How to find the best diamond – 2023 Update
Do your research, read honest reviews and work with a diamond expert you can trust.
We recently had a client who called to cancel an appointment because he thought he found an “exceptional deal” somewhere else. With so many retail stores going out of business or struggling to stay afloat, it certainly can appear as though there are “deals” out there. Our client was tempted to buy a diamond strictly based off the prospect of a bargain. After speaking with him for a while, we convinced him that it couldn’t hurt to keep his appointment with Ascot. We ended up comparing his “deal diamond” to a few from our inventory and he quickly realized that the ‘deal diamond’ now seemed lifeless and dull in comparison. We then examined the measurements of the other stone, and immediately knew that the diamond was improperly cut, thus accounting for the lifeless appearance.
In addition, the 1.51 carat ‘deal diamond’ had strong blue fluorescence (which can make the diamond appear milky and dull), and it was visibly smaller than our own 1.40 carat cushion. Even in times like these, the golden rule of buying a diamond remains the same – there is always a reason for every price and it is very important to work with someone you can trust.
Here is a great example… both of the diamonds below are cushion cut diamonds and weigh 2.03 carats. The one on the left is a diamond from our inventory and the one on the right was a borrowed stone. Notice how much smaller the diamond on the right looks… this diamond (like most on the market) was cut for weight, resulting in a small table and too much weight being left underneath. Not only that, but the symmetry is off and the culet is not in the center of the stone. Because of these factors, light will not reflect correctly and there will be significantly less fire and brilliance from the diamond on the right.
Another great example: below are two round brilliant cut diamonds, both graded as an I in color. Do they look the same to you?!
![Comparison of round brilliant cut diamonds with very different color by Ascot Diamonds](https://www.ascotdiamonds.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/GIA-I-and-EGL-I.jpg ""I colored diamonds")
Not a day goes by when we don’t see two diamonds that seemingly look the same on paper (even on GIA certificates) but have vastly different values due to factors like the ones described above. Again, there is always a reason for this difference in value.
In the end, our client purchased his diamond from Ascot and even followed up with a long thank you note for the education he received and overall experience.