Monthly Archives: January 2018

The Truth about Blue Nile and Internet Diamond Companies.

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There is no doubt within the jewelry industry that online sellers such as Blue Nile have revolutionized the ways that many consumers purchase their engagement diamond.  Blue Nile, as well as a multitude of other online sellers, offers a virtual database of diamonds to internet shoppers at prices that were once considered to be below traditional retail prices. I add the phrase “once considered” in the previous statement in an acknowledgement to the shifts in pricing structure that have transpired through the retail jewelry landscape as a result of Blue Nile and other internet sellers.

The problem with Blue Nile and other internet diamond sellers is the process itself.

Internet diamond companies, unlike traditional retail jewelers, have no eyes-on knowledge of any diamond that they sell.  These companies are simply online brokers between diamond wholesalers and consumers.  No one in the “process” between Blue Nile and the ultimate diamond consumer has any real knowledge of what the diamond looks like.

There are two inherent deficiencies in buying a diamond in this manner.

Firstly, the process itself is based on the diamond grading report – usually a GIA report.  It is wrong to assume that a GIA diamond grading report conveys the most important aspect of what a diamond is all about – what the diamond really looks like.  In reality, this is a very significant misperception amongst diamond buying consumers.

To illustrate my point, here are two actual un-retouched photos of two different diamonds:

The diamond below is typical of what the internet shopper buys based on the GIA report. This diamond is a 1.70 carat Cushion Cut.

The GIA report looks great as this diamond meets the proper depth and table proportions. Additionally, it is graded by GIA as “Excellent” Polish and “Excellent” Symmetry.

Despite these “paper” qualities, the diamond is severely lacking the “fire” and “brilliance”and”scintillation” that makes a diamond beautiful. This diamond is actually dead and dark in the center.

The diamond pictured on the right is a 1.72 carat Cushion Cut diamond in which the depth and table proportions are also within the “proper” range. This diamond has a Symmetry grade of “Good” and a Polish grade of “Excellent”.

Though it is somewhat difficult to tell in the two photos, I can assure you that this diamond is much more beautiful than the other.  The “faceting” of this diamond creates much more “life” and “brilliance” and “scintillation”.  This diamond appears much whiter and brighter than the other diamond despite the fact that is graded as “I” color and the diamond above is graded as “G” color.

in this example, I guarantee you that the lower graded diamond is much nicer and more beautiful than the better graded diamond.  I know this for a fact.  I have seen both of these diamonds with my eyes.  It is why I am writing this article.

A GIA certificate does not describe the beauty of a diamond on even what a diamond looks like to the human eye.  The GIA certificate is essentially a document of scientific characteristics and terminology that measure minute differences in gradations that, in most cases, are beyond the limitations of what a consumer using his/her human eyes can ascertain without proper conditions and equipment.

While it is true that a “D / Flawless” diamond will undoubtedly be more beautiful than a “M / I2” diamond, It is often the case that a diamond of a lesser grade in terms of it’s GIA grading may be as beautiful or perhaps more beautiful than a diamond that has a “better” GIA grade.  This is particularly true in the case of fancy shape diamonds where the color and clarity grades have little significance to the overall appearance of the diamond.

The second deficiency of the online buying process is that the internet consumer is often searching for the lowest price as opposed to understanding that a diamond is supposed to be about the beauty and scintillation of something that is extraordinary and exceptional.

Whether searching Blue Nile or another online diamond site, without the ability to see and understand the subtle differentiations that make one diamond more magnificent than another diamond, it is easy to fall into the trap of searching only for low price with no understanding that “Value” is something different from low price.

Buying a diamond simply based on lowest price is similar to buying a $5.99 bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon!  This is not to say that one must pay $50.00 or $150.00 for a bottle of wine.  I do know, from experience, that there are very good bottles of wine that can be purchased for $15.00 to $25.00.  I also know that the $5.99 are, for the most part, going to taste bad and will not be enjoyed nearly as much!

In my  wholesale business I often ask this question to retail jewelry store operators: “What sells better in your store?  .  . The low price diamond?  .  . Or the nice diamond?”   The answer is almost universally  “The nicer diamond!”.  I agree with this answer.

I know from experience that a diamond consumer –  when given the opportunity to learn about diamonds and see diamonds with his/her eyes –  will almost never purchase the lowest price diamond and will, in many cases, choose the most expensive diamond!

Getting back to the subject title of this post, I do not have a problem with Blue Nile or other internet diamond sites.  Honestly, I was a supplier to the company that grew to be Blue Nile. I have also supplied James Allen and other internet diamond companies.

On the subject of internet diamond companies, I have a story that my mind will never let me forget.  I was in the process of “getting into” an internet diamond company when the person on the operating end of the internet business asked me the following question:  “How good are you at playing the game?”  I knew what he meant but I asked him to clarify.  He made it clear to me that the internet shopper only looks at the first page or two of diamond data.  These are the diamonds that are the lowest price diamonds.

He and I both understood that the “game” was all about giving these buyers diamonds with “issues” that make them inexpensive. With a wink and a nod, the conversation was an affirmation that the internet shopper does not understand any more than that of low price  and that the idea was to give such a shopper what they are looking for.

