Diamonds.net quotes the National Retail Federation’s Mother’s Day Survey saying “The average amount shoppers expect to spend on jewelry was $100.55, up from $97.19 one year ago and the highest average so far. Those consumers who earn less than $50,000 per year expect to spend an average of $74.94 on jewelry, while those earning more than $50,000 plan to spend an average of $122.86 on their jewelry purchase for Mother’s Day.”

So if you are in the market for some nice gifts for mom check out some of these great gift ideas:

14k White Gold Fresh Water Pearl Stud Earrings – $110

14k White Gold Polished Heart Pendant – $135

Classic 1/4ctw 18K White Gold Stud Earrings – $340

The post Mother’s Day Gift Ideas appeared first on Selecting A Diamond.

Diamond Magnified 20x - Click for Larger View

Carat Weight: 1.06

Diamond Color: H

Diamond Clarity: SI1

Diamond Cut: Ideal

Diamond Price: $6760

Measurements: 6.64*6.67*4.03

Depth: 60.5

Table: 56

Diamond Polish: Very Good

Diamond Symmetry: Excellent

Diamond Fluorescence: None

This 1.06 carat H-SI1 Round diamond is featured on James Allen for $6760.

Click here to see this GIA1.06 carat H-SI1 Round diamond on James Allen!

The post 1.06 Carat H-SI1 Excellent Cut Round Diamond for $6760 appeared first on Selecting A Diamond.

Just wanted to thank you again for your assistance in my quest for the perfect diamond. After carefully reviewing both of the recommendations you sent over I selected the 1.22 carat H VS2. Both me and my fiancé were just amazed at how beautiful it was and we were thrilled with the setting as well. When I found your site I was excepting to pay at least $1000 more then I ended up paying!

You honestly took all the frustration out of the diamond buying process and made me confident that I was getting a great value for my money.  I will definitely recommend your service to my friends.

Thanks again,

Omar

The post Thank You! Another Satsfied Customer appeared first on Selecting A Diamond.

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-SI1-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond-1429972.asp

Thanks

A: I believe this diamond is priced a little high – probably because of the because of the polish\symmetry.  If you look closely you will see a good number of inclusions which I am not convinced can be covered by prongs.  I would recommend you look at this one:

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-SI1-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond-1517999.asp

It’s much cleaner and a few hundred dollars cheaper. If you are willing to go down a bit in size you can get an even better value in the 0.90 to 0.92 range. See my Guide to Diamond pricing to understand why. You can save close to $1500 by doing this.

Q: Thanks- I really like the 2^nd diamond! My fiancé was happy with it to and she really didn’t want to go lower then 1 carat so this worked out great. Awesome site and thanks for the advice.

The post Q&A: Opinion on 1.00 Carat H/SI1 Diamond appeared first on Selecting A Diamond.

“Randy,

I know I am going to be buying an engagement ring before Christmas and I am trying to time it right so that I don’t overpay and maybe even get a good discount. I read that diamond prices are down this year and was wondering if you thought I should buy now or hold out a little longer and see if prices drop further.

Thanks,

Mike”

My answer to Mike is important and I wanted to share it with all of you.

I never recommend trying to “play the market” on diamonds. There are so many variables that go into the pricing of diamonds that it makes it very difficult to predict where prices are headed. (see my page on diamond pricing)

What I do sometime recommend is to look at the current price of diamonds and see if they are “high” or “Low” for the season. If they are low and you know you will be needing a diamond then pull the trigger.

Rapaport is reporting that October prices for polished diamonds were down about 10% over last year. I would say anyone looking to make a purchase in the next few months is safe buying it now. Is this to say prices won’t drop further? No, of course not but with the unpredictability and fluctuation in pricing I think it’s worth the peace of mind buying your diamond when you find the right one rather than trying to gamble and save a few dollars.  If you want to save money on your diamond purchase- let me help you buy smart, by choosing the right color and clarity, this is a much more proven method then timing your purchase to market conditions.

