Monday, March 16, 2009

How to Sell A One Carat Diamond Ring

marquise-cut-diamond-ring There are many reasons why you may want to sell a one carat diamond ring that you own. Perhaps you’ve gotten divorced, or you are strapped for cash. The reasons why don’t really matter – getting the best possible price is what counts! The way to obtain the best price for the diamond is to not be in a rush. Slow down, and carefully consider all of your options – there are many.

First, have your one carat diamond ring appraised. In fact, have it appraised by two or three jewelers to get an accurate idea of the diamonds value. Tell the appraiser that you want the Rapaport Value. This is the wholesale value of the diamond, and it basically tells you the highest price that you can sell your diamond for. If your one carat diamond ring has no certificate, you should consider getting a certificate from GIA. This may help you get a better price for the diamond as well.

First, try to sell your one carat diamond ring yourself, to people you know. Friends and family members may be interested. If you don’t have any luck with friends or family members, you should turn to outside sources. Absolutely avoid pawn shops! A pawn shop will only offer you about 10% of what the one carat diamond ring is worth! Also avoid offers of selling the ring on consignment. There are many things that can go wrong, and there is no shortage of one carat diamond ring scams – even in well known jewelry stores.

If your one carat diamond ring is important, you should strongly consider auctioning it off through one of the famous auction houses, such as Christie’s or Sotheby’s. If it isn’t what is considered an important one carat diamond ring or a high-end one carat diamond, ring you should try to sell it to an individual using classified ads, or even eBay. However, selling to an individual that you do not know could put you in danger – especially if the diamond is worth a lot of money.

oval-cut-diamond Your final option should be a jewelry store. It is vital that you not let your one carat diamond ring out of your sight while in the jewelry store – you might find that the diamond you walked in with is not the same diamond that you walk out with! The jeweler will try to tell you that your diamond is of poor quality or low weight. Inevitably, there will be some problem with the one carat diamond ring. This is where your appraisal and/or certificate will come in handy.

If the jeweler is fair, they will offer you between 60% and 80% of the value of the Rapaport Value. Do not accept anything less than this. Again, do not let the diamond out of your sight until you have been paid for it.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

How to Buy One Carat Diamond Engagement Rings

solitaire-diamond-There is much to consider when purchasing a diamond – especially one carat diamond engagement rings! The tradition of presenting a woman with a diamond engagement ring when proposing began in 1477 when Archduke Maximilian presented a diamond ring to Mary of Burgundy – and in most cases, the woman you plan to propose to will expect a ring to accompany that proposal!

First, determine how much ring you can afford. Most people use the ‘two months salary’ rule. This means that the ring should cost the equivalent of two months of your current salary. Because you have other bills to pay, saving up this amount of money may take quite a bit of time. You should consider financing. Simply go to the jeweler of your choice and tell them that you plan to buy an one carat engagement ring, and that financing will be necessary. Go ahead and get the credit check out of the way, find out what your payments will be, and how much of a down payment is required.

Now, have your mother, sister, or your girlfriends best friend take your girlfriend shopping, and make sure that they gaze at the one carat diamond engagement rings to get an idea of what she might like. Make sure that the jewelry store you buy the ring from will allow you to return the ring, if that is required, or allow your girlfriend to exchange it for another if she isn’t happy with it!

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Insuring Your One Carat Diamond Rings

blue diamond Insuring a one carat diamond ring takes a bit of thought, planning, and shopping around. Diamond insurance isn’t like purchasing car insurance. It is quite different. Depending on the state that you live in, there are basically three different types of policies that will cover
diamonds, and all insurance policies that cover diamonds are considered Marine type policies.

The first type of insurance policies for diamonds is an Actual Cash Value policy. If the one carat diamond ring is lost or damaged beyond repair, the insurance company will replace the diamond at today’s market value, no matter how much you paid for the diamond to begin with. This type of insurance policy for diamonds actually is not that common.

The most common type of insurance for diamonds is Replacement Value insurance. The insurance company will only pay up to a fixed amount to replace the diamond that was lost or damaged beyond repair. This does not mean that they will pay that amount – it means that they will pay up to that amount. In most cases, the diamond can be replaced at a lower cost.

