In this video we will go over the Top Ways
Jewelry Stores Trick you into buying lesser
quality diamonds and engagement rings. So
you don't get ripped off.
Where is the Cut Grade? Everybody learns about
the four C's when buying diamonds. Carat is
the most important "C" because carat increases
the price the most. Cut is the "C" that increases
the price the second most, not just for you,
but the jewelry store as well. If they can
get you to pay more for a lower cut grade
then they make more profit. It just so happens
cut is the easiest quality to trick you with
because you can't tell the cut by just looking
at the diamond. So Diamond stores try to not
even mention the Cut Grade. Here is how. Since
you already likely know cut is one of the
4 C grades they tell you and display the Cut
Shape, like a Round cut or Princess cut, but
don't tell you the actual Cut Grade. They
bank on the fact that you don't even know
what a cut grade is. Sometimes they post the
polish and symmetry grades, which aren't as
important, and hope you think that those are
the cut grade as well. But no Cut Grade mentioned
here. Cut Grades look like this.
Bait and Switch! This is the number one way
diamond stores sell you lesser quality diamonds.
Most Diamonds are Graded by an independent
diamond lab that issues a certificate. Sometimes,
diamond labs actually work with the Jewelry
Stores to inflate their grades so you think
you are getting a better diamond than you
actually are. The Standard for Diamond Certificate
labs is G.I.A. Take this email I got for example:
I was trying to buy a nice H Colored diamond
but didn't notice the diamond's Lab was not
G.I.A. It reads, "E.G.L. is a for Profit Lab.
They are very lenient in the grading system.
When compared to G.I.A. this diamond will
be a lot closer to k l Color." Which is A
LOT more yellow than the H colored diamond
that I thought I ordered. Then they offered
me a higher priced diamond in its place. Classic
Bait and switch! In Short, order a G.I.A.
diamond and you will get what you pay for.
The letters T.W. What does that mean? First
understand: carat is not the size of a diamond
it is it's weight. Sometimes when you ask
a salesperson what the carat is on a certain
ring they will tell you the Total Carat Weight
even though they know you mean just the Carat
Weight of the center stone. This Engagement
ring has a center stone that weighs .75 carats.
However, if you add up all the tiny diamonds
on the engagement ring they add up to 1.75
carats. Hoping you don't know the difference,
you would buy the engagement ring thinking
the center diamond is higher than it actually
is. It's not just salespeople though. The
jewelry stores, like you see here with Kay
Jewelers, will advertise the higher Carat
weight and just put the letters T.W. and hope
you don't know that that is the Total Carat
Weight instead of just the Center Stone's
Carat Weight.
Blinded by the Light. Diamond Stores use impressive
lights that would make even the lowest quality
diamond sparkle. This does two things: first,
it makes it hard to see any inclusions that
you would see under normal lights. Even cloudy
diamonds will sparkle with these intense lights.
Second, it makes it seem like Cut doesn't
matter. A diamond's second most important
quality, besides Carat, is cut. Cut is what
makes the diamond sparkle. The more ideal
the diamond cut the more the engagement ring
diamond sparkles at its peak. But, intense
jewelry store lights make the diamond sparkle
at its peak no matter how poor the diamond
cut. That way Cut and Clarity seem less important
with fancy lights. Buying engagement rings
from my recommended website below this video
you can view the diamonds with the lights
that expose the imperfections instead of hiding
them.
Hide and Seek. Most diamonds have inclusions
or blemishes. Some are visible to the naked
eye and some are not. Sometimes diamond stores
will hide the inclusions under the ring setting
clasps. This diamond has an inclusion on the
side but we can easily hide it under this
clasp. While this is a bad thing if the store
is hiding the diamond flaws from you and not
telling you, it can also be a strategy to
your benefit if you knowingly buy a diamond
with visible inclusions on the side that can
be hidden under the clasps. The best way to
avoid this scam is to just buy a diamond online
where it can be seen before placing it in
the engagement ring itself. Watch my Diamond
clarity comparison video for more on this.
Big Carat Doesn't Equal Bigger Appearance.
Engagement ring stores can Cut diamonds to
make the carat bigger without it looking bigger,
at certain angles. Here is a dramatic example.
The diamond on the left is the appropriate
size the diamond on the right is a terrible
cut but the Diamond on the right has a higher
Carat because it weighs more. If you looked
down at both of these diamonds the size looks
just the same. In addition the light doesn't
bounce off the diamond correctly so it doesn't
sparkle as much. If you bought a diamond like
this you'd be paying for a higher carat that
doesn't even look bigger, and it has a poor
sparkle too. To avoid this I always buy an
Ideal or Excellent cut Diamond by GIA standards.
Sneaky Salespeople! When you go in to buy
a diamond the salespeople use all sorts of
deceiving words. Once I asked an engagement
ring salesperson what a diamond inclusion
was. They said it was a "Beauty Mark" and
it "gives the diamond character" Uh... an
inclusion is a blemish, or imperfection or
impurity that lowers the value of the diamond.
They are always bending the truth to sell
you. I suggest staying away from salespeople
and buying your engagement ring online. Salespeople
often mislead you but also they increase the
cost of the diamond. My favorite online diamond
store is linked to below this video.
The Switch-A-Roo. Be careful whenever buying
an engagement ring or taking your diamond
to get it cleaned. Most diamonds certified
today have a unique number inscribed on the
side. Demand to see the Certificate number
inscribed on the side of the diamond and take
your certificate to make sure the numbers
match. Do this before you buy the diamond,
before you take it home and when you take
it in to get cleaned. There are very shady
people out there and the number is inscribed
on the side for a reason.
Shop Online. All Brick and Mortar stores sell
overpriced engagement rings. The salespeople,
the rent in the mall, the fancy showcases
and lights all are costs that increase the
cost of your diamond. Like here: You can see
that Kay Jewellers, Helzberg Diamonds, and
Jared's all have equal 1 carat D shade Excellent
Cut and Flawless clarity diamonds. Compare
those to these two exceptional online websites
that I will link to below this video and the
savings are thousands of dollars. And here
is my number one tip. Have your girlfriend
shop for engagement ring with you or her best
friend. Make note of the Engagment ring, the
specs of the diamond, and the price of the
diamond. Go to my recommended diamond website
below this video plug in those same specs
and get the same quality diamond for less
cost or plug in the price of the diamond that
she liked and get a bigger or higher quality
diamond from the online website. Now just
take that diamond that you got from the website
back to the jewelry store and set in the ring
she likes or find a similar one from the websites
that I have linked to below this video.
If you guys go to buy a diamond on another
device come back here and click on the link
below because it will help you out. And if
you have any personal questions about buying
engagement rings leave a comment below. Also
make sure you subscribe to my hair and makeup
channel. Like and subscribe.
