Business

There are many reasons why many jewelry stores do not accept returns of any diamonds. There are many reasons for this and you must make sure you read the store’s refund policy before you buy any diamond. You do not want to end up in a big disappointment. The most you will probably get is an exchange. If you are hoping for a full cash refund, you may end up very upset, because most will not give it to you.

When jewelry stores do not let you return any diamonds to them, what this means is that once you buy it is yours. They do not know what has happened to the diamond after is has came out of their hands. This is their way of not losing any money. That is why most of the stores will offer you an exchange rather than a refund because they do not want to lose money. They make big profits when they sell their jewelry. As always, you just must do the smart thing and either ask them about their return policy, read it before you buy it. In case something may happen to the diamond, you still will have an option left. You just want to make yourself aware of it, so you do not feel like you have wasted any of your money in the long run. On top of the exchanges they may give, some jewelry stores only offer these exchanges for a limited time only. Do be careful , and watch out for these type of stores. Make sure they can offer some kind of warranty if that is the case.

Mining diamonds is a long and arduous process that involves many countries around the world before final products can be sold to high-end consumers. Diamond mining takes place in a number of countries, including Australia, Russia, Canada, Tanzania, Zaire, Angola, and Sri Lanka. After diamonds are mined and sorted by screening facilities, they arrive in one of three countries. Israel and Belgium focus on normal-sized diamonds that can be cut with saws and conventional tools to set. India imports all of the small diamonds that require fine detail work by individual workers. As with many other industries, diamond-cutting has been outsourced to India as a means of getting cheap labor. The United States and Hong Kong are the world’s leading diamond consumers, with a majority of those coming from India.

Diamond trading has been the target of controversy since the De Beers was targeted by United States anti-trust laws during World War II. De Beers owns the Central Selling Organization (CSO) cartel, which handles 70% of the rough diamonds produced by the world and regulates prices to keep them stable. Although not as criticized by OPEC because it deals exclusively in luxury goods, the CSO has come under fire several times, especially by corporations that rely on diamond-tipped tools to produce goods.

The international diamond trade is also often criticized by human rights activists, who see it as an outdated aspect of colonialism. These people argue that diamond companies are essentially robbing natives of valuable natural resources while leaving nothing but poverty and desolation in their wake. Governments still allow the mining, however, because companies often support political candidates in undeveloped countries who allow the diamond mining to continue.

No matter where you stand on the issue, the international diamond trade is an important economic structure with very complex ideas and issues.

There are four factors that are considered when determining the value, or worth, of a diamond. The four criteria that a particular gem is judged on are the cut, color, clarity and carat, or weight. The first item to be looked at is the cut of the gemstone. An uncut diamond does not have the sparkle and fire of a diamond set into jewelry. There are several different shapes that diamonds can be formed into, but the “cut” of the diamond refers to how well the cutter has maximized the amount of light reflected. Often a cutter will need to sacrifice some of the overall carat, or size of the diamond, to achieve the best cut.

The color of the diamond is entirely due to the way nature formed it, and is graded on a letter scale. Letters D-F refers to colorless, or near colorless diamonds, whereas those closer to the letter Z will have a more yellowish or brownish color. The higher on the scale, the more value the diamond has. There are also diamonds that are pronounced colors, such as blue, brown, pink, ect. Clarity in a diamond refers to the purity of diamond. Some diamonds have blemishes on the stone, or inclusions within the stone, which reduce their value. The cut of a diamond can often hide or remove a small imperfection in the clarity of a diamond.

The final factor to take into consideration when valuing a diamond is the carat of the stone. Often this is thought of as size, but it truly refers to the weight of the diamond. A carat is equal to .2 of a gram. Again, the cut of the diamond may make the stone appear larger or smaller, but it is carat weight that is actually used to value the diamond.

A diamond certificate is created by a team of gemologists and is also known as diamond grading, diamond dossier, or a diamond quality document. The diamond is scrutinized using various industrial tools including a jeweler’s loop, microscope or the trained eye. A complete analysis includes the diamonds size, color, clarity, polish, symmetry and other describing characteristics. Gemological Institute of America (GIA) or the American Gem Society Laboratories (AGSL) are the two most respected and reputable diamond certifying groups in the diamond industry. They are known for their professionalism, consistency and accuracy in grading any diamonds that come through these two companies. Diamonds that come with these reports are regarded as being highly valued within the diamond industry. Some jewelry stories will certify through an additional source as well, such as the Gem Certification & Assurance Lab (GCAL).

Diamond certification is important because it shows the value and authenticity of your diamond; it adds just that much more value to your purchase and provides proof that your purchase is simply the best. Different companies may use different analyzing companies, so you want to make sure you do your research before you make such a hefty purchase. It is your only assurance that you are purchasing a quality gemstone.

If you are wondering what the difference is between certification and appraisals; appraisals are not often as accurate as certification, they are only as accurate as the person who is appraising them verses being certified through a worldwide organization such as the GIA or AGSL. There is also no educational or training requirements for someone who appraises diamonds, they can be done by anyone, anywhere and are often done by the salesperson. Since they can be done by anyone, appraisers will often include protection against any legal recourse taken against them.