Lets Talk Diamonds

i've used bluenile before, the website is good in that you can play around the filters - like how much the price changes if you go from a colour c to d, clarify of VVS2 to VVS1 etc - a very useful tool to work out the value for money stuff.

Personal opinion - best value for money is to get a colour C-F, clarify VVS2-VS2, and cut is super important to me - I'd really go for a table diameter as close to 56% as possible, but i'll accept between 53%-60%. also, make sure there's 3 Ex and also no fluorescence.
 
Oh man, I think it's hilarious that you actually believe that.

Instead of an obnoxious one liner, perhaps you could post evidence?

Tiffany's actually go to great lengths to verify that their diamonds are from known mines or from suppliers who source from known mines. They are known to boycott conflict zones and have even gone to the lengths of purchasing their own mines. Believe it or not, they're one of the most trusted of the big/luxury jewellery makers when it comes to the ethical standard of their diamonds and are now at the point of guaranteeing 100% of their diamonds are mined from known mines.

If large scale deceit were at play, it would be a plastered all over the news. Clearly you have some insider knowledge the rest of the world doesn't have?

The mark-up is still insane, though.
 
Depends on what purpose you'r getting the diamond for MTR. For example, if you are getting an 1 carat diamond, you can get one much cheaper at 0.98 than 1.02 karats. but the resale value is obviously gonna be much less too because "it's less than 1 karat". same goes with 0.48 v.s 0.52. but I guess if you're getting it for anniversary or something like that resale value wouldn't be that much of a consideration. in that case i'd get a slightly smaller one (as you can't tell from the naked eye anyway) and use the saved money for a better clarity and colour diamond.

Correct and then get one with a bigger table so that it's the same dimensions as the size you want. I have a 1.78 with a large table and it's the same size as a 2ct.
 
Instead of an obnoxious one liner, perhaps you could post evidence?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sasha-brookner/all-diamonds-out-of-afric_b_2628013.html

Sierra Leone, once the pulse of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, exports 500,000 carats of diamonds annually, worth an approximate $78 billion dollars; yet is ranked one of the poorest countries globally by the World Development Report. Gem enthusiasts, United Nations, Kimberley Process and the World Diamond Council would have you believe this financial inconsistency pandemic throughout abundantly mineralized countries -- including Zimbabwe, Botswana, Angola and the Democrat Republic of the Congo -- does not pose a "conflict" unless diamonds are being put on the market by African rebels, a favourite villain being Sierra Leone's Revolutionary United Front (RUF) which was formed in 1991.

**Note that what the underlined part above is saying is that conflict diamonds are not considered conflict diamonds unless they are put on the market by certain groups. If those diamonds happen to leave the country and are sold by other parties, well budda bing! Suddenly they're no longer blood diamonds!**

--------------

http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-881410

The Kimberley Process is a voluntary system that places stringent guidelines on its participants, who account for 99.8% of the world?s diamond producer.? This document requires that diamonds be certified as conflict free before leaving the country. Countries that participate are only allowed to trade with each other.

Despite the efforts of the United Nations, Global Witness states, ?The Kimberley Process does not prevent the trade of all conflict diamonds. The governments of some participant countries are corrupt. Furthermore, the Kimberley Process is not adequately funded, making it impossible to investigate suspected violations.?

-----------------

http://www.hrw.org/news/2010/05/21/exposing-blood-diamond-trade

The conditions we uncovered in Marange, together with the knowledge that so-called blood diamonds are a key source of revenue for Zimbabwe's abusive government, prompted Human Rights Watch to take on the global diamond trade...

...To date, we have held a series of successful outreach and education meetings with mining companies, distributors, and retailers.

Tiffany & Co. and Cartier are just the two most recent jewelers to publicly boycott blood diamonds from Zimbabwe.

**The question I would like answered is: Why did it take Human Rights Watch releasing the report for Tiffanys to boycott blood diamonds coming out of Zimbabwe. I don't beleive for a second they weren't aware of the conditions and I don't believe for a second that they care. I am convinced that their 'boycott' is for maketing purposes only and that they, along with the rest of the diamond industry, are still dealing in blood diamonds