Whether it is Blue Nile or any other internet site, a consumer must understand that Blue Nile is simply providing a list of diamonds and diamond data that the consumer will never fully understand. The consumer must understand that Blue Nile is simply an intermediary web operation company that, in most cases, doesn’t know or care what any particular diamond looks like. They simply showcase a database of diamonds, collect your money and then arrange for the diamond to be shipped to you. Their interest is in making an additional internet sale and not in making sure that the consumer/buyer is acquiring a beautiful diamond.

It is possible to buy a beautiful diamond from Blue Nile or any other web diamond seller.  Most importantly, the consumer should question why similarly graded diamonds on Blue Nile are priced 20% or 30% or more than 50% higher others of the same GIA grade.  After all, it is the same seller who is selling the diamonds!  The consumer must understand that low price usually means a diamond that is not as beautiful as another diamond – and, in some cases, a diamond that is not beautiful at all.

Perhaps you are happy drinking that $5.99 bottle of wine!  Or perhaps you understand that low prices are just that and there are reasons why the price is low.

I offer these two bits of advice.  Go to a jewelry store and see what I am talking about. Buy with your eyes and not with your mouse.  And if you insist on buying with your mouse, understand that low price usually means a trade-off in terms of beauty.  Understand that “value” is a matter of quality and beauty in relation to price.

The purchase of a diamond is one of the most significant purchases of a lifetime – and one that you will enjoy for many years and  hopefully a lifetime!  Make it the right diamond.

 

 

 

NEIL REIFF

What are Diamond Inclusions?

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Marks of Distinction: The Facts Behind Inclusions

Dec 26, 2017 
The following post is a repost of an article written by Alethea Inns and has been previously published on Rapnet.
RAPAPORT… Inclusions are a natural diamond’s signature. Alethea Inns, director of gemology and education at the American Gem Society (AGS), explains the fascinating facts of this phenomenon.

What are inclusions?

In the world of gemology, inclusions are defined as internal visible features in either a rough crystal or faceted gemstone. Inclusions are important in gemology because they can tell trained gemologists whether the gemstone is natural, synthetic, or treated, or even where it came from.

Inclusions are often referred to as “flaws,” or “imperfections,” but in reality, they are part of the natural geological process and an essential and fascinating part of gemology. Inclusions make each diamond unique, as no two diamonds are identical, and are even used by gemological laboratories to verify a diamond’s identity. A diamond with natural inclusions is like a snowflake.

Inclusions can consist of other mineral crystals that look like what they are called — for example, a break in the crystal lattice is called a feather because it can resemble the texture of a feather. A pinpoint inclusion is just that — it looks like a pinpoint — while thin, elongated inclusions are called needles.

How do a diamond’s imperfections enhance it as something unique and authentic?

Inclusions are often used to determine the relative value of a diamond, based on their size, nature, number, position in the diamond, and relief — or visibility — but they are also so much more. Inclusions tell us the story of the diamond — how it formed, what it went through in the earth, and how it got to the surface of the earth. In fact, for geologists and researchers, the most prized diamonds are those specimens with large, visible inclusions. Some geologists spend their entire careers studying one type of diamond inclusion and its implications. This is because diamonds act as vessels that can capture minerals from the mantle of the earth and can give us information about the growth environment, and even the age of our planet. The oldest diamonds have been dated at up to 3.5 billion years old — which is not something you can say about a laboratory-grown diamond.

How are they formed? What conditions in the earth need to be present?

Conditions have to be just right not only to form diamonds, but to form the inclusions that occur within them. Diamonds are generally theorized to have formed at depths greater than 150 kilometers, at pressures of around 5 GPa (gigapascals) and at 1,000 degrees Celsius, and need a specific chemistry in order to grow. This is why they are geologically rare. Diamonds are carried to the earth’s surface by magma — molten and semi-molten rock found beneath the earth’s surface — younger than the host rocks in which they were formed. These two rock types in which diamonds grow in the mantle are eclogite and peridotite, and occur at different depths in the earth.

Diamonds are carried to the earth’s surface in one of only three rare types of magma. The most important type of magma is known as kimberlite, such as the Diavik mine in Canada. The Argyle mine in Australia, famous for its pink diamonds, is derived from a rarer type of magma, called lamproite, with an entirely different geochemistry. Pink diamonds from Argyle often have coesite inclusions, which are high-relief transparent crystals.

How do inclusions manifest themselves in diamonds?

Most diamond inclusions are classified as syngenetic, which means the inclusion forms at the same time as its host. Pyrope garnet is an example of a syngenetic inclusion you may find in a diamond, and is usually a dark-reddish included crystal.

Furthermore, diamonds are classified into different types based on the amount of nitrogen that aggregates in the crystal lattice. Some diamond types can be categorized by inclusion types, such as Ib diamonds with clusters of dark “Ib needles.” Large cape diamonds with N2 and N3 aggregates often have high-relief transparent garnet crystals and fine, transparent linear growth, known as “transparent graining.”

While there are still many unanswered questions about how exactly diamonds form, their inclusions are a window into the history of the earth, and their journey to the surface. They are an opportunity to carry a piece of that history with you, so you can admire diamonds from the inside out.

This article was first published in a special supplement produced in collaboration with the Diamond Producers Association.