Precautions while buying diamonds on the internet

Buying diamonds on the Internet is quite convenient. You can do it from your home. More significantly, you can compare different sellers’ prices and other terms before selecting one. However, the anonymity offered by Internet also poses dangers. Unscrupulous smooth talkers might cheat you by taking your money for worthless stones, or giving you less than what you should get for the money.

Let us look at some precautions you can take to ensure that you get value for your money.

Learn about diamonds

Unless you know what a good diamond is, you will not know what to look for when buying diamonds. So your first task is to educate yourself about diamonds unless you are already quite familiar with such aspects of diamonds as Cut, Color, Clarity and Carat (the four C’s).

Do you know, for example, that the color of diamonds can come originally when it is mined, or it can be colored subsequently using special techniques? The naturally colored diamonds are rare, and hence more expensive. You will not get value for money if you pay the price of a naturally colored diamond for a synthetically colored one.

Evaluate the diamond seller

There are different ways to assess the dependability of the diamond seller you are planning to deal with. Some effective ways to do this include:

• Detailed examination of the Internet seller’s website. Check the kind of information provided about the products they sell. Are they forthcoming with all aspects? For example, reputed sellers often provide enlarged photographs that highlight the ‘inclusions’ of particular stones. Inclusions are flaws in the diamond. Some might have no impact on the diamond while others can affect its brilliance and make it more brittle. Dependable sellers explain the significance of all the inclusions thus highlighted.
• Contact any testimony givers included on the website. Testimonials should be verifiable to be real testimonials. Verify how the testimony givers found their experience of dealing with the seller. Did they get value for money and full information? Did the seller respond to all their queries promptly?
• Contact a person at the seller’s organization and discuss your idea of buying a diamond. How competent and trustworthy does the person come across? Does the person seem to know all about diamonds? Is the person just a smooth talker, or someone who carefully listened to your requirements and answered all the points in specific detail? Was the person reasonable on such matters as allowing you to get the diamond inspected by an independent gemologist and return the item if the result did not satisfy you?

Foolproof terms

Having selected a seller who is dependable, you should negotiate terms with them to safeguard your interests. Some important terms to be negotiated and got written down, include:

• Your right to have the diamond appraised by an independent gemologist and return it if the results do not confirm the stated specifications
• The exact procedure for returning the diamonds if it is to be returned, and the amount you will be reimbursed on such return
• The responsibility for taking out insurance against loss or damage during transit and while the diamond is in your custody
• The diamond grading certificate that will accompany the diamond

Diamond grading certificate

It is a practice to get each diamond scrutinized and certified by gemologists trained and accredited by reputed organizations like GIA – Gemological Institute of America. Make sure that you get such a certificate with your diamond. However, don’t depend on the certificate alone, as it too can be faked. Get your stone assessed independently by a qualified gemologist.

Get the diamond appraised

Don’t neglect the step of getting the diamond appraised by a competent and trustworthy gemologist. Your amateur know-how and a seller’s statements cannot replace such an appraisal for a high value item like a diamond.

If you attend to the above precautions, you should be safe buying a diamond on the Internet. You can also bargain the price because Internet sellers save much on overheads like an expensive showroom. Equip yourself for such bargaining by browsing around diamond seller websites.