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The opinions expressed herein are secretdiamond.com's opinions and do not represent anyone else's or any other company's views in any way.
© Copyright 2009
Engagement Rings Christmas Sale
Starting Dec 8th and going until Dec 31st. SecretDiamond.com is having it’s annual Christmas Sale. Save up 5% on any and all engagement rings, engagement ring sets, as well as diamond stud earrings in any carat size. Surprise your girlfriend this Holiday Season with an engagement ring and it will be a Christmas she’ll never forget. Even a second diamond ring for your wife, or an irresistible pair of absolutely eye clean diamond stud earrings. Remember Christmas is one of the busiest times of the year for shipping, so the sooner you order the safer you’ll be! If there’s an engagement ring design you absolutely have to have and it’s not on our site, send us a picture, give us a call, and 99% of the time we can recreate it for you at an even cheaper price than for what you saw it for on any other website.
Hurry Sale ends Dec. 31st. 2009.
SecretDiamond.com is having it’s Fall Engagement Ring Sale. All Engagement Rings, Engagement Ring Sets and Stud Earrings are a massive 10% off. Not Some, but ALL. The sale will last until October 6th at midnight. You will see significant decreases from $100 to $4000 and higher! All of our engagement rings are custom made to order, which makes each ring that much more special. With Christmas and New Years coming up, you can assure yourself that if you order and SAVE today you will definitely be ready for the big holiday season. If you have any questions we encourage you to call our knowledgeable staff at 651-263-5121 / 7 days a week, or send us an email.
SecretDiamond Engagement Rings Sale
| 3.50 ctw. Round Diamond Engagement Ring |
Channel of Love 1.35 ctw. Diamond Engagement Ring |
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| CTW – 1.38 Clarity – VS2/SI1 Color – F/G Cut – Round Condition – New Enhanced – Yes Our Sale Price: $3,599.10 |
CTW – 3.50 Clarity – VS2/SI1 Color – F/G Cut – Round Condition – New Enhanced – Yes SEE VIDEO!! Our Sale Price: $6,119.10 |
CTW – 1.35 Clarity – VS2/SI1 Color – F/G Cut – Round Condition – New Enhanced – Yes Our Sale Price: $3,329.10 |
Independent GIA Appraisals and Independent GIA Certificates
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It seems that some people searching for diamond engagement rings are becoming a little confused over the term Independent GIA Appraisals and Independent GIA Certificates. We have been asked a lot lately if there is such a thing as an "Independent" Gia Appraisal/Certification. The short and easy answer is No.
You have a contradiction in terms when you say the words "Independent" and "GIA certified" in the same description. You see you are probably thinking the word "independent" is being used by the diamond merchant to reference GIA as the independent source of the certificate or appraisal he will furnish you with. However the diamond merchant may very well be using the word "Independent" to describe a certificate or appraisal that will be furnished by someone completely other than GIA. The only reason he is including GIA in the same sentence, is because he is twisting the real meaning to fool you.
You see this diamond merchant knows very well that you are probably trying to teach yourself all about diamonds, by reading everything you can find about diamonds online. And you are probably trying your very best to make sure you get the nicest diamond for the most affordable price. You don’t want to be the one to get rip-offed. I mean who does?
So as you start to browse through the thousands of pages available online to learn about diamonds and engagement rings, you probably start to hear about "GIA Certified Diamonds". There is no doubt that you will hear nothing but good words about GIA certified diamonds. This is because GIA certified diamonds will command the highest price of any type of certified diamond. GIA certified diamonds are the"Gold Standard" when it comes to buying diamonds.
So most people will start to search for diamond engagement rings with GIA certified diamonds. As you browse through the many diamond businesses online and start to see their prices on GIA certified diamonds, most people start to become a little surprised to say the least. You probably have already started to learn a little bit about diamonds by now, so you look for diamonds with good color, good clarity and good cut grade, along with the carat weight you had your heart set on. When you start to see the prices for GIA certified diamonds with all of the characteristics that you desire, most people become very surprised at how expensive they are. After all, you are not in the diamond business and it may very well be the first time buying diamonds for you, so who can blame you for being a little bit surprised to learn that a 1 1/2 carat round brilliant diamond can cost easily $14,000 for something along the lines of an F/SI1 with "Ideal Cut". (That doesn’t include an actual engagement ring setting yet) Now let’s add a setting to that. If you just want a simple & traditional solitaire setting, you are in luck. You are probably only going to have to add a couple hundred bucks to that. But if you want something with some diamonds on it, like the antique or vintage inspired rings that are so popular today, you are probably going to have to add a couple of thousand dollars more to the cost of the center diamond. Thousands of dollars more if you buy the setting from a jewelry store. (And certainly thousands of dollars more for the center diamond if you buy THAT from a jewelry store too) I mean you could easily spend $20,000 on an engagement ring with those specs in any jewelry store. (So much for that idea!) I don’t care if you have the $20,000 to spend, who wants to spend that kind of money on an engagement ring in today’s economic climate. Put it in the bank or invest it, you might need it.
OK. Now if you are like me, you say to yourself, "I don’t believe it, I am going to shop around and find a steal of a bargain. It must be out there somewhere! There is now way every diamond business is charging that kind of money!"
So you keep looking, and yet you still keep seeing pretty much the same prices. You see, the prices on GIA certified diamonds are all going to be very similar online. That’s because you are seeing pretty much the same diamonds and GIA certified diamond prices are "Regulated" so to speak by Rapaport. It’s kind of like the "Blue Book" of car values. The only difference in price you will see is in the markup. And this difference will be very little because you are buying your diamond online and the prices of GIA diamonds online are already marked up VERY LITTLE as opposed to your local jewelry store. So there is not a whole lot of room to discount GIA certified diamonds. The margins are pretty small. You also need to know that the diamonds you are seeing on these diamond websites are not their diamonds. They are part of a national database that is uploaded to their website. You could find the exact same diamond on many different websites. All of those websites that are offering that diamond for sale are buying it from the cutter for the same price, and then marking it up to you as a retail transaction. No-one actually has the diamond in their possession. It is just sitting at the diamond cutter and whoever sells it first, gets it. That’s why it’s always important to call first if you find a diamond online, to see if it is still available. It may have been sold by another diamond website company. I have heard stories from people that purchased a diamond from an online database, only to receive a call from the retailer saying that the diamond has "Just been sold". What they are really saying is that another website sold it before we could. (We actually have our clarity enhanced diamonds in inventory-That’s very rare in a diamond business)
Then all of the sudden "Presto" just like magic, a GIA certified diamond for only a couple thousand dollars. (Or so you think!)
You can’t believe your eyes! The secret source that you have been searching for has just appeared right before you very eyes. You knew that if you searched the internet long enough, it would magically appear sooner or later. You look at the website and it even says that the diamonds come with an "Independent GIA Appraisal" Could this really be? GIA certified diamonds for thousands of dollars less than EVERYWHERE else? Then the skeptic in you kicks in. I better call them and ask a few questions just to make sure. So you call. Yep, sure enough, the person on the phone tells you that your diamond will come with an "Indepenent GIA appraisal". Holy Toledo Batman, you just found the Magic source. Sherlock Homes would be proud of you.
