Certified Diamonds

Loose Diamonds are not subject to Import Duty however Jewellery is. Duty is 5% and if you purchase the diamond set in jewellery you will pay this 5% on the diamond as well. It is more cost effective to have the jewellery made in Australia for us in Oz.

If you are from the US I can't recommend this company high enough.

There is absolutely no benefit in going anywhere else.

If you are looking at Australian Websites then in my opinion the best three are

Me and My Jeweller (of course)

When comparing prices take into account

At MMJ we include GST in our prices

When you consider all of the above and take into account our 20% member discount apart from Blue Nile we are pretty much equal on price. Blue Nile is a little less expensive even when allowing for duty’s and taxes. We are all much less expensive than walking into a bricks and mortar retail shop. Its simple, just ask for a quote.

The world of shopping is changing rapidly. Blue Nile turned over $251.6million in sales during the year ending December 2006. This is a 23.8% increase on the previous year. A diamond with the same colour, clarity and cut grade with the same type of certificate is going to be the same no matter where you buy it. The only thing that changes is the price.

It is like buying a car, once you have chosen the make, the model, automatic or manual, tinted windows or not, metallic paint or not then the car is going to be the same no matter where you buy it. If you had the choice of purchasing it in a showroom for $60,000 or on the internet for $35,000 what choice would you make.

Simple really when you think about it. Just like the car, you simply need to understand the boundaries.

We can make it simple. You don’t need to become a diamond expert to buy from us. Simply choose the colour and clarity and we do the rest. We will search through our stock lists of available stones direct from Antwerp and choose a couple which have excellent cut and send you a copy of the certificates. All our diamonds are either GIA or HRD certified. If these don’t suit we will hunt down some more. As registered gemmologists, qualified valuers and certified diamond graders we are obviously more qualified to choose than you will ever be, no matter how much research you do.

Apart from the stone being eye clean the most important factors to consider is the colour and proportions or symmetry. The colour is easy, go for an E, F, or G colour. I know it is difficult to see the difference when comparing nice clean jewellery in a jewellery shop however TRUST ME, a diamond of E or F colour will always ooze quality, even if it is a little dirty. The difference in the general appearance of the jewellery item will be worth it. A well cut E colour diamond of SI2 clarity will look better than a VVS1 diamond of H or I colour any day, and it will be less expensive.

Proportions or Symmetry is equally important. If a diamond is cut correctly the maximum light will be reflected back to the viewer giving that brilliance diamonds are famous for. Determining the best proportions requires a fair amount of expertise however there is approx 20% difference in price between a well cut diamond and an average cut diamond and TRUST ME, the difference is worth every cent. This is why you need us, the experts to decipher a certificate and make the choice for you.

Unless you are an absolute perfectionist and require an IF (internally flawless) then in my opinion there is no point in paying for any clarity grade higher that an SI1. All diamonds from VVS1 to SI1 will have inclusions however they are all so small that you can’t see them with the naked eye. It makes a difference on the certificate, it makes a difference to the price and it makes a difference if you are looking through a microscope however it will make absolutely no difference to the look of the stone once set into jewellery. Most SI2’s are eye clean as well, particularly if you choose the best of these stones. If you have amazing eyesight and a total aversion to seeing anything in your diamond and you intend viewing closely with continual adoration then to be safe maybe a VS2 is the go for you but for most people an SI1 or the best of SI2 is the go. Spend the money on the colour, and the cut rather than the clarity.

A WORD ON CERTIFICATES
There is a great difference in the standards of diamond grading certificates available. We only sell GIA and HRD certified stones. These are generally considered to be the strictest when grading. This is reflected in the price of the diamond, many other certified diamonds can be up to 20% less expensive for the same grades. This is because the grading standards are lower and this is reflected in the price. When comparing diamond prices you must compare a diamond with the same certificate. It is no good comparing a HRD diamond with a VG proportions with a GIA diamond with a VG symmetry as VG is the top grade for HRD and VG is the second top grade for GIA. This is why you must leave this part to the experts like us.

SOME EXTRA TIPS FOR DIAMOND BUYING
Princess cut diamonds are up to 20% less expensive than a brilliant cut of the same quality. This is due to the fact that the natural diamond crystal is mostly octahedral in shape naturally so there is very little wastage in the cutting process.

Diamonds are sold by weight, 5.00ct equals 1gram. If you are wanting the biggest looking diamond for your money then choose shallow fancy cut such as an oval or a trilliant cut. The spread, of the diamond will be much larger as the stone is much shallower. It will look a lot bigger even though the weight is the same.

Particular care must be taken when choosing an oval, marquise, or pear cut diamond. The nature of the cut makes it crucial that the proportions are absolutely correct. If the stone is too shallow or too deep it will display what is called a bow tie effect. This is like a dark shadow across the centre of the stone where the light is not reflected back.

If you are choosing an emerald cut diamond then make sure the clarity is VS1 or above as the stone is not a brilliant type of cut and any marks will be much more visible.

Do not under any circumstances purchase a diamond of any size without a grading certificate, and then make absolutely sure the certificate actually matches the diamond. I mean a laboratory certificate, not simply a valuation certificate. A certified valuer will be able to confirm that the certificate does match the stone.

Lazer Drilling – This is used to get rid of carbon (black) inclusions in a diamond. It is very difficult to pick. A small hole is drilled usually from the table straight down to the inclusion. This makes it only visible as a minute hole hardly visible when viewing the diamond from the top however if you view the stone side on you can sometimes see the tubelike hole as you are then viewing the full length. A strong acid is then forced down the hole and it eats away the inclusion making it barely visible.
This will be marked on a certificate as LD and it would be unlikely to be graded higher that SI1 as the tube is still visible under the microscope as an inclusion. Don’t be fooled however, it is often not easy to pick, even with a microscope.

These make good value buying for people looking for a bargain as they are usually about 20% to30% less expensive and there is really nothing wrong with it as long as you know what you are buying.

Fracture Filling – This is very difficult to pick, even for the trained diamond grader. It is where a diamond with surface reaching has the fractures filled with a highly refractive glass like substance under extreme pressure. Once filled the fracture is no longer visible and the glass impossible to see. Gemmologists and Valuers are trained to pick these however it is very difficult and I am sure many are missed. The problem with these stones is that if a jeweller is repairing the jewellery item at a later date and is unaware that the diamond has been fracture filled he or she may heat the stone which will then burn the filling turning the diamond into a horrible looking mess. It can be refilled with a lot of mucking about however I do not recommend these as an option, the risks are to high, and the filling has been known to break down over the years as well.

Moisanite – This is an imitation diamond. Moisanite is as hard as diamond and as brilliant. It is expensive but not nearly as expensive as diamond. It is very difficult to pick, even the usual diamond tester is unable to distinguish the difference, a shop must purchase a moisanite tester to be really sure. Usually an I, J or K colour and VVS or VS clarity. Be wary of any diamonds offered which seem too good to be true.

Synthetic Diamond. – This is the new kid on the block. They have been around for quite a few years however until recently they have been more expensive than the real item. Techniques have been refined and they are now available. Now this is important. There is only one laboratory in

Australia which can pick the difference between natural and synthetic diamond. There are only a handful of laboratories worldwide. These are the Gemmological Instute of America (GIA) or the High Diamond Council in

Belgium (HRD) and similar laboratories. This is why it is so important to insist on a certified diamond from a recognised laboritory and make sure the stone matches the certificate.