There’s an upsurge of articles urging consumers to avoid buying diamonds UNLESS they come with diamond grading report from a reputable diamond lab. While I do agree with the general concept of this there are some problems with this blanket statement that should be addressed.
Diamond grading reports are good to have, but they’re not necessary for all diamonds. One of my customers purchased a gold locket with a small diamond accent. He insisted the diamond accent should come with a lab-grading report. He had read a recent article in which someone had made that blanket statement without expounding. I explained to him that this statement does not apply to the small diamond in his locket.
So when should you buy a diamond grading report?
Grading reports cost money…sometimes several hundred dollars. So many diamonds are sold without them, especially small diamonds. It simply is not cost-effective to obtain an official lab report for accent diamonds. Diamond grading reports are commonly issued for diamonds .50 carat and above, especially if they have very high color and clarity.
But lots of jewelers sell large diamonds without grading reports. If you trust your jeweler is knowledgeable and can accurately represent the diamonds they sell, then diamond reports are not necessary. Many jewelers employ GIA-trained Graduate Gemologists who can accurately grade diamonds just as well as GIA without the added expense.
The bottom line is, if you love the diamond and you feel you got a good price, that’s all that really matters. There can be some good deals out there on diamonds without reports and if you plan to keep your diamond forever, then a report is not as important. But if you wish to have a diamond grading report, expect to pay a little more and make sure the report is from a reputable lab, such as GIA. And most importantly, buy from a jeweler you trust.
Author: Michelle M. Rahm is a GIA-trained Graduate Gemologist and is President of Colorado’s Mile High Chapter of the GIA Alumni Association. She has been selling gemstones and jewelry online since 1997. Visit her websites JewelryImpressions.com and OurCustomWeddingRings.com
So I’ve been talking about diamond girdle thickness in my previous couple of posts, so you may be wondering, how to judge the girdle thickness of your diamond. Well, most diamonds sold at large online diamond sites give the girdle thickness in the details of a diamond report. But if you are buying a diamond without a report or if you’re suspicious you might want to check it yourself.
Another really interesting form of rhodochrosite I just saw for the first time in Tucson last week at the Gem & Mineral show (or at least it’s the first time I noticed them), is rhodochrosite stalactites! Amazing! This particular specimen is from Argentina as well, so perhaps the slab from above could have been cut from rhodochrosite stalactites and have the same look as being cut from botryoidal rhodochrosite. 
Wow! Many of you know I’m officially a prospector now with my own mining claim, but can you imagine finding something like this? This baby has a current market value over $300,000! The rarity of such a large gold nugget along with it’s unique shape can increase the value even more! 
Congratulations also goes to my colleague, John Pervis, for winning the Alumni Achievement Award for the second year in a row. Thanks for all you do, John.