There is just one small little catch though. The diamond has "Been Cleaned Up With A Laser" you know, the same kind you might find in a dermatologist’s office, or for laser eye surgery.
Well that doesn’t seem like such a big deal, after all, technology has come such a long way. Certainly they can do it to diamonds too. It’s still a GIA certified diamond you think to yourself. After all, the guy on the phone told you that it comes with an Independent GIA Appraisal. How could that be twisted around? So now you embark on even more research before you actually but that "GIA certified diamond". You find that there are these things called clarity enhanced diamonds. You may also find that a "Laser Drilled" diamond may be certified by GIA, and they are also referred to as clarity enhanced diamonds. "That must be the diamond that this guy is selling me", you start to think. But that is still not a big deal, because it is still a good deal, and "Laser Drilled" diamonds are still pretty valuable. This guy must just have a really good source that allows him to sell them for thousands of dollars less than EVERYWHERE ELSE.
Well Sherlock Homes, I am going to let you in on a little secret. The diamond he is selling you is not a GIA certified diamond. As a matter of fact, it has not been certified by GIA at all. It’s not even a "Laser Drilled" Diamond. It is clarity enhanced though. But it’s a "Fracture-Filled" clarity enhanced diamond. The only reason he is using the phrase "Independent GIA Appraisal" is because it was certified by a company that has a GIA graduate gemologist on staff, that certifies the diamonds. It’s a twist on definitions. You see the diamond is not GIA certified, the gemologist is. He went to GIA to get his/her graduate gemologist degree, and now he/she is a "Graduate GIA Gemologist". Some diamond ring companies like to conveniently refer to him/her as a "Certified GIA Gemologist". GET THE PICTURE
The bad news is that there is no such thing as a free lunch, and what your mom taught you is true. "If it seems too good to be true, it probably is".
Just like everything else in the world, you get what you pay for when you buy a diamond.
The good news is that a "Fracture-Filled" clarity enhanced diamond can truly be a good deal and still look extremely beautiful. There is nothing wrong with that. You will pay thousands of dollars less and you will get a good deal on a nice looking diamond. But don’t let yourself be fooled in to thinking that you are buying some magically discounted GIA certified diamond. It doesn’t exist. But you are certainly welcome to keep trying.
If you really want a GIA certified diamond and you are willing to pay for it, then call us at 651-263-5121. We have access to the same diamond databases that you see on all of the other websites out there. We will find you that GIA certified diamond for a very fair price. But we won’t try to fool you in to thinking you are buying a GIA certified, "Fracture-Filled" clarity enhanced diamond. You may want to read more about "Fracture-Filled versus Laser Drilled" clarity enhanced diamond here.
Questions About Diamonds And Engagement Rings
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Given the fact that many of our customers will often have the same questions about diamonds and engagement rings, we thought that it might be a good idea if we listed some of them here on our blog. Although we will be glad to take as much time as you need to answer all of your questions on the phone, we understand that some people would rather just ask a question anonymously. However we would like to emphasize to you that you will never receive any type of pressure to purchase anything, from the staff at Secret Diamond. We do not want any of our customers to make their purchase from us unless you are absolutely confident that the time is right for you. We are people that have to buy things too, and we don’t like pushy salespeople any more than you do. If you have a question about diamonds that you would like answered, please feel free to call us or write to us at support (at) secretdiamond.com. We will be glad to answer your question in an email or on the phone.
Question: Is a "J" color diamond too yellow?
Answer: The answer to this question is not necessarily written in stone. Although my personal opinion is that a diamond with a "J" color grade is too yellow for my own personal taste, it may not be for everyone. Some people are more sensitive to a yellowish color in a diamond than others. I have actually had customers tell me that they can tell the difference between an "E" color grade diamond, and a perfectly colorless "D" color grade diamond. That is only one color grade difference, and both color grades are extremely free of color. That is a talent that most people do not posses. Even GIA certified gemologists will have to break out a set of "Master Color Stones" to make the call between a D and an E color grade diamond. (It is much easier to tell the difference in 2 color grades of a diamond without the assistance of Master Color Stones) So back to your questions. I personally believe that a "J color grade diamond" is a little bit too yellow for my taste. If you can afford to buy a diamond with a better color grade, I would suggest that you consider it. Although an excellent cut diamond with a "J" color grade can sparkle very nicely, it will typically not look as good as a diamond with a better color grade, and the same excellent cut grade. When considering what metal to use in creating engagement rings with a J colored diamond, it’s best to go with white gold, palladium, or platinum. Avoid the yellow gold. The diamond will reflect the light of the engagement ring setting and your J colored diamond will look much better in a light colored setting than a yellow setting. Also if you think the only way to get affordable engagement rings is to go with a very yellow diamond or very low clarity grade than you have but to look at SecretDiamond.com. We offer incredibly eye clean and bright white diamonds in all of our engagement rings and diamond stud earrings. For a fraction of what you would pay in most jewelry stores.
Question: Why does the cost of a larger diamond increase more than it’s size?
Answer: If you have been shopping for diamonds, you have probably noticed that a diamond with twice the carat weight, can cost 3-4 times as much. The short answer for this is because it is more rare. Larger diamonds with the same quality as smaller diamonds are not as common in nature. Remember, diamonds are not created in a factory with machines. Mother Nature created these sparkling little wonders over the course of millions of years, and she did not make very many big, perfect diamonds. So if you buy a bigger diamond, you are not just getting a bigger price tag. You are also getting a diamond that is much more rare.
Question: When shopping for engagement rings, what does the term "ctw" mean?
Answer. When you see the term "ctw" it is an acronym (or abbreviation) for "carat total weight." You may also see it as "tcw" which means the same thing, except in a different order. The meaning for it this way is "total carat weight." Whatever the number is before the "ctw" is the total weight of diamonds or gemstones in the engagement ring. Don’t get this confused with the carat weight of the center diamond. That should always be listed separately because the center diamond is where the majority of the value is. The larger the center diamond is, the more valuable it is. For example: If you have a ring with 2 carats of total diamond weight, but they are all small diamonds, it won’t be nearly as valuable as a ring that has a single 2 carat diamond. So if a single diamond weighs one carat for instance, it will be worth a lot more than 10 diamonds that total 1 carat.
Question: I understand that a clarity enhanced diamond is graded after the enhancement, but do you know what clarity grade the diamond is before the enhancement?
Answer: Although the clarity grade before the enhancement can vary, a good rule of thumb is that clarity enhancing a diamond will typically increase the clarity grade on average by 2 clarity grades. For Example: An SI2 clarity grade diamond will be enhanced to a VS2 clarity grade and an I1 clarity grade diamond will be enhanced to an SI1 clarity grade diamond. At Engagement Rings By Secret Diamond, we tend to encourage our customers to steer away from clarity enhanced diamonds that are SI2 after the enhancement process. SI2 grade diamonds are not typically "Eye Clean" and the reason for buying a clarity enhanced diamond in the first place is to buy a larger, "eye-clean" diamond for less money. If you are OK with buying a diamond that has visible clarity flaws, you may as well just buy a diamond that has not been enhanced. Also, the vast majority of clarity enhanced diamonds will be enhanced to a clarity grade of VS2 to SI1. The reason for this is the "2 grade rule." If a diamond is SI2 before enhancing, it will turn out to be VS2. If a diamond is already a SI1 clarity grade, it will most likely already be "Eye-Clean" and there will be no reason to enhance it to VS1. Most diamonds that enhance to the SI1 clarity grade are probably SI3 or I1 clarity grades before the enhancing technique but may also be I2 to start with. A diamond that enhances to SI2 clarity grade was probably an I2 or I3 to begin with. Although the "2 clarity grade" rule is a pretty good one, it is not written in stone. When purchasing a clarity enhanced diamond, it is always recommended that you only deal with a trustworthy company that has the diamond certified by an independent 3rd party. We view it as a conflict of interest when a company that is selling you the diamond, also certifies it. That is kind of like asking the sales person that you just bought a car from, if you got a good deal.
