Diamonds on the Internet! A new and better way of shopping for your diamond and jewelry?

How safe is diamond and jewelry shopping on the internet? What do you need to know! An interview with Patrick J. Boening, President & CEO of the Diamond Wholesale Corporation, aka: DWC Inc. One of North America's top firms in the diamond online and wholesale business. (http://www.DiamondWholesaleCorporation.com)

February 11, 2004-- Interviewing Patrick J. Boening, President and CEO of the Diamond Wholesale Corporation.

Q: More and more people decide to purchase their diamonds online. DWC Inc. could improve its online sales by an impressive 83%. How come?

A: Price, Quality, Variety, Availability and good Customer Service. The confidence and trust in online diamond firms grow over the last years enormously, as most online businesses did. This is the 21st century; you dont have to spend hours in jewelry stores only to be shown a medium quality diamond, in dimmed light for a ridicules price. Then you need to compare and run to the next store to start the whole process over and over again. A tiring, long and expensive way to do business. Retail stores will not give prices over the phone. They need you trapped within their environment. They have to sell you what they have on stock rather then what is available on the market. Remember, when you purchase a diamond or a piece of jewelry in a store, you pay for everything, the expensive location, the beautiful and costly store decoration, sales and security staff etc. etc. The price differences between online and store can easily be 50 70 %. On the other hand, jewelers are spoiled and hate the internet. It is like a secret leaked out. Did you ever wonder why jewelers did so well and whenever you passed by the store, their is hardly customer traffic? The smart and educated client with access to the internet realized all that.

Q: Isnt it to risky to purchase such expensive items over the internet, and how can one minimize that risk?

A: I have never heard of an internet diamond firm that "ran off" with the clients money. That would be a one time action. The internet is the fastest media in the world, such actions would be known and spread in hours, around the world and this company would be black listed forever. Surely you should not trust anyone just because they have a web site. If you keep these 9 rules, your purchase will be safer then in most stores:

Rule # 1: Trust a web site (company or organization) only if they publish on their web site, the full businesses address (not only a PO. Box) and phone number. If they dont, they have a reason. Many web sites are owned by the same company or person and would show the same address and phone number.

Rule # 2: Check their references (Testimonials) and talk to existing clients. You will quick find out if they are real or made up.

Rule # 3: Check the professional trade networks and organizations, in the diamond and jewelry field: JBT (Jewelers Board of Trade), Polygon, Rapaport Network etc. If they are not registered there, they are no professionals.

Rule # 4: Check with your local BBB (Better Business Bureau). This is usually one of the first organizations that will receive a customers complaint.

Rule # 5: Make sure the company you are dealing with gives a full money back guarantee of at least 5 days. This will give you enough time to have the item checked by a professional (Gemologist/Appraiser) of your choice.

Rule # 6: Always choose the appraiser / gemologist yourself. Never let the salesperson recommend one. If the firm recommends an independent appraiser or sends the item (s) to an independent appraiser/gemologist of their choice, rest assure, that they are in cahoots. (If you have to sign a contract, would you ask the other parties lawyer for advice? Or would you hire your own lawyer?)

Rule # 7: Dont be blinded by photos of diamonds. In most cases the are very misleading. Everyone who understands a little about photography knows that, photos are totally worthless. You need the scientific facts of the diamond, which are written in the Diamond Report, or Certificate. The more details you get the better. AGS (American Gemological Society) provides at the moment North Americas top certificate. It will mention details of cut that are most important and unfortunately most ignored. Crown angle in degrees and height in percent. Pavilion depth and girdle thickness. AGS is as tough as GIA (Gemological Institute of America), but gives you much more scientific details.

Rule # 8: If you found your stone, go for it! Dont wait too long because this diamond could be sold to someone else and you have to start all over again. There are no endless supplies on diamonds in every size, shape, clarity and color out there. Like with most things in life, you often have to compromise.

Rule # 9: Compare apples with apples! When you compare one diamond and its price with another, hold both certificates (print out the copies that you get via e-mail) next to each other. Look at all the facts and compare, consult the gemologist if data is not clear or you need advice. Comparing one company and their prices with another, take in consideration if taxes, insurance during transport and shipping are included, is any extra cost involved, certificate, appraisal etc., or does it all come as a complete package?

Q: What will the New Year (2004) bring the Diamond Online Industry?

A: Growth! We expect a minimum total growth of 37% this year for the diamond online firms. The Diamond Wholesale Corporation (DWC Inc.) invested heavily and increased customer service as well as keeping the prices at the lowest level possible in order to insure satisfied clients.

Angelo Tambe is the PR Director of the Diamond Wholesale Corporation.

Man-Made Diamonds, A Buyers Guide

It seems nearly impossible to watch TV or open a newspaper without seeing something about man-made diamonds. For hundreds of years science has tried to create a perfect synthetic diamond. Finally, 21st-century technology has made that prospect a reality.

