PeerlessGems 

Affordable Diamonds

When shopping for a diamond, the first thing to bear in mind is that no two diamonds of a given carat weight are alike in every respect. A diamond can vary from sparkling, clear and colourless to dull, cloudy and tinted. A diamond's cut can vary from ideal to poor. Diamonds are graded from D to Z for colour, and from IF to I3 for clarity. All of these factors have a huge influence on the price and value of a diamond.

You may be surprised to learn that most of the diamonds which are sold on the high street are usually at the lower end of the colour and clarity scales, with H to M colour and SI2 to I1 clarity being the norm. These diamonds still look beautiful and most people are very happy with them. However, they have a much lower value and are therefore much more affordable, provided you know exactly what you are buying. Paying the right price for a diamond that you like is much more important than the colour and clarity grade which can only be determined by a trained gemmologist with sophisticated equipment. Some people prefer to match a slightly tinted diamond with yellow gold, and any small inclusions down to I1/P1 clarity are unlikely to affect the brilliance of a well-cut diamond.

Many people mistakenly believe that if they go to a well-known high street jeweller for their diamond ring, they will get a better product than if they buy it on the internet. NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH. Diamonds and diamond rings available online are often of a higher quality AND are much more affordable than the high street product.

Say, for example, you are looking for a one carat diamond and have read that the best grades are IF (internally flawless) and D (colourless), you may be surprised to find that such a diamond would cost you at least £10,000, and that's a very conservative estimate. So, for most people, a compromise has to be made in terms of carat weight, colour and clarity in order to find the very best diamond they can afford.

PeerlessGems has gained an enviable reputation on eBay for quality jewellery products and exceptional customer service. We always bear in mind that a diamond is given as a token of love, and as such we would never recommend an inferior stone or resort to exaggeration in our descriptions, something which is unfortunately all too prevalent in certain sectors of the trade. Caveat emptor! (See also this page for further information)

If you would like our free and unbiased advice on any aspect of diamond buying, please send your query to helpdesk@peerlessgems.co.uk    

Alternatively, for quality, choice, excellent advice and first-class service at surprisingly affordable prices, Search for Diamonds at Blue Nile

   How to Buy a Diamond  Jewellery Sites  Web Hosting UK 

Click here to add this page to your favorites

Ó PeerlessGems 2008 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Webmasters: If you would like to support the Find Madeleine campaign, why not add a banner like this one to your website? For more information visit http://helpingtofindmadeleine.org/downloads/banners/banners.html or http://www.bringmadeleinehome.com/help/