Diamond Engagement Rings
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It is believed that currently more than two-thirds of brides-to-be are actively involved in shopping for their diamond engagement rings and many of them are visiting jewelry stores or browsing online by themselves. A recent survey states that this is about a 20% increase over the numbers that were shopping for engagement rings on their own in 2005. The trend seems to be continuing upward as it is becoming more obvious that theses new brides are generally very happy with their engagement ring purchase, particularly when it comes to the style and design they prefer. The majority of the brides cited in the poll stated that they felt even more comfortable researching and shopping for their new engagement ring, than they did when shopping with their fiance’. Another startling fact that came to light in the poll was that despite today’s economic downturn, 80% of the couples that purchased a new diamond engagement ring chose not to purchase a smaller diamond. Traditionally about 1/3 of couples purchase their diamond and engagement ring mounting separately.
Given the fact that buying diamond engagement rings online has become more popular than ever, brides now have an opportunity that was not available before the internet. Couples had been traditionally stuck with just the engagement ring selections that their local jewelry stores were offering. And to make matters even worse, many couples in "small town america" did not have any choices at all. They would have to travel many miles to neighboring towns just to see a couple of diamond engagement ring designs. Fewer jewelry stores meant fewer choices, and probably higher prices. The internet has changed all of that. Any person located anywhere in the world can view huge selections of affordable engagement rings with prices that are more affordable than ever before. And without the pressure of an annoying high pressure salesperson. The resources that are available for diamond engagement rings online are changing the diamond industry. Jewelry stores can no longer charge the outrageous mark-ups that they once enjoyed, leaving you at their mercy. You can have the upper hand when it comes to buying your diamond engagement ring if you just turn to the best free resource you have at your fingertips. Diamond engagement rings online available worldwide at the store called Secret Diamond.
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A famous national jewelry store chain that sells a lot of engagement rings and goes by the name of The Shane Company, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this past Monday 8/31/2009. It also appears that the famous voice of the commercials on the radio, Tom Shane himself, is the largest unsecured creditor.
The company filed papers in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Denver. The jewelry store chain is based out of Centennial Colorado and listed it’s liabilities & it’s assests at between $100-$500 million dollars in the documents that they filed with the bankruptcy court.
Just twenty of the largest unsecured creditors of The Shane Company are owed as much as $26 million dollars according to a court filing. Located in the diamond district of New York, Dison Gems is owed $4.7 million dollars and is listed as the largest unsecured creditor of the jewelry company.
But a late filing revealed that Tom Shane (The President, CEO, Chairman and the company’s famous voice) is owed the most money. Tom Shane has loaned The Shane Company approximately $20 million dollars during the past couple of years, according to the court filing.
It is estimated that Tom Shane owns approximately 70 percent of the jewelry store chain. The rest is owned by a series of trusts created to benefit his children.
It was stated by the company’s attorney that the current economic conditions as well as the declining retail market for the companies luxury jewelry, has left the company strapped for cash. The company hopes to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection by the end of the year.
"The severity of this past holiday season dramatically impacted existing liquidity requiring the company to seek this bankruptcy protection," Tom Shane said in a written statement. "I am confident that this action will guarantee that our customers will continue to enjoy the top-notch service, expansive selection, and unbeatable prices that they have enjoyed since the days of my grandfather."
The Shane Company currently operates 23 stores in 14 states and was founded in 1971. The company advertises that "Now you have a friend in the diamond business.” It claims that customers pay “no middleman markup” because the company buys its diamonds and precious gems directly from the cutters throughout the world.
Tom Shane is the third generation in the Shane family to be involved in the jewelry business.
The board and shareholders of The Shane Company decided on Jan. 7 to authorize the Chapter 11 filing, according to a document filed with the court.
Shane Co. has about 6,000 creditors, including about 750 secured lenders, vendors, consignment creditors and landlords, and about 4,600 customers. The company filed a motion with the bankruptcy court seeking approval to: process credit card payments, honor the company’s warranties, guarantees, upgrades and gift cards. The company would also like to be able to continue its layaway program.
The Shane Company stated that approximately 70 percent of the purchases that occur in its brick and mortar jewelry stores and the company’s online jewelry website, are made with credit cards or debit cards. On average, the company says that it pays approximately $243,000 a month in credit card processing and other fees.
With one exception (Pearls) The Shane Company provides a lifetime warranty on it’s jewelry and engagement rings. The jewelry store chain also offers an "upgrade policy" that allows customers to return any jewelry made of gold or platinum and set with diamonds, rubies or sapphires. In order to take advantage of the upgrade policy, a customer must purchase another item of at least double the cost. The company will then offer a full credit of the original purchase towards the new piece of jewelry.
Shane Co. also said it had outstanding obligations As of Dec. 27 2009 the jewelry store chain stated that it had approximately $260,000 of outstanding obligations through its gift card program and the gift cards carry no expiration date. The jewelry store chain also said it’s holding $3 million dollars in deposits for the "Layaway Plan" for approximately 4,300 customers.
A Fairytale Story called Freddy’s Diamond
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Once upon a time there was a noble man by the name of Freddy. It seems that Freddy was in love with the fairest lady of the land and her name was Princess. Freddy and Princess had been in love since the day they met many years ago and Freddy wanted to marry his fair Princess almost from the start, however he had a big problem. Although he was a noble man, he was just a humble blacksmith for the Royal family and he really did not earn very much money. He knew the love of his life did not really expect very much from him except his never ending devotion. You see, she had assured him many times that their love was not a love born out of material wealth, but a true and lasting love born out of trust and mutual respect for each other. This is why Freddy adored her even more and wanted more than ever to express his love for her with the biggest sparkling diamond engagement ring she had ever imagined. Unfortunately he had a big problem because he had no idea just how expensive diamonds can be.
Fresh with a burning desire to please his fair maiden, Freddy set out on the adventure of his lifetime to find the biggest diamond in the kingdom. His first stop was at the local village jeweler that he heard about from one of his friends. After browsing through the jewelery cases in search of the perfect engagement ring, he was stunned to find out that he was only able to afford a very small diamond. How could this be he asked himself? My precious Princess deserves more than this little diamond! He asked the jeweler if their would be any engagement ring sales coming up so that he might be able to buy a larger diamond. To Freddy’s surprise, the jeweler said that the engagement rings were already discounted and on sale for the cheapest prices he could offer. Freddy tried not to show his disappointment as he pondered to himself, "If all diamonds are this expensive, I will not be able to buy the large, sparkling diamond engagement ring that I dreamed of placing on Princess’s finger on our wedding day." Freddy was heart broken.
