Know the Facts About Buying Diamonds Online

Are you new to shopping for diamonds and precious gemstones online? Are you confused by all the �lingo�?

Do you know exactly what to consider when buying diamonds and gemstones online?

You�re not alone. Buying anything on the inteet can be an intimidating experience if you don�t have all the details. And with something as valuable as precious gemstones, the conce is magnified.

Some of your conces might be the quality of the diamond or gemstone you are buying. How can you be sure you aren�t getting ripped off? Can you trust the seller? What if the shipment gets lost?

How do you determine the right type of diamond for your special gift? What if you don�t like it when it arrives? And what, exactly, do you have to consider when buying the particular diamond?

There are specific steps to take when searching online diamond stores. First, determine how trustworthy is the company. You�ll also want to know things like their retu policy, their guarantee, their privacy policy, the security of their order processing, and what support you can expect to receive.

There are several ways to check this information. The most obvious is to look around their site for links to this information, which should be easy to locate. Check the �About Us� page and you�ll find a good deal of information on the company and their mission statement. If this page doesn�t include all the information, look for the �Privacy Policy� link and security statements which are usually clearly stated.

Check their guarantee of satisfaction. They should offer a minimum of 30 days retu if you aren�t satisfied, but you might also want to find out if you will be required to pay a restocking fee. It�s best if this is not charged.

Click away from any site that doesn�t provide this vital information.

Find out how your diamonds and precious gemstones will be shipped. You�ll want to be sure there is some tracking in place to guarantee your shipment arrives safely. If it doesn�t, you�ll want to know there�s proof whether or not you actually received it. You�ll want your shipment sent through insured carriers, like FedEx and UPS. You�ll also want to be sure it is insured for the full value of the package contents.

Look for information on the support they offer to back up their products. Specifically, see if there is a telephone number you can call to talk directly to an expert about your choice, and to answer any questions you might have about buying diamonds and precious gemstones. Any reputable firm should be ready and able to provide this one-on-one support to all their customers.

The experts can help you with many aspects of your purchase, such as determining the best settings for your diamond, determining value versus quality of the stones, and an explanation of the �4Cs� that determine the quality and value of a diamond.

A good online jewelry store will have an easy-to-understand educational section that provides descriptive images and explanations on diamonds and their value.

Just quickly, you should know that the 4Cs are the carat, cut, color and clarity of a diamond.

Carat is a diamond�s size measured in carat weight. Sometimes �carat� to measure diamonds is confused with �karat�, with a �k�, which is the measure of the purity of gold. Clearly, these are two separate entities. Each diamond carat is 100 points. A � carat would be a 50-point diamond, for example.

Cut refers to the craftsmanship the stone cutter applied when cutting the facets of the diamond. The aim is to cut it to make the best use of light. In other words, they want the light to reflect back through the top, rather than out the sides or directly through the bottom of the diamond. A diamond of large carat weight that is poorly cut is not as valuable as a smaller diamond that is well cut and therefore offers the greatest brilliance.

Color is the natural color that nature bestowed on the diamond during its development. Generally, the closer the diamond is to colorless, the more valuable and beautiful it is. The color scale goes from D to Z, and represents a gradual increase in color from champagne to light yellow. The highest range for a colorless diamond is D, E, and F. It�s rare to find such colorless diamonds, so the closer you can come to this range, the better the diamond.

Fancy colored diamonds, on the other hand, are extremely rare and very expensive. Some of the best fancy diamonds are in well-defined colors of pink, canary yellow, blue and green. These are major showpieces usually only affordable and accessible to the very rich.

Clarity determines the purity of the diamond. During it�s development, a diamond acquires tiny traces of natural elements that become trapped inside it. These are called �inclusions� and are unique to every stone, providing an excellent method of identifying individual diamonds. The harder it is for a jeweler to spot these inclusions using a 10X magnifier, the better the diamond.

Certification provides you with all the details of your diamond based on the 4Cs. There are several gemology labs that examine and certify diamonds. Make sure your diamonds are certified by reputable labs, as there are some that are not. The most prominent labs are the Inteational Gemological Institute (IGI), the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), the American Gem Society (AGS), the European Gemological Laboratories (EGL) and GemEx Systems.

�Conflict Diamonds� is one expression you�re likely to come across in your search for diamonds.

Conflict diamonds, also referred to as blood diamonds, originate from areas controlled by forces that are opposed to legitimate govements. In those regions, constant wars cause numerous deaths and maiming injuries. Money acquired through the sale of their rough diamonds is used to fund military action in opposition to those govements.

In 2003, President George W. Bush signed the Clean Diamond Trade Act that requires all U.S. diamond retailers to purchase only from sources that can prove through documentation that the diamonds were received through legal channels.

Today, reputable diamond stores will ensure that their products are not conflict diamonds. For this reason, it�s important for you to verify the legitimacy of the online diamond retailer.

One final way to ensure you're working with a reputable diamond seller is to examine that particular retailer�s history. Alexa offers an excellent free service.

Go to http://www.alexa.com and type in the URL of the site you�re querying and you will be able to see where the site is listed on the inteet. You can also download the free Alexa toolbar that attaches to your browser. When you surf the inteet and find a site you�re interested in, just click the Alexa toolbar icon and it will immediately give you details on the site owner and other information.

Beware of any site that does not provide owner name and contact information, either on their site or through the Alexa listing. You�ll also want to make sure the email is not a free one. These can be identified by such extensions as .gmail, .yahoo, and others. Instead, you want to see an extension as their URL, such as mine: sdickens@diamondhaven.com.

As you can see, the extension matches my URL: http://www.diamondhaven.com which offers more helpful information as well as diamonds to buy. It includes a library of interesting topics surrounding diamonds, from their development and history to famous diamonds and diamond fashions.

In conclusion, the best advice is to stay alert when shopping online. Check the site�s history, lea about the owners, and when you�re conducting your buying transactions, make sure you see that gold secure lock on your Inteet Explorer browser, or whatever symbol your browser uses to let you know you are on a site that has secure socket layer to protect your information.

Sylvia Dickens is an author, book reviewer and affiliate marketer. Visit her at http://www.book-titles.ca for her latest reviews. If you're shopping for diamonds, you'll find more information in her Diamond Library and some unique diamonds and precious gemstones to buy at http://www.diamondhaven.com.