Diamond Guidelines-Because the Whole Point is the Sparkle

With gift buying reaching an all time frenzy at the moment, a lot of jewelry stores may see more traffic, dressed up as people on the hunt for the perfect, flawless diamond jewelry.

Some jewel experts will recommend that when you're diamond shopping, you should never leave home without your trusty 10x powered magnifying glass, because this tiny hand held microscope can pick up dents, bumps, spots and little marks in your diamond of choice that could never be seen with the naked eye. And besides, it just makes you look super cool and pro when you snap it out, and hold it up to your squinting eyeball as you bend down to peer at a tiny gem. 

But Terry Quinn, owner of Quinn's Goldsmith Inc. in Occoquan, will tell you that there is no need for any tool other that your own eyes when you're trying to pick a great diamond. And out of the four C's usually involved with diamond selection (color, cut, clarity, carat) the cut is what you should really look for.

"The diamond should look clean to the naked eye," Quinn said. "A lot of people focus on clarity-how flawless the diamond is-but the cut is what's important. The better the cut, the more sparkle. If you're wearing a diamond ring, the sparkle is what people will notice from across the street...not the clarity."

Quinn can recall selling only a few perfectly flawless diamonds in the span of his 35 plus year career as a goldsmith and jewelry store owner. He says that the grade of a diamond rates on a scale between F (flawless) to D Class A (which he describes as diamonds equivalent to frozen spit), and that most good diamonds sold fall right in the grades of VS1, VS2, SI1, and SI2. This is solid knowledge you can take with you when you inquire about where on the scale your diamond weighs in, thus avoiding the frozen spit category. 

"A diamond is only as good as the paper it's written on," Quinn said. "The top three certificates for a diamond is a GIA (Gemological Institute of America) Cert, an AGS (American Gem Society) Cert, and an EGL (European Gemological Laboratory) Cert. Customers can inquire about the certification when buying a diamond."

Quinn also suggests that great jewelry buys for the holidays can be found in estate jewelry, or pieces that have been 'previously enjoyed.'

"It's a good idea to insure jewelry that has cost you over a $1,ooo. If you're ever in question as to the authentic value of a piece, have an independent appraiser assess it for you. Question the shop about their return policy in advance so you know how long you have to return something," he said.

Quinn's Goldsmith Inc. is now running a special promotion through December on Wednesdays evenings, dubbed Men's Nights, where co-ed customers can enter to win a 50 inch plasma HDTV. For more information, call 703-494-1662 or stop into the store located at 199 Union St. in Occoquan.