That night he decided to go to the local pub and seek out his friend so that he could ask how much he paid for her engagement ring set. Sure enough he found his friend at the pub celebrating with his fiance. When Freddy was able to speak with his friend alone, he asked him how much he had spent. He was shocked to hear that his friend had spent almost $9,000 for her Platinum Engagement Ring Set with a 1 carat center diamond. "Where did you get that kind of money?" he asked his friend. It seems that his friend had the good fortune of winning $10,000 in a recent jousting match. Freddy was again heart broken because he did not know how to joust and he did not have any relatives that could lend him the money to buy their new engagement rings. "What do I do now?" Freddy asked himself. Disappointed, he went home and went to bed.
The following weekend Freddy decided that he would travel to the neighboring village to see if there were any affordable engagement ring sellers. He searched around every corner and stopped in every jewelry store throughout the entire kingdom, only to grow more disappointed with every stop. He spent several days searching and searching, only to discover that he could only afford a 1/2 carat diamond. He couldn’t even afford the white gold engagement ring setting that he had his heart set on.
Just when Freddy was about to give up and go to the village pawn shop to see if he could buy a used engagement ring, he heard a story about a man that saved thousands of dollars by purchasing a clarity enhanced diamond engagement ring online. Even though his parents taught him that when something seems too good to be true it probably is, Freddy decided to look into it anyway just to be safe. It seems that there was a new invention called the internet. Freddy had never heard of the internet before but was amazed when he started browsing online for an engagement ring for Princess. Although many of the prices on diamonds were less expensive than the prices in the village jewelry stores, they were still out of his engagement ring budget. Since Freddy was determined to buy the engagement ring that he had always dreamed of giving to Princess when he proposed, he kept searching the internet. After all, it was so convenient to browse through all of these engagement rings online in the comfort of his home.
After searching online for affordable diamonds, Freddy finally found the website he was searching for. "How appropriate that it was called Engagement Rings By Secret Diamond", he thought. He discovered that he could easily afford the huge diamond that he had always wanted to buy Princess. Now his only trouble was deciding which beautiful engagement ring to choose. He found many styles that he had never seen before. New styles and designs that he liked even more than the one he saw from the fancy overpriced designer. After asking many of Princess’s friends for their opinions, he finally picked one & made the purchase online with his credit card. He couldn’t believe it when he found out that he didn’t even have to pay the king’s high sales tax. It was so easy and secure. He was even able to read many of the reviews & testimonials about the company that he found online that made him feel very comfortable with his purchase. 7-10 days later the new engagement ring arrived at Freddy’s cottage door. After signing for the package that was delivered overnight free of charge, via fully insured FedEx delivery, he opened it up. Included inside was a beautiful ring box and a certified appraisal that was also included free of charge. He wasted no time and immediately planned a romantic getaway with Princess.
Although the fairytale story called Freddy’s Diamond started out as a sad one, you will be happy to learn that Princess said yes when Freddy proposed and they lived happily ever after.
The End
Cleaning & Care For Clarity Enhanced Diamonds
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First let us say that your clarity enhanced diamond is very much like any diamond that you may purchase. Cleaning & caring for clarity enhanced diamonds is really quite simple and will require no more time than other diamond jewelry you may purchase. They are set in engagement rings, diamond earrings and diamond jewelry of all kinds. Please be confident that you can wear it, admire it and enjoy it just as you would any other diamond. In fact, the most respected diamond grading laboratory in the world, The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) has stated that the clarity enhancement process is stable under normal wear and tear conditions.
Treat the clarity enhanced diamond that you purchased from our engagement rings store just like any other piece of fine quality gemstone jewelry that you may own. That means that the best way to clean your new clarity enhanced diamond engagement ring or diamond stud earrings is with mild soap & water. Jewelery cleaners of all types are also acceptable as long as they are a non-ammonia based jewelry cleaner. Jewelry cleaners that work for pearls, will also work for clarity enhanced diamonds. (pearl cleaners are often times sold by jewelers that sell pearl jewelry) Ultrasonic cleaning and steam cleaning are also safe to use. Many of our customers like to use the Jewel Jet Steam Cleaner for at home steam cleaning of their diamonds. It can typically be purchased for under $100.00 and is quite effective for use on almost all diamond jewelry.
The enhancement process will only be reversed when it is cleaned with ammonia based cleaners or if the diamond is heated to 1500 degrees or higher. (A jeweler’s torch) Jewelers often have techniques they will use to protect the diamond from the heat of their torch, so please just let the jeweler know that you own a clarity enhanced diamond. Believe it or not, some jewelers may actually not notice that you own a clarity enhanced diamond before they start to work on it. So don’t just assume they will notice, let them know in advance. Although Engagement Rings By Secret Diamond will re-enhance your diamond free of charge, most of our customers do not like to part with their engagement rings for any reason.
When the engagement ring that you purchased from us requires maintenance, we would like to recommend that you send it back to us. We understand that many of our customers admire their engagement rings so much, that they often do not want to part with it. We try our best to make it worth your while by really going the extra mile for you. This means that we will typically perform all necessary maintenance that is required such as re-rhodium plating your white gold engagement ring, inspect and tighten all prongs, perform a thorough cleaning, and buff & polish your engagement ring all at no charge to you. If you need any further maintenance that requires things such as replacing micropave diamonds, many times we we will even go so far as replacing them at no charge to you if it is within the first year from your purchase regardless of the reason, even from normal wear and tear. Of course all of our engagement rings carry a lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects. Our goldsmiths are extremely experienced working on diamond jewelry of all types and are unsurpassed when working with clarity enhanced diamonds. You can be 100% confident that if you send your engagement ring back to us for any reason, we will treat it with the utmost care.
Several of our customers have also suggested other ways they like to use to clean their diamond engagement rings. Some use toothpaste and a soft bristled toothbrush. I would like to mention that it should be a non-abrasive toothpaste. Any cleaner you use on any fine jewelry should also be non-abrasive as this could scratch the metal holding your diamond or gemstones and lead to premature wear.
If you are comfortable with this technique, you may also try using Vodka to clean your clarity enhanced diamonds with. It actually works quite well and is totally safe for your diamond. If for any reason these techniques for cleaning and caring for your clarity enhanced diamonds are not adequate for you, just call us toll free at 1-877-999-9920 to discuss further options for all of your diamond jewelry care.
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SecretDiamond is having our annual Labor Day Engagement Rings Sale. All Engagement Rings, Engagement Ring Sets, and Diamond Stud Earrings are 10% off. Even custom designs. If you don’t see what you want on our site, just tell us what you want, and not only will we beat the other online prices, we will take 10% off our quoted price to you. We can make ANY design big or small! SecretDiamond deals with engagement rings online exclusively, so we know what it takes to make our customers happy with an accomplished amount of testimonials and happy customers backing our success rate for the past several years. We are also noted loose diamond sellers. It doesn’t matter what your desires may be, we can find the perfect diamond for you, and again, beat most of the brick and mortar stores and online prices, and passing the savings onto you. All of our engagement rings can be sold as a stand alone setting as well. Whatever your needs, SecretDiamond will get it for you and save you 100’s even 1000’s off your purchase. |
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This article is about diamond secrets revealed. Learn these little secrets about diamonds online, and buying diamonds will make more sense. The first little secret I would like to cover is that the vast majority of websites selling diamonds online do not actually own the diamonds, or even have them in their possession for that matter. There are 2 major diamond databases that exist for online diamond sellers to use. These diamond databases are where all of the major diamond cutters of the world upload their inventory to. Once they have uploaded their inventory to these databases, the online diamond retailers just pay a programmer to integrate a diamond search engine in to their website. These 2 diamond databases are managed by a company that works with the retailers and charges them a fee according to how many diamonds they want to list for sale on their website. The more diamonds that you list on your website, the larger the fee you will pay per month. If you pay close attention to the diamonds you are looking at, you will probably even see the same diamond listed on more than 1 website. You might even see it on for sale on several websites.
