Jeff Vyduna

If you are on a crazy small budget and need to find just something to work:
Go to the smaller family jeweler so you can put the diamond in your hand and try the "rock" out under all lighting. Have a sheet of white paper with you to see if it is horribly yellow or included with the naked eye. Smaller jeweler's pay all the same wholesaler fees that the big guys do but do not have to pay for a big retail space & expensive "manager" staff. Try to work them on the price a little, then just buy the damn thing, don't worry about it. You can get her a better one when your married with a dual income as an anniversary gift.

If budget is less of a concern:
Analyze the diamond as a whole and realize that you will have to sacrifice something to get a quality rock but do not go crazy with any one statistic. The colorless, flawless, 2ct "rock" is completely worthless unless the cut is up to par. After all remember this is a "rock", it is cut by a human, certified/analyzed by computers, and scientifically priced by computers.

There is no hocus pocus at the wholesale level. All the real smoke and mirrors happens at the retailer. Retailers stating that they have a signature series that only they have is completely bogus. Yes they have a trademark category for their "special" diamonds. But they still got the diamonds from the same supply as all the rest of their "junk" diamonds, cut by the same people, processed by the same magical computers.

It seems rather crazy that with the amount of money involved the only person in the chain that does not know what's going on is the buyer. The industry goes to great lengths to keep the common person out of the loop.

Remember when you are looking at "rocks" online you have access to all the same information as the jewelers when they place in order. Jewelers for the most part, do not inspect anything. They go off the numbers solely. (It's a scientific business remember.)

The first time they see the rock up close is usually when you are looking at it with them in a scope. (I have a great story about a trashed diamond that I pointed out the tune of "Wow, I do not think I could even sell you this diamond." Then why the hell am I looking at it you jackass!!)

In the end remember these keys:
1. You do not know what you are looking at.
2. Computers do not lie, people do. (Base your decisions on certifications not some "manager's word".)
3. This is a "rock". That's right the same crap that your driveway has in it. It is not magical, mystical, special, infused with good times juice, or pretty. It is a chunk of rock that reflects light excellently if it is cut/polished properly and does not have other rock chunks stuck within it.
4. Unless she works in the diamond industry and walks around with an ocular, she knows less then you do about her diamond.

That comes of a little harsh but I think it needs to be. Diamonds need to be demystified.

I got my .91ct juggernaught pre-mounted at http://www.uniondiamond.com/ and would happily do it again. The staff was excellent. The price was excellent. Packaging and backup documentation was fabulous. The full certification kit from the lab with cool holograph action, wholesaler sleeve (the tissue paper you see all the diamonds come out of like crack rocks), appraisal, gift box, invoice, and the original photocopy of the certification that you were emailed comes with the diamond in a nifty box with bow to keep everything together.