The third type of coverage offered for one carat diamond rings is Agreed Value. This is sometimes called ‘Valued At.’ This type of coverage is very rare. In the event that the one carat diamond ring is lost or damaged beyond repair, the insurance company simply pays you the amount that you and the company agreed upon. This is the best type of insurance to have, but it is rarely offered. If you can’t get Agreed Value coverage, Actual Cash Value coverage should be your next choice.

Your rates will be determined by the value of the one carat diamond ring, the type of coverage that you select, and the area that you live in. If you live in an area with a high crime rate, you can expect to pay more for your diamond marquise-cut-diamond-pictureinsurance coverage. It is important to remember that insurance agents are not qualified jewelers, and jewelers are not qualified insurance agents. It is best to get a certificate for your diamond, and to provide the insurance company with a copy of that certificate. This leaves the insurance company less room for arguments over the actual value of the diamond.

Don’t rely on separate coverage to cover your one carat diamond ring. For instance, if you diamond is stolen from your home, it is probably covered on your home owner’s insurance policy – but the diamond probably won’t always be in your home, and once it leaves your home, there is no coverage.

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Buying One Carat Diamond Rings Online

With all of the potential for scams concerning diamonds, buying done carat diamond rings online almost seems unthinkable! However, you actually can purchase one carat diamond rings online, without any problems – as long as you are careful.

Multi-colored-diamonds

First, think about your reasons for wanting to purchase the one carat diamond ring online, as opposed to making a purchase from a local jewelry store. The most common reason is price. Due to
low overhead costs, online jewelers and wholesalers are able to offer lower prices. However, you must be careful – sometimes
a price that is too low is a sure indication of a scam.

One of the best things about purchasing one carat diamond ring online is the unlimited selection. When shopping offline, you are limited to the selection in the stores in your general area. Online, there are no limits. But again, you must use a great deal of care and consideration before handing your money over to someone that you cannot see and have never met!

Before shopping, learn as much as you can about diamonds – especially cut, color, clarity and carat weights. When you are knowledgeable about diamonds, it will be harder for a con artist to rip you off. Once you know more about diamonds, you will be
ready to start shopping.

Take your time. Don’t purchase the first one carat diamond ring that you see that interests you. Instead, look for similar diamonds for sale.
Do some comparison shopping to find the lowest prices. Once you have found the lowest price, start doing your investigation.
You know about diamonds, you’ve found a one carat diamond ring that you love, and you’ve found the lowest price – but you are still quite a ways away from actually purchasing that diamond!

Ask about the seller’s credentials, such as professional jewelry associations that they belong to. View and print the seller’s return, refund, and upgrade policies. Also inquire about additional services, such as settings and mountings, sizing, and free shipping. Do a search for customer reviews on this particular company around the Internet. Also check with the BBB Online to see if there have been any complaints.

certified-diamond-and-tanzanite-engagement-ring

Ask for a diamond grading report from an independent laboratory such as GIA, HRD, EGL or AGS. You should see this before making a purchase. Finally, use a reputable escrow service for high dollar diamonds – preferably one that will have the diamond appraised while it is in their possession. The seller sends the one carat diamond ring to the escrow service, and you send the money to pay for the diamond to the escrow service. The escrow service has the diamond appraised, sends the diamond to you, and sends the money to the seller. This is the surest way to protect Yourself…again, make sure that you use a reputable escrow service!

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

One Carat Diamond Ring Brands and What They Mean

Engagement-Rings-Designer-Angled-View One Carat Diamond Rings are one of the few products that simply cannot be ‘branded.’ Even though there are different cuts, different grades, and different values placed on each and every diamond in existence, no diamond is any specific brand – just as gold is not a specific brand.

Branding is actually based on who owns the one carat diamond ring. For instance, if DeBeers owns the one carat diamond ring, it is a DeBeers one carat diamond ring – but it is still just a diamond. If the diamond was cut by a specific well known cutter, then it might be branded in that way as well – but it usually isn’t. It is still branded based on who owns it at the time. So basically, when it comes down to it – one carat diamond ring brands mean absolutely nothing at all.

Do not allow a jeweler to try to talk you into paying an exorbitant price on a one carat diamond ring because it is a specific brand. This is a bit of trickery used by unscrupulous jewelers when they know that they are dealing with people who don’t know much about diamonds. Remember that one carat diamond rings are not actually branded – unless mother nature has her own brand!