There are many reasons to purchase synthetic diamonds instead of the mined variety. The prices charged for mined diamonds are, in the very best verbiage, an illusion. To put it more bluntly, Cecil Adams, in his award-winning newspaper column The Straight Dope says: Diamonds are a con, pure and simple. Diamond prices are largely controlled by the DeBeers diamond cartel, and they are not a fair reflection of diamond scarcity. Additionally, studies show that one out of three diamonds sold in the US today has been altered to artificially increase its value. Further studies have shown that on average a couple pays 40% too much for their diamond engagement ring.

Beyond deceptive pricing, there are the issues of blood diamonds, forced child labor, and a myriad of other disturbing diamond facts.

Recently, socially conscious celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Minnie Driver, and Angelina Jolie have made a vocal issue of wearing only synthetic diamonds to the many gala events they attend.

Good synthetic diamonds are virtually indistinguishable from the mined variety, but without the baggage, and additionally, they cost thousands of dollars less. But, which synthetic diamond is the best choice?

There are many types of man-made or synthetic diamonds available. The choices are numerous, but unbiased information is scarce. Here is an overview and comparison of the synthetic diamonds currently unavailable on the market:

Cubic Zirconia
The grandfather of simulated diamonds, Zircons are available widely. In their best examples, CZs are actually a fairly decent diamond replica. Unfortunately, the commodity-like availability and vast differences in quality have made the stone synonymous with low-cost fashion jewelry. Perhaps a good choice for cheap bling, but not for fine jewelry. Many sources are available, a decent one is: http://www.czfantasy.com

Russian Diamonds
Including Russian Brilliants, Russian Stars and others, they are in fact nothing but high quality cubic zirconias. This is not mentioned prominently on their web sites and they will only cop to it when pressed, but that is the fact. Russian diamond simulates are priced around $280 per carat.

Russian Diamonds are a fine jewelry selection and are usually mounted in quality precious metal settings.

Russian Brilliants are one of the best and oldest sellers of Russian Diamonds available at: http://www.russianbrilliants.net

Moissanite
Moissanite is a lab-created mineral that is a very good diamond simulant. Moissanite has been on the market as a fine jewelry choice since the early 90s and has picked up quite a few fans. Moissanite is a hard mineral that, like diamond, will cut glass. There are a couple of minor downsides to moissanite however. First, it is quite expensive, (though still cheap compared to diamonds) usually priced about $500 per carat for good samples.

Secondly, moissanite does not have the same optical qualities as diamond and there are several indicators that make them easy to spot with the naked eye for an experienced practitioner. It is difficult to produce a pure white moissanite and they often appear slightly green when viewed in natural light. Also, moissanite has significantly higher radiance and brilliance factors then natural diamond, causing them to appear too sparkly to some. Overall though, moissanite is a beautiful synthetic diamond choice.

Moissanite From the Sky at http://www.fromthesky.com is a good source of fine moissanite jewelry.

Diamond Nexus
Diamond Nexus gemstones are the result of a fairly new scientific advancement in processing technique, and have only recently been available in the United States.

Diamond Nexus gemstones are excellent diamond simulants and come very close to matching the properties of mined diamonds at many different comparison points. They cut glass, being virtually identical to diamond on the Mohs (hardness) scale. They refract perfect hearts and arrows and have radiance and brilliance readings extremely close to flawless diamond.

Best of all, they are currently introductory priced for the U.S. market, and are a steal at $79 per caret. Diamond Nexus gemstones are only available in precious metal, solid-gold settings.

Diamond Nexus is only available from Diamond Nexus Labs at: http://www.DiamondNexusLabs.com

White Sapphire
Sapphire is the second hardest natural mineral on the Mohs scale, surpassed only by diamond. They are, unlike the others in this review, a natural stone. Their radiance and brilliance are not up to the standards of diamond however. Nevertheless, quality white sapphires priced at around $220 per carat are a good diamond alternative.

A quality source is: http://www.TheNaturalSapphireCompany.com


Gemisis Cultured Diamond
Gemisis diamonds are beautiful and almost perfect diamond replicas. Unfortunately, they are not available in a clear, white color, so they are not a good choice for traditional diamond settings. However, if a yellow, orange or pink diamond is what you crave, Gemisis offers stunning choices in beautiful precious metal, fine-jewelry settings.

Gemisis Cultured Diamonds are only available at: http://www.gemisis.com

Recap:

Synthetic diamonds offer many advantages over the mined variety. You can buy with confidence, knowing that you are getting exactly what you paid for, and have not been the victim of diamond pricing chicanery. If you are concerned with the world around you, you can have a clear conscience, knowing that your money has not contributed to the support of an unethical and abusive industry.

However, there are many choices of synthetic diamonds, with varying degrees of quality. Take a little time to review the sellers information to get a clear idea of what the science is behind the gemstones you are buying.

For my money, I believe the best choices are quality Moissanite stones or the new diamond simulant gemstones available from Diamond Nexus Labs.

Gary La Court is a technical consultant, an expert in refractive dynamics and a frequent author. He has recently done research for several synthetic diamond manufacturers including www.DiamondNexusLabs.com