Before you purchase a diamond, read How
to Buy a Diamond: Secrets from Underwood's. This free
booklet contains important, factual and unvarnished information
about what really matters when shopping for your diamond:
- Why credentials and integrity of the seller are important
- What actually determines beauty
and value
- Why some diamonds are so much
more valuable and beautiful than others of the same
size
- What grading factors can reduce
the price of your diamond without giving up beauty
Fill out this simple form below to receive instructions
on how to download How to Buy a Diamond booklet, a free
gift from Underwood's Fine Jewelers.
Click here to see our solitaire selection and pricing information. Anyone who has ever shopped for a diamond for a loved
one knows the frustration of trying to purchase a "blind
item," or an item that requires knowledge, experience
and training in order to judge quality and value.
It's a statistical fact that of all the sellers of diamonds
in the U.S., less than 5% have gemological training,
and an even smaller percentage are actually accredited
gemologists with professional titles such as Certified Gemologist
or Certified Gemologist Appraiser.
This "blind leading the blind" situation encourages
fictitious pricing where a highly inflated "retail
price" is placed on the diamond and then deeply "discounted" to
make it appear like a bargain. This practice is increasing
with the rise of Internet ecommerce sites. In many cases
the seller's credentials and reputation are unknown.
The sellers may be here today and gone tomorrow, and,
of course, there is no recourse.
Your best protection is to buy from an established jeweler
with a reputation to uphold. You should insist on seeing
credentials (Certified Gemologist and Certified Gemologist
Appraiser are the highest titles), as well as a written
guarantee of an item's specific quality and value. This
written guarantee should be notarized for legal protection.
A legitimate and qualified jeweler will be happy to show
you his or her certificates and put in writing anything
they tell you verbally.
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