Note: I just looked at one of these diamond databases to see how many diamonds are available for uploading to a retailers website. There are currently 302,217 certified diamonds and 29,224 non-certified diamonds available. That is 331,441 diamonds total. No company I am aware of actually pays to list every diamond available. Many of them are very small or low quality and not worth paying to list. Retailers can limit the sizes that they list and may choose to only list diamonds that are larger than 1/2 carat for instance.
Have you ever gone shopping for diamonds and noticed that some websites tout how they have 25,000 diamonds available? Then you go to the next website and they have 50,000 diamonds for sale. And then you will even find some websites that have 100,000 diamonds for sale. Have you ever wondered how many diamonds 100,000 is? It’s a lot of diamonds. As I write this I am wondering myself how much space 100,000 diamonds would actually take up. I don’t know. I have never had even close to that many. 100,000 is probably a lot of diamonds to even the diamond mining companies.
Now let’s figure out in a pretty raw and quick form, how much those diamonds could be worth. Remember, some of those diamonds will be 1 carat, some will be 2 carats, and some will be 3 carats and even larger than that. So 100,000 diamonds is probably more than 200,000 carats. Now if you calculate that a 1 carat diamond of pretty decent quality can easily cost $4,000-$5,000 and 2 carat diamonds can easily cost $15,000-$25,000 and 3 carat diamonds can go as high as $70,000 (or higher for top quality) the total dollar value of those diamonds is staggering. Even though my formula may be inaccurate, I think if you were to know the actual dollar value of these 100,000 diamonds listed for sale on these websites, I believe that you would see for yourself that it is ridiculous to think they own them all. (Or even any of them)
Note: I just looked up the most expensive diamonds currently for sale on a well known website and listed them below. I have included all of the more popular diamond shapes and their specifications. The Most expensive diamond ever sold at auction was called "The Wittelsbach". It’s a 35.56-carat blue diamond that was mined in India and sold for $24,300,000 in December of 2008.
Price: $1,338,291
Carat weight: 11.52
Cut: Ideal
Color: D
Clarity: Internally Flawless
Can you imagine how expensive the round diamond listed above would be if it were a better color grade or better clarity grade, or both? WOW!
Price: $245,555
Carat weight: 5.00
Cut: Very Good
Color: F
Clarity: VVS2
* The Emerald Cut Diamond
Price: $920,104
Carat weight: 10.02
Cut: Very Good
Color: E
Clarity: VVS2
* The Asscher Cut Diamond
Price: $383,946
Carat weight: 8.22
Cut: Good
Color: H
Clarity: VVS2
* The Marquise Cut Diamond
Price: $662,594
Carat weight: 6.48
Cut: Very Good
Color: D
Clarity: IF
* The Oval Cut Diamond
Price: $538,996
Carat weight: 5.27
Cut: Very Good
Color: D
Clarity: IF
* The Radiant Cut Diamond
Price: $635,136
Carat weight: 11.16
Cut: Very Good
Color: D
Clarity: VS2
* The Pear Cut Diamond
Price: $1,112,115
Carat weight: 13.01
Cut: Very Good
Color: E
Clarity: VVS2
* The Heart Cut Diamond
Price: $617,935
Carat weight: 5.78
Cut: Very Good
Color: D
Clarity: Internally Flawless
* The Cushion Cut Diamond
Price: $539,721
Carat weight: 5.12
Cut: Very Good
Color: D
Clarity: Internally Flawless
Now if you add up the cost of these 10 diamonds, you will see that they total just under $7,000,000. Again remember this is just 10 diamonds listed on this website. Now imagine if you have 100,000 diamonds listed on a website. I would like to add that up for you, but unfortunately I don’t have a week to do it, but I am sure the total amount would be staggering.
My point is that if you sit down and really think about it, you will see that it is almost impossible for any ONE online retailer to actually own all of these diamonds. (Unless you are De Beers) You will certainly have a larger selection to choose from if you visit a diamond search engine with 100,000 diamonds listed, but don’t let them fool you in to thinking that they have them in their possession. Just call them for yourself and ask them to pull one out of their safe and examine it for you. They will more than likely tell you that they can’t. They will have to call the diamond wholesaler first and have them do it. They may try to tell you that it is out on "memo". This means that they "allegedly" loaned the diamond to another retailer to try and sell. This is probably the most widely used fabrication in the industry. It is simply used as a stalling technique to allow them more time to get the diamond in to their possession from the diamond wholesaler.
Now you are prepared with the truth about how diamonds are sold online. As you go shopping for your diamond engagement ring, call and speak with some of these companies. Listen for yourself to their answers and see if they are being honest with you about the diamonds they sell and their company. Don’t be afraid to ask them about their company and how they can assure you that you will be protected in your purchase. If you really want to be safe from unscrupulous "Diamond Companies", due your homework and be your own investigator. There actually are many good and honest engagement ring sellers out there today to buy from, just make sure you pick one of THEM!
A little bit about our engagement rings company. It’s called Engagement Rings By Secret Diamond and it is located at www.SecretDiamond.com. We are a custom manufacturer of designer diamond engagement rings. All of our engagement rings are handcrafted in the USA using only the finest materials. We make all of our engagement rings to order, per your specifications. You can have your choice of precious metal that include all of the following: 14k white gold, 14k yellow gold, 18k white gold, 18k yellow gold, Palladium and Platinum. We will make your engagement ring exactly to your ring size and we will even manufacture in 1/4 sizes. If you get the ring size wrong, we will resize it for free. All of our engagement rings are shipped fully insured and signature required. You are not responsible for a lost or stolen engagement ring unless you sign for it. Although our engagement rings website is built to cater to the clarity enhanced diamonds market, we also have access to all of the diamonds you see listed on other websites. We will make your engagement ring with the center diamond of your choice, whether it’s an EGL certified diamond, GIA certified diamond or certified clarity enhanced diamond. You may also purchase only the engagement ring setting if you would like and we use only non-enhanced diamonds in all of our settings. The diamonds in our engagement ring settings are all high quality diamonds with an average clarity grade of VS2-SI1, and average color grade of G. They are all very well cut diamonds that will sparkle nicely. Please feel free to call us on our toll free number at 1-877-999-9920 with any questions you may have. We enjoy speaking with our customers very much and we will take as much time as you need, to make you feel comfortable with buying a diamond online. We know it can be a little bit scary making such a large purchase, but we can assure you that we have done everything we can to make our company as transparent to you as we can. We have an excellent reputation and our standing with the BBB is top rated. We have never had even a single complaint registered against us in thousands of online diamond engagement ring transactions. We stand proudly by our record and we hope to hear from you soon.
