How to Buy Diamond Jewelry Online

Diamond Jewelry Shopping Tips
- Know What You're Buying

So you want to buy diamond jewelry? Now, let me help you out with that. Buying luxury goods online requires a lot of research and knowledge. This page splits the tedious diamond jewelry information into smaller, easy-to-understand tips.

Looking for recommended diamond jewelry stores and want to shop instead?

If you're new to buying these precious, sparkly jewelry pieces then it's natural to be overwhelmed by the vast information on what to look for in a diamond. And the jewelry descriptions might even look Greek to you. Questions pop in your head, such as:

Oooh, this one's cheaper... But hey, why are they cheaper than those other smaller diamond earrings? What does diamond clarity of SI2 mean? And diamond color I?

After working with fashion for years and being a life-long super-consumer, I have many own share of knowledge that will help you buy diamond jewelry and know what you're getting!

Let me lay it all for you here:

How to Buy Diamond Jewelry

To begin with, you need to understand the very basics of diamonds - that means, you should gain some insight on how a diamond stone's value is evaluated.

By knowing this, you'll know and understand what you're shopping for and what you're getting for the money invested in a diamond jewelry piece.

A diamonds' worth is based on the four (4) quality C's of the diamond stone, which are:

Carat weight
It's the unit of weight for the diamond. A carat is further subdivided in 100 points ( 0.01 carat = l point ). One carat is equal to 0.20 grams.

Clarity
It describes the clearness or purity of a diamond. The clarity is determined by the number, size, nature, and location of the internal and external imperfections.

Color
Describes the amount of color the diamond contains. It can range from colorless to yellow with slight tints of yellow, gray or brown. Colors can also range from intense yellow to brown, blue, green, pink and red. These fancy colors are rare and of course, more valuable.

Cut (also Shape)
Refers to the number of facets in a finished diamond and how those facets are proportioned in the gems diamond. The proportions usually determine the fire and brilliance of a diamond. Generally, well-cut diamonds sell at a premium and poorly cut diamonds sell at discounted prices.

Reading a Diamond Jewelry
Product Description

After you've reviewed the 4 C's, it's time to put what you've learned to the test.

Let's take a look at two reputable diamond jewelry online store's item descriptions:

BlueNile.com

Bluenile diamond stud earrings item description example

Diamond.com

So why are the diamond stud earrings from Diamond.com cheaper than the ones from Blue Nile? Both are 1/4 in carat and weigh approximately the same.

Now if you look closely at the stated Clarity, Color and Metal - you can see why they're cheaper. According to standard diamond charts the diamonds in those earrings from Diamond.com are placed on a lower ranking when it comes to diamond clarity - at I1, I2 and I3 - which are the lowest quality of clarity (imperfect eye, visible inclusions).

However, the diamond stud earrings from Bluenile are at Sl1 and Sl2 - which means they have only small inclusions. These are they ones you should go for to ensure the best quality and sparkle.

Back to Top

Other Factors to Consider

By having the 4 C's at the back of your mind while reading the item description - you'll easily understand why some diamond jewelry are cheaper, or more expensive than others.

Now after you've carefully reviewed the clarity, color, carat weight and cut of the diamond jewelry, you might want to check the rest of the information.

Examples are:

Earring back (screw, friction, barrel, disc etc.)
Metal (sterling silver, yellow gold etc.)
Quantity (make sure you receive TWO diamonds)

And not least, a Money Back Guarantee and a GIA certification of the jewelry piece.

A Money back guarantee simply means that if you're not satisfied with the product, a refund can be made.

A GIA (Gemological Institute of America) certification means that a third party has carefully examined and recorded the cut, color, clarity and carat weight (all of the 4 C's) of your diamonds.

If anything sounds unclear to you in the description, always e-mail the company before purchasing the item.

Back to Top