Diamonds: rules to avoid scams

Are you sure of the origin of the diamond on your ring? And if you have to buy a diamond ring (or another jewel), how do you know if what you buy is authentic? In other words: how do you avoid scams when buying a diamond? Here are four useful tips to avoid nasty surprises ♦

Unfortunately, scams or incorrect behavior are also present in the jewelry world. They are quite rare, fortunately. But to avoid falling into a trap you can follow these four rules.

Are you sure that your diamond is really a diamond? The doubt arises after reading a news story that comes from California, taken from Jck. According to the Chronicle, the owner of a jewelry store in Ventura, California town, he was arrested on charges of replacing the diamond of ring to a repair with moissanite. To discover the scam was a woman, who had given the jeweler wedding ring to repair. The damage was estimated at about 8 thousand dollars. Nothing dramatic, sure. But it makes an impression to read on the web a comment to the news: “Unfortunately, I have a great-uncle who is a jeweler in Florida, does the same thing, but uses cubic zirconia”. In short, two clues are not proof, but it raises suspicion: how widespread this type of fraud? Of course, there are cases in which diamonds (fake) are sold (or, rather, passed off) outside of official channels. In Italy, for example, it happened in Sicily and near Lake Garda: in both cases the false jewelers trying to sell fake jewelry to true elders, were arrested.

But how to behave, instead, when you buy a diamond? Here are the rules.
1 The best security is when the diamond is accompanied by a certificate from a gemological institute recognized. For example, Gia (Gemological Institute of America), which is the most credited, or AGS (American Gem Society), IGI (International Gemmological Institute). But it is also good to know that the assessment of a diamond is not the same for everyone. Of course, the authenticity comes first, but then comes into play also the quality and the type of stone (see also Short guide to diamonds). in fact it does not exist, an international standard the same for everyone. There are cases of a diamond with various assessments based on the analysis criterion: when the differences are shades, it is easy that a judgment is something personal.

2 Consider the manufacturers who add their own brand as a guarantee: these are laser engravings on the part of the diamond not visible to the naked eye, but which are readable with a microscope. Codes or trademarks are, in fact, a further guarantee, because they certify the origin of the stone. In other words: the traceability of a diamond is important and increases its value.

3 Ask for or take a photo of the diamond mounted on the jewel yourself. It can be a guarantee in case of future disputes. This, of course, can be useful in the case of diamonds of a certain weight: a photograph of tiny stones will hardly be of help, unless you resort to shooting with macro lenses (and you must have some experience). In any case, an image of your jewelry is always useful: for example, it can be provided to the police in case of theft.

4 A certificate (if is true) should reassure the buyer. But in any case the European standards assume direct responsibility and full of the seller, in this case the jeweler, to the customer. Anyone who buys a product, even a jewel, has a right of withdrawal, ie can return it if it does not respond to the features described at the time of sale.