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How do I know it’s safe buying engagement rings online and how do I know which online jewelers are the most reputable?
This is probably one of the most common questions we are asked by our prospective customers. Considering the average customer that wants to buy an engagement ring is budgeting anywhere from $3,000 to as much as $10,000 (or even more sometimes), it’s no wonder they are a little bit concerned. Often times this is by far the most money they have ever considered spending online. It may even be the single largest purchase they have ever made anywhere. I mean let’s face it, some cars may not even cost that much.
Most customers start out shopping for engagement rings in their local jewelry stores. I hear quite often our customers saying "I have shopped everywhere!" They like the idea of buying an engagement ring from their local jewelry store, but when they see how expensive it can be and how little they are getting for their money, they start looking on the internet.
This is where it starts to get fun and scary at the same time. The number of companies (and so-called companies) selling jewelry online can almost be a little overwhelming. Depending upon which phrases you use when searching for your engagement ring, you start to see more and more companies selling engagement rings. For instance "affordable engagement rings" will bring back different results than "engagement rings sale". And the search phrase "engagement rings" will bring back different results than "diamond engagement rings". This holds true for almost every different search phrase.
Tip:
When searching for engagement rings online, go to your favorite search engine and type in many different search phrases. This will allow you to see many more vendors returned in the search results. Search engines "Rank" websites for different phrases. By using various phrases in your search, you will see many more options available than if you use the same phrase over and over. You may also consider browsing past the first page of search results. Many of the most legitimate engagement ring companies are not always located on the first page for every search result. It does not necessarily mean that they are not good jewelers. It may just mean they are too busy running their jewelry business to "Optimize" their website, to be found everywhere in the search engines. Search engines do not rank websites by the quality of the jeweler. Websites are "ranked" by search engines using entirely different methods that have nothing to do with the quality of their work.
Back to our tips. The fun starts when you begin seeing how much money you can save on your engagement ring. Then it gets even more fun when you start to see the larger selection of engagement rings available online. (We also hear from our customers that we have the most unique and beautiful engagement ring selection available anywhere) It’s quite common for customers to search everywhere else first, and still not find their "perfect engagement ring".
UNTIL THEY COME TO OUR ONLINE ENGAGEMENT RING STORE. I hear from many of our customers that they came back to our website as many as 15-20 times trying to decide which "perfect engagement ring" to choose from. The trouble was not being able to find one that they liked. The trouble was just choosing which one they liked the best.
Tip:
When you search online for engagement rings and you start to see many different websites selling the same engagement ring, using the same photo, that typically means that they are not making their own engagement rings. They are probably buying the engagement ring from an engagement ring casting company, and then just setting the diamonds. Quite frankly, they may not even set the diamonds. In the large diamond districts such as New York or Los Angeles, there are many companies that perform various services. Some companies may just make "raw castings" and some companies may just "set diamonds". This makes it very easy for the so-called "jewelers" to put together an engagement ring and sell it to you. Often times these various specialized companies will even be located in the same building, making it even easier for these individuals to present themselves as "jewelers".
This is where the scary part begins. How are you supposed to know which engagement ring sellers are the "real deal?" After all, there are so many of them to choose from. How are you supposed to know if they will deliver the engagement ring that they are promising you? Or even at all? Also, will they actually honor their return policy? What is their return policy, and do they even have one? And how likely is that they will be there 5 or 10 years from now to stand behind their work and help you properly maintain your engagement ring? (Engagement Rings do require proper maintenance) THESE ARE ALL VALID QUESTIONS TO ASK ANYONE YOU ARE CONSIDERING PURCHASING AN ENGAGEMENT RING FROM. And any other question you are concerned about.
Although it can be scary trying to figure all of this out, especially considering the large sum of money you are about to spend with a complete stranger, there are some simple steps you can take to protect yourself. Listed below are basic ideas you should consider before making your engagement ring purchase online.
* CHECK FOR THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU LOGO ON THE WEBSITE AND CLICK IT TO MAKE SURE IT IS VALID
Engagement Rings By Secret Diamond is a proud member of our local Better Business Chapter and we are in excellent standing. Every reputable online seller of engagement rings that we are aware of, is also a proud member of their local BBB. You can easily click on the BBB logo on their website and check to see if it is valid. If it is valid, you should be taken to their individual report page listed in the BBB. This page will tell you if there are a large number of complaints against the company. It will also tell you how they handled complaints and if they resolved them, or just ignored them. The trick here is to not just look for the BBB logo and assume it is valid. There are online companies that may have belonged to the BBB at one time and decided not to renew their membership because they did not like being held accountable. There are also companies that place the BBB logo on their website that don’t even belong the the BBB. They are hoping that you won’t click on it, or that you don’t even know it should take you to the BBB report on their company. And then there are the companies that just don’t even bother belonging to the BBB because they already have too many complaints against them that are unresolved, or resolved in a questionable manner. The last trick that unscrupulous sellers will use, is to place the BBB logo on their website and even make it clickable to the BBB online. However rather than bringing you to their report page, they will just bring you to the homepage of the BBB, again hoping you don’t know any better. Well now you do.
Remember, reputable online diamond sellers realize that you want to be protected in your purchase, and they will PROUDLY belong to their local BBB chapter.
* DON’T BE AFRAID TO ASK QUESTIONS
You can learn a lot about a business when you ask them questions. Listen to their answers carefully and judge for yourself if you feel they are answering your questions honestly and in a well informed fashion.
* Reputable jewelers will gladly spend as much time as needed to make you feel comfortable with your purchase. They should not rush you through the process of buying a diamond. If you feel you are being rushed, you should carefully consider your decision if they are the right company to buy from.
* A reputable jeweler will not be offended by relevant questions. If you are asking a jeweler valid questions about the diamond you are considering buying (such as it’s quality) and he or she seems to get offended, they could be trying to hide something. The same thing holds true for relevant questions about their business. Don’t forget that you are considering spending a lot of money with this jeweler. You have every right to make sure you are protected with your purchase.
* Check For Online Reviews About The Company
Although this can be an excellent way to find out more about the reputation of an online company, you have to be a little bit careful with this method. This process can be easily abused, and abused both ways. Some online diamond sellers are well aware of these review sites and will place fake reviews on them. It can even be difficult to distinguish between the real reviews and the fakes ones. However if you see an overwhelming amount of positive reviews, chances are pretty good that this is an established and well run business. The other way this process can be abused is by the businesses competitors. I have even seen where an online competitor left a fake review portraying the business in a negative light. Considering how large the internet is, sometimes these fake bad reviews can take a long time for the legitimate business to be made aware of, especially if they are not interested in abusing the process. They may not be regularly visiting these review websites because they are actually letting their customers leave the real reviews
Purchasing Diamonds & Engagement Rings Online
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Over the years we have answered numerous questions from customers about purchasing their diamonds and engagement rings online. It seems that most people are very interested in the idea of buying diamonds or engagement rings online for a couple of reasons. The main reason we hear is that our prices are dramatically less expensive than those of their local jewelry store. This is really not surprising when you consider why. The first reason why we are less expensive is low overhead. We do not have fancy jewelry stores that have a significant amount of overhead. Think about all of the expenses that jewelry stores have that we do not. Many jewelry stores may have only 1 or 2 locations. These stores can only sell to the local customer base, so they have to spend an enormous amount of money on advertising to convince the locals to buy from them instead of online. Typically they are not selling their engagement rings worldwide like we are, and in many cases they may not even have a website to display their diamond rings. At Engagement Rings By Secret Diamond, we do not spend a single penny on advertising, throughout most of the year. Lets say that a local jewelry store has an advertising budget of $50,000. (Not really that much) Just imagine how many diamonds or engagement rings have to be sold, just to pay for that advertising. Again consider that they are more than likely, only selling to their local customer base. I think you would be surprised to hear how few engagement rings some jewelry stores actually sell. That advertising expense is added to the cost of your diamond engagement ring.
