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.