The post Q&A: When is the best time to buy a diamond? appeared first on Selecting A Diamond.

Diamond Magnified 20x - Click for Larger View

Carat Weight: 1.31

Diamond Color: I

Diamond Clarity: VS2

Diamond Cut: Ideal

Diamond Price: $8700

Measurements: 6.97*7.01*4.37

Depth: 62.6

Table: 56

Diamond Polish: Excellent

Diamond Symmetry: Excellent

Diamond Fluorescence: None

This 1.31 carat I-VS2 Round diamond is featured on James Allen for $8700.

Click here to see this GIA1.31 carat I-VS2 Round diamond on James Allen!

The post 1.31 Carat I-VS2 Ideal Cut Round Diamond For $8700 appeared first on Selecting A Diamond.

Diamond Magnified 20x - Click for Larger View

Carat Weight: 1.02

Diamond Color: I

Diamond Clarity: VS2

Diamond Cut: Ideal

Diamond Price: $6600

Measurements: 6.47*6.50*4.01

Depth: 61.8

Table: 55

Diamond Polish: Excellent

Diamond Symmetry: Excellent

Diamond Fluorescence: None

This 1.02 carat I-VS2 Round diamond is featured on James Allen for $6600.

Click here to see this GIA1.02 carat I-VS2 Round diamond on James Allen!

The post 1.02 Carat I-VS2 Ideal Cut Round Diamond GIA – $6,600 appeared first on Selecting A Diamond.

Of the dozens of questions I get the most common by far is about EGL diamonds. This question is so common that I dedicated a page to it on its own. No matter how clear I try and be on this topic (for those who are in doubt let me clear – Don’t Buy EGL Diamonds!) I always find it hard to really convince people 100% on this. The fact is that without a clear understanding on how diamonds are graded and the differences between the labs it is very easy to fall trap and think that an EGL diamond is a bargain. The fact is they are more expensive. That’s right – EGL diamonds are more expensive the GIA or AGS. If that’s the case why do so many people think they are getting a bargain with EGL stones? Check out this great video that clearly explains this topic.

Check out the video below:

The post No, EGL Diamonds are NOT Cheaper! appeared first on Selecting A Diamond.

You can read the full article here: http://www.diamonds.net/News/NewsItem.aspx?ArticleID=41317&ArticleTitle=Indias%2bPolished%2bExports%2b-39%2525%2bin%2bSeptember

The post India diamond exports point to possible softening in market appeared first on Selecting A Diamond.

I am looking for at a couple of round diamonds on James Allen:
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-VS2-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond-1480056.asp

and

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-VS2-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond-1471696.asp

My question is why the big price difference? The only difference I can see is that the 1.08 carat diamond has a faint fluorescence. Could this be the only reason for a $400 price difference between the two diamonds?  Can you see any reason I should be opting for the 1.07 more expensive diamond?

Thanks
M.

Answer:

Thanks for writing in. These are both very nice diamonds and will be eye-clean. As to why there is a $400 difference between them….

Fluorescence isn’t the only difference between them.  If you look closely at the details you will see there is also a difference in the girdle, measurements, and polish. Each of these can contribute somewhat to the price of the diamond. However the truth is that in this case I don’t believe the discrepancy is because of any one diamond characteristic and instead it is most likely due to the fact that the 2 diamonds are being sent to James Allen by different wholesalers and each is asking a different ask price for the diamonds.

As you can read on both my diamond pricing page and on my Blue Nile re view page many online vendors (including James Allen) are listing “virtual inventory” that is supplied by other vendors.  The pricing in this case can vary for no (good) reason whatsoever.  I have seen cases where one diamond was listed with a high price simply because the actual owner was on vacation and didn’t get a chance to adjust his pricing.

As for which diamond I prefer of these 2 – I would definitely save the $400 and go with the lower priced stone.  These are H color and the fluorescence is only faint so it really shoudln’t not have a negative impact on the look of these diamonds.

Thanks,

Randy

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