Now also consider the very well known, national jewelry store chains that spend literally millions of dollars a year on advertising. I know they have a lot of stores to spread the expense around to, but I can’t even begin to imagine how many engagement rings they have to sell, just to pay for their advertising. Now add the cost of renting the mall space, the cost of the salespeople, the cost of fancy store displays, the cost of fancy lawyers, fancy accountants, fancy salaries for the fancy corporate executives and so-on, and it is really no wonder why they are SO EXPENSIVE.
The second reason why we are much less expensive is because we work directly with the diamond importers, right at the source. Unlike your typical jewelry store that has maybe 3-4 companies that mark-up the diamond before it gets to them, with Engagement Rings By Secret Diamond you are buying a diamond that has the fewest number of companies marking up the diamond before it gets to you possible! Fewer companies marking up the diamond, means a lower cost to you. Now when you have sold as many diamond engagement rings online worldwide as we have, you have a very large base of happy customers. Just read our testimonials page located at the link below to see what our satisfied customers have to say about our Engagement Rings Store. Also please feel free to visit our Better Business Bureau page to see that we are a proud member of the BBB online, and in excellent standing.
Again this means lower prices to you. Why? Because we receive many sales referred to us by other satisfied customers. Customers that refer us to their family members, co-workers and best friends. In business they say that the best form of advertising is "Word of Mouth" advertising. When we sell an engagement ring to someone that is referred to us by our happy customers, that sale cost us nothing in advertising dollars. That means that we do not have to "Add The Cost Of Advertising" to the price of our engagement rings, which means additional savings to you, our future customer.
We want you to know that at Engagement Rings By Secret Diamond, we take "Word of Mouth" advertising very seriously. We are very proud of our commitment to our customers (Past, Present and Future Customers) And we want you to know that we will work very hard to earn your trust, and to make you our next satisfied customer. We want to earn YOUR future business, as well as all of the future business you refer to us including YOUR family members, co-workers and friends.
I think it is important to note that this is not an article meant to criticize your local jewelry store. Everyone I know would like to spend their money in a local community business, including us at Secret Diamond. Also, a jewelry store can add a certain value to your engagement ring buying experience. You will actually be able to see, touch, feel and try on the engagement ring before you buy it. And it will most likely be easier to have your engagement ring worked on for routine maintenance, or cleanings without having to ship it back to us. However if you are working with a limited budget, or you have the money & you just don’t want to pay a lot more than you have to, buying diamonds or engagement rings from our online store is without a doubt, the best way to save.
Very Cheap Engagement Rings
Sometimes we are asked about very cheap engagement rings by couples working with a tight budget. First you would have to ask yourself if you really want a very cheap engagement ring, or just a nice quality engagement ring at an affordable price. Since cheap can have 2 different meanings, my guess is that people really mean affordable engagement rings. Everyone wants a cheap price, but nobody wants cheap quality. Unfortunately often times when you pay a cheap price, you get cheap quality. The key to purchasing a really cheap engagement ring and getting good quality, is to do your homework first and study diamond quality (The 4 C’s). Realize that you do not need to purchase an engagement ring that is Flawless in clarity, or even VVS in clarity. The vast majority of diamond buyers out there, just want their diamond to be bright and sparkly, without visible inclusions. This means that you can often times go as low as SI1 clarity, and still have a clean to the naked eye diamond. (You will not see imperfections with the naked eye-No magnification) This is particularly true when buying a GIA certified diamond, since their grading standards are the most strict in the world. If you buy a GIA certified diamond, you can be rest assured that it is EXACTLY the grade they say it is. After all, they invented the diamond grading system that is in use worldwide today by every single company in the diamond industry. Unfortunately, this also means that a GIA certified diamond will probably not qualify as a "Very Cheap Diamond." Quite frankly, they are typically the most expensive diamond that you can buy. Any diamond that is GIA certified, will command a premium as opposed to diamonds certified by almost all other labs. However if you would like to purchase the best quality diamond that money can buy, at least you know that you can save some money by lowering your clarity grade a bit. A higher clarity grade diamond will not necessarily look better than a lower clarity grade diamond.
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The clarity grade of a diamond is really not nearly as important as the "Cut Grade" or "Color Grade" of a diamond when it comes to how much it will sparkle or how good it looks to your eyes. If you don’t have an unlimited budget to work with, just make sure the diamond is clean to the naked eye, and then get the best "Cut Grade" you can afford. Remember that it’s the "Cut Grade" that will determine how much your diamond will sparkle! Don’t allow yourself to be fooled by a jeweler that is trying to sell you a VVS1 or VVS2 diamond by telling you that you have to buy a high clarity grade diamond in order for it to look good. That is just not true in most cases!
Now as far as color grade goes, that is a little bit more complicated when it comes to Very cheap diamonds that still look good. You see, the "Color Grade" of a diamond is something that you CAN SEE WITH THE NAKED EYE. And since some people are more sensitive to color than others, this can get a little bit tricky to recommend. The vast majority of customers that I speak with, want a diamond that is as white as possible. Most people don’t want a diamond that looks yellow, unless of course they are buying a "Fancy Yellow" diamond. (That’s another subject) So I am often asked, "What color grade diamond is the best to buy if I want a cheaper price, but still not get a diamond that appears too yellow?" To start with, I highly recommend that you look at our diamond color grade charts available on this page. http://www.secretdiamond.com/info/diamondcolorinfo.htm
It is important to note here that the diamond grading scale begins with "D", not "A". This is because in years past, before GIA invented the 4 C’s, there was no universal standard method for diamond grading. Diamonds grades were called all sorts of different things by different jewelers. So when GIA invented the 4 C’s, they wanted to start fresh. They did not want to be confused with the way diamonds were graded in the past. Now let’s get back to "Color Grade".
Even though D, E and F color grade diamonds are all in the "colorless category" of diamonds, only "D" color grade diamonds are truly colorless. Let’s repeat that. Only a diamond that is graded "D" in color grade, is truly colorless. Every letter after that, you are getting a diamond that is slightly more yellow in color, than the grade before it. So an "E" diamond has just a tiny little bit if color to it. An "F" diamond has a slight bit more, and so-on. However "E & F" color grade diamonds have so little color present, that GIA decided to place them in the same "Colorless Category" as D. The same method applies to diamonds in the "Near Colorless" category. These diamonds are "G, H, I and J" Now remember, every color grade you go down the scale, the diamond gets a little bit more yellow. So by the time you get to "J", you are 6 color grades away from a colorless diamond (That’s quite a bit), even though it’s in the same "Near Colorless" category as "G".
