight to witness.

STRONG to VERY STRONG FLUORESCENCE can and will affect the value in diamonds that are COLORLESS (D E F) and NEAR COLORLESS (G H) that have higher clarity ranges VS to INTERNALLY FLAWLESS. MEDIUM FLUORESCENCE can also affect the value of your higher color and clarity diamond as well, but not very much.

In many cases FLUORESCENCE can help the value of a lower color and clarity diamond. But regardless of this I will still say to always buy a SOLITAIRE DIAMOND that has NO FLUORESCENCE. I don't care to sell any loose SOLITAIRE DIAMONDS of 1/2 carat or more that have FLUORESCENCE. I don't even care to sell loose SOLITAIRE DIAMONDS that are 1/4 carats and up that has FLUORESCENCE in them.

 I want my online loose diamond buying clients that may buy their loose diamonds from me to know, that their diamonds will have a TRUE and NATURAL white color that has NOT been enhanced with the help of FLUORESCENCE in their diamond. Everyone always remember that FLUORESCENCE in a diamond will make it appear MUCH WHITER THAN IT REALLY IS. Which in my opinion is not telling you the truth about the true color of your SOLITAIRE DIAMOND.

Below is what your SOLITAIRE DIAMOND that may have FLUORESCENCE in it will look like if it is viewed under ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT. Feel free to click onto my photo below to get a much better view of FLUORESCENCE in diamonds.


Here's is the 1.02 carat F color SI1 clarity marquise diamond below that the GIA graded as an SI1 clarity diamond. But in my opinion this diamond IS NOT an SI1 clarity diamond at all. Click onto my photo below to get an up close view of the large "BLACK CARBON" within this diamond that I would NEVER buy nor sell to my clients. To get an even better look at this diamond, take a magnifying glass and put it up against my photo to really see into this diamond.


Everyone there is absolutely nothing wrong with purchasing an EGL graded SOLITAIRE diamond. But if you're going to purchase an EGL graded diamond MAKE SURE that it has been graded by the EGL USA only. I feel that the EGL USA does a very good job grading their diamonds.

Everyone you should ALWAYS buy a SOLITAIRE DIAMOND based upon your own decision of it. Not the grading report from either the GIA or the EGL USA. Diamonds are like people, they all have their own FLAWS and or CHARACTERISTICS that makes them different from all others, so get used to them if you're going to purchase them.

I will also say to each and every last one of you that when you're buying a diamond, you don't have to be an expert while doing it. What I do want you to always make sure of is that IF YOU LIKE THE DIAMOND YOU'RE LOOKING AT AND IT FITS YOUR BUDGET, THEN YOU BUY IT. You have no one to impress nor satisfy but yourself, or the person you're buying the diamond for.

DO NOT GO BROKE trying to purchase any SOLITAIRE diamond you know you CANNOT afford. Your LOVE FOR A SOLITAIRE DIAMOND should not cost you your home nor apartment to keep it or afford it. Many people have been told by jewelers that their diamond is no good if it hasn't been graded by the GIA and that is a LIE on all levels. A DIAMOND IS STILL A DIAMOND regardless of who grades it.

There are many people who purchase SOLITAIRE diamonds that are UNCERTIFIED and nor do those people care if their diamond is UNCERTIFIED because they saw the diamond and they loved it for what it looked like to them at that time. So I will say to all of you that when it comes to buying a SOLITAIRE DIAMOND ALWAYS set a REALISTIC BUDGET for the diamond you may want, and stick to your BUDGET and not the SIZE of a diamond you may not be able to afford anyway.

Should you ever need my assistance in getting you the SOLITAIRE DIAMOND you may want based upon your own BUDGET just let me know. You can always feel free to contact me "James The Jeweler" by email at: jamesthejeweler@yahoo.com or by phone at 404-447-5459.

Finally everyone let me say this to all of you who may read this blog post from me. A DIAMOND regardless of whether it is CERTIFIED or UNCERTIFIED, HIGH QUALITY, MIDDLE QUALITY, or LOW QUALITY. A DIAMOND is only worth what the open market (The Jewelry Buying Consumer) is willing to pay for it. If you don't believe me, you may want to consult with Christie's or Sotheby's Auction house.

These great auction houses sell some of the BEST and most RAREST DIAMONDS known to mankind from NATURAL COLORED DIAMONDS to D - FLAWLESS DIAMONDS for sometimes far more than they're worth, and many times far less than they're worth. But the bottom line of it all the DIAMONDS get sold to the HIGHEST BIDDER.

A DIAMOND is no different than a HOME nor a CAR when it comes to VALUE and WORTH. So everyone only purchase a DIAMOND you can afford on your own INCOME and not the dreams of a million dollar lottery winner.

Let the quality of your DIAMOND be based upon your own BUDGET because like anything else in your life a DIAMOND can always be UPGRADED when your income level improves.