Looking for a diamond is an exciting quest, but lack of knowledge or misleading marketing efforts can turn it into a great disappointment. Here, I will try to give you a set of the usual mistakes and myths and way to avoid them based on my long, hands on experience with diamonds. Besides being very costly, falling into the trap of these misconceptions will remind you for your bad choice for very long time. Remember – diamonds are forever.

Longing for the best quality – Few people can afford best quality diamond regardless of its size. When dealing within a budget, best quality comes for the sake of the size and applied to the average amount spent on a diamond, calls for rather small size.

Bigger does not mean better – Bigger is usually better in this case since it is difficult to get too big with a diamond. The appearance and radiance of a large diamond is impossible to mimic by clustering few smaller ones. There is fine balance between size and quality within certain budget, which if maintained will provide the best appearance. The preference of quality over size is quite personal. My opinion is that size has priority up to the point where the quality difference is noticeable for the naked eye.

The Cleanest Diamond – It all depends on the level of magnification. Diamonds are graded under 10x magnification and even presented in some high end shops under microscope. In real life however the diamond is observed by naked eye and this is what matters most. If you don’t see inclusions with your unaided eye probably no one else will.

The Whitest diamond – Diamonds classified as slightly tinted or even tinted (J, K) are perceived as white ones, when observed on their own. Once again if one has a whiter diamond to compare, the difference will be obvious. One or even two colour grades difference is undetectable for an untrained eye and it might help to consider that this type of eye will mostly observe our diamond in future.

Proper Certificate – While quite important for authenticity and treatment disclosure the

certificate purpose and origin is sometime overrated. Certificate is an important document for any diamond over 0.3ct. and its good origin is a bonus if it does not add extra cost. Otherwise a certificate from one of the many reputable independent laboratories will perfectly serve the purpose.

Carat based choice – The size is usually associated with carat weight and this is partly correct. The size however is the diameter of the diamond and depending of its proportions can yield very different weight. Thick girdle and bulging pavilion (usually in princess cut) can add tremendous amount of weight and at the same time negatively affect the appearance of the diamond. Since the diamond is sold per weight, changing proportions in order to retain weight is understandable practice, but from the customers point of view is nothing short of cheating.

Inability to compare – Since no retailer will give to the customer segmented price or cost price comparing prices you pay for diamond jewellery could be a difficult task. Buying loose diamond provides perfect platform for comparing prices of similar or identical stones. You can still ask your jeweller to fabricate the setting for you but breaking the price in two will give you two advantages. You will have your piece made to your specifications and size and get a better price.

Fancy shapes are cheaper - True, but there are things you need to know. There is a reason for the round shape to be far ahead in demand compared to its closest rival, the princess and the rest of the shapes. Beside its versatility and top appearance, it looks visually bigger than the same carat diamond in any other shape. The round shape is more expensive per carat, but considering that one will need "more carat" to get the same visual impact in other shapes it might actually come cheaper.

Getting too technical – You can’t blame people for trying to learn more and asking for details before buying. Diamonds are expensive and people need some information in order to make the right choice. Often however, one digs to deep and ends up tangled in technical details and terminology one doesn’t understand. The confusion comes from the vast number of segments and their possible combinations forming the final diamond price. Few degrees difference in the crown angle or little percent deviation from ideal table size will not make difference in appearance. Live this to the specialists and just read their opinion in the diamond certificate. If the overall grade for cut is very good or better there is no reason to worry.

Looking for investment values - The term investment quality diamond is often used in rather misleading way by diamond retailers. Investment diamond is one which will reasonably soon cover the commission paid on the purchase and eventually sold with profit. For this to happen in near future the diamond must be in very rare to extremely rare category and have excellent or ideal cut. The investment colour and clarity lays between D-IF and F-VVS. What the retailers sometime forget to mention is that to fit the investment category the diamonds must be 3ct in size or bigger. If you are buying 1-1.5ct diamond with the idea to sell it for profit any time soon you are going to be disappointed.