(I would also like to mention here that at least to my eyes, it is very difficult to see a difference in diamond color grades that are only 1 color grade apart, like between F & G. It becomes a little easier to see the difference, when there is a 2 color grade difference, like F & H)
In my own opinion, "J" color grade diamonds start to look too yellow for my own personal taste, especially in certain types of lighting. For instance, you can really see the yellow color in bright sunlight. The only way I would personally buy a "J" color grade diamond, is if it was graded by "GIA" (remember they are very strict) and it was very well cut, maybe even "Ideal Cut". The massive sparkle from an Ideal cut diamond, will help hide the yellow color of a diamond. However an ideal cut "J" color grade diamond, will not look as impressive as an Ideal cut diamond with a better color grade. That is just my opinion. I am sure there will be some people reading this with "J" color grade diamonds, that disagree. More power to you! Again I would like to mention that some people are more sensitive to diamond color than others.
Now let’s get back to the subject of "Very Cheap Engagement Rings" and "Very Cheap Diamonds". The color grade of a diamond is somewhere that you can save some money on diamond engagement rings. You don’t have to buy a "D" color grade diamond for it to look good. I have even had customers tell me that they are actually TOO CLEAR, that they actually like a little bit of color. (Beauty is in the eye of the beholder) That’s why I would venture to say (again in my own opinion) that you don’t even have to buy an "E" or "F" color grade diamond for it to look pretty darn good. If you want to save money on your diamond engagement ring, most people would be pretty happy with the appearance of a "G" color grade diamond. Many honest jewelers will tell you that if you want to get the most "Bang For The Buck" when buying a diamond, consider buying a "G" color grade diamond. They are still pretty colorless looking, and they will cost less than D, E and F. (Maybe put some of the money you saved towards getting a better "Cut Grade?!)
RECAP: So if you are looking for "very cheap engagement rings" or "very cheap diamonds", you can go as low as SI1 clarity grade (Especially GIA certified) and as low as "G" color grade (again especially if GIA certified). This is called a G/SI1 diamond. But please remember, try not to sacrifice on "Cut Grade". I would strongly recommend that you don’t go any lower than "Very Good" cut grade. And even consider buying "Ideal Cut Grade" if you can afford it.
Tip: Before you save money by purchasing a diamond online, consider visiting a local jewelry store to look at diamond color grades in person. This may help you see for yourself how sensitive you are to color. But be aware of the tricks jewelers use to make all of the diamonds they sell look good. It’s common to have special lighting in jewelry stores that help their diamonds look whiter. Ask them for a white cloth to place diamonds on. If they have a "D" color grade diamond, use that for comparison. You can also place your hand above the diamond to block the "Special Lighting". Then look at the diamonds. Also don’t forget to flip the diamonds over and look at them from the underside, if they are loose and not set in a ring. Some diamonds "Face Up" white, but are actually yellowish in color. If you can’t look at the diamond from underneath because it is set in a ring, look at it from the side. Just don’t be fooled by tricks. Do your due
diligence.
Another way to save money on diamonds and engagement rings, is to buy a diamond that weighs just slightly less than what is referred to as a "Key Weight". In other words, buy a .98 carat instead of a 1.0 carat diamond. Or buy a 1.98 carat diamond instead of a 2.0 carat diamond. Once a diamond hits 1.0 carat, the "Price Per Carat" goes up. And when a diamond hits 2.0 carats, the "Price Per Carat" goes up. If you go just slightly under these "Key Weights", your diamond will probably look just as big, but your price tag won’t! We will write more about this "Money Saving" method later, so check this blog often for more diamond buying tips that will help you save. You see at Engagement Rings By Secret Diamond, we don’t sell engagement rings with cheap quality, we sell exceptional quality engagement rings with cheap prices.
Although round diamonds have been the most popular diamond shape in years past, the Princess Cut is quickly gaining ground. What is it about this particular diamond shape that is making it more popular by the day? Is it the name; Princess Cut? Is it the brilliance of the diamond? Or Is it the price? Yes, if all things are equal, Princess Shape Diamonds are generally less expensive than round shape diamonds. This is because there is less waste created when cutting a princess diamond than a round diamond. (A princess cut will typically yield approximately 60% to 62% of it’s original rough diamond weight) However based upon my experience speaking with thousands of our customers, the cheaper price does not seem to be the primary factor when purchasing their engagement rings or diamond stud earrings. The number one reason for considering this beautiful shaped diamond is for it’s unique qualities.
I think it’s important to note that a very desirable quality of a princess cut diamond is to have it’s measurements as square as possible. Princess diamonds that are more rectangular rather than perfectly square, are generally less expensive and less desirable. Always look for as close to perfectly square as possible in your princess engagement ring or stud earrings. A length to width ratio of 1.05 or less is recommended.
The Princess Cut was invented in 1980 and is known as a brilliant cut diamond, rather than a step cut, like an emerald shape. It’s 4 corners are sharp and uncut, unlike that of a radiant. Depending upon how the diamond is cut, it will typically result in a diamond that has either 50 facets ( 21 on the crown, 4 on the girdle, & 25 facets on the pavilion)
It can also be cut in a manner that produces 58 facets. This type of cut will yield 21 facets on the crown, 4 on the girdle, and 33 facets on the pavilion.
Stay Tuned For Additional Facts About The “Princess Cut”
We received this question about Ring Sizing, and thought many people could use this information Hope it helps.
Question:
Hello,
I am very interested in purchasing a ring through your company and had one question. It says there is free ring sizing, what exactly does this mean? Is there a way I can try and size up her finger before I make the purchase? Or should I take my best guess and buy the ring and send it back for sizing if it doesn’t fit? Any help would be much appreciated, thank you.
Answer:
There are many tricks to getting the ring size. Here is a safe way. Go into her jewelry box and get a ring you know she normally wears and take it in to find the size. It will probably be a right hand ring. And if she is right handed, then your best bet is to take the size of the ring and go down about a quarter ring size. So if the ring you take in is a size 6, then when you order request the ring be a size 5 3/4. Because normally the dominant hand is bigger. The ring finger is on her left hand so going down in size is a safe bet. But if she is left handed, you are pretty safe ordering exactly the size of the ring you brought in, or even going up a quarter.
This is what I did when I was searching.
I pretended to talk to my mom on the phone and acted like she was telling me a story about a REALLY REALLY BIG GIRL. Say size 22 ring. Just so the surprise factor was there when I told my girlfriend, who was listening to my conversation. I said "NO WAY" and then I looked at my girlfriend and said "I need a comparison" and I looked at her hand and said "Hon, what’s the size of your ring finger?" Most girls will know. She told me a five, and I looked amazed trying to figure out just how big a girls hand to be with a size 22 ring finger. She was none-the-wiser and was completely into the story. I wasn’t going to purpose for another 2 months, so she never suspected a thing.
So you can be stealthy one way, or have a little fun and tell the story. It worked for me perfectly. Or just ask her for her size outright. But no matter what way you choose, you can send the ring back to get resized to us for free one time. So you’re safe. engagement rings
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