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.

Monday, February 16, 2009

One Carat Diamond Ring Grading Reports

All About Gemstones - Diamond Images You’ve been told that having a certificate or a one carat diamond ring grading report is important, and as a responsible consumer, you get one – unfortunately, you probably won’t understand a word of what is on that diamond grading report, unless you are a jeweler.

On the color grading scale, D, E, and F mean that the one carat diamond ring has no color. G, H, and I means that it has very little color. J, K, and L means that the diamond has a slight yellow color. P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, and X means that the diamond is a darker shade of yellow. Z means that the one carat diamond ring has a fancy color – other than white or yellow. On the color grading scale, D is the most valuable, and X is the least valuable – however one carat diamond rings that get a Z rating are the rarest and most expensive one carat diamond rings in the world.

colors2 There are many aspects to a grading report. Figuring it all out can be very confusing. You should talk to a jeweler you trust, and have them explain everything on the one carat diamond ring grading report to you.

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!

Friday, July 11, 2008

How One Carat Diamond Ring Prices Are Determined

Multi-colored-diamonds Pricing most products is quite easy. Determine how much it costs to make the item, how much it costs to market that item, and then mark it up by 15 – 30% or more. Simple, right? Well, pricing diamonds isn’t quite that simple. There are many factors that are considered when one carat diamond rings are priced.

One Carat Diamond Ring prices are determined first by adding the cost of the rough diamond, the cost of cutting the diamond, and all other costs necessary to turn the rough diamond into a marketable diamond. Depending on the importance of the diamond, an independent company may be called in to certify the grade of the diamond based on color, cut, clarity, and weight.

At this point, the one carat diamond ring becomes more expensive each time it changes hands, until it finally reaches a retailer, where the price is raised a bit more. Before reaching the retailer, however, the diamond must travel from the mine, to the cutter and polisher, to the independent grading company, and then to the Primary market. Once it has reached the primary market, it will be purchased by diamond dealers and wholesalers, and from there it will be sold to retailers.

As you can see, the earlier you can purchase a diamond in the process, the lower the cost of the diamond will be – but not the value. The value is based on what the diamond will sell for in the market place – through a retailer.

If you own a one carat diamond ring, and you have no idea how much it is worth, you can have it appraised, but the appraisal may not be accurate. You will be better off obtaining a certificate through GIA – Gemological Institute of America. With the information on this certificate, you can use a cutter’s guide to accurately determine what your one carat diamond ring is worth.

There are also many one carat diamond ring price calculators available. These can be found on the Internet, and many diamond dealers use these as well. You must realize, however, that before you can accurately price a one carat diamond ring, without a Diamond Grade Report, you need to know quite a bit about diamonds, such as different cuts, clarity, color, and weight – and how each of those aspects adds to the value of a one carat diamond ring, or decreases the value of the diamond as the case may be. Engagement-Rings-Designer-Angled-View

Again, you will be better off if you get a Diamond Grading Report on the diamond, and use that information to look up the price in one of the guides that the diamond cutting industry uses. This will give you the most accurate value of the one carat diamond ring in your possession, or of the one carat diamond ring you are considering purchasing.

Friday, May 16, 2008

One Carat Diamond Ring Certificates

A one carat diamond ring certificate is also known as a Diamond Grading Report. This report comes from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), and you should require this report when you are purchasing a one carat diamond ring.

engagementring-2-top

With a diamond certificate, you can verify the color, cut, carat, weight, and clarity of the one carat diamond ring. You don’t have to worry about a diamond dealer telling you anything less than the truth, because the certificate comes from the GIA – not the dealer. You may be required to pay for the certificate, but the cost is usually low, and in many cases, it will help you negotiate a better price on the diamond – or keep you from purchasing a lower quality diamond altogether.

certified-princess-engagement-ringIf you buy a high quality diamond, and then later decide to sell the one carat diamond ring, you will need to have the certificate, or you will have a hard time selling it to someone else. Furthermore, you can use the Diamond Grading Report to look up the wholesale
value of the diamond in question. Use the guide that is used by the diamond cutting industry.

With the Certificate, or Diamond Grading Report, there won’t be any doubts when you are trying to purchase a diamond. You can
easily find out what the diamond is worth. This will prevent you from overpaying, and it can prevent a seller from under-charging as well.

A copy of the Diamond Grading Report should be given to your insurance company as well, when you insure the one carat diamond. ring This
provides absolute, unquestionable proof of the value of the diamond should it be stolen in the future. Insurance companies cannot argue with the report.

Avoid diamond dealers who seem reluctant to provide a certificate! Also avoid sellers who tell you that a certificate diamond will cost you more – the only additional cost should be the cost of the certificate, which is low. If the dealer doesn’t want to provide a certificate, then you don’t want to do business with that dealer.

Don’t accept certificates from Gemological Laboratories other than GIA. There are many fly-by-night Gemological labs these days, but in the end, GIA has been established as the most respectable and trustworthy – not to mention oldest – of the lot. So avoid dealers who don’t want to use GIA for certification purposes as well.

Don’t buy an expensive one carat diamond ring without paying the extra cost of the certificate. If a dealer tries to convince you to make the purchase without the certificate, or if they want to use a company other than GIA, you can be sure that the dealer has probably greatly inflated the price of the one carat diamond ring – they have something that they are hiding from you.

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.

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!

Sunday, March 16, 2008

How to Spot A One Carat Fake Diamond Ring

In this world of advanced technology it is almost impossible to simply look at a one carat diamond ring and determine whether it is real or not – especially if you don’t know much about diamonds. There are some steps that you can take to avoid buying a fake one carat diamond ring, however.

analysis diamond color

First, only deal with reputable jewelers, and when you find a reputable jeweler, stick with them. Avoid buying one carat diamond rings or other jewelry from jewelers that you have never dealt with before in the past. Ask to see the certificate for the stone. If no certificate exists, walk away.

Look at the setting that the stone is in. Fake diamonds, such as zirconias, are usually set in low quality metals. Take a close look at the stone. Fake one carat diamond rings are not durable – natural diamonds, on the other hand, are the most durable stone on the planet. Look for scratches or nicks.

After purchasing a one carat diamond ring, take it to another jeweler for appraisal. In fact, take it to two or three other jewelers for an appraisal to make sure that the appraisals are all fairly close. If you find that you have purchased a fake diamond, you may be accused of making a switch when you return to the store of your purchase; therefore, it is important to have a certificate for the one carat diamond ring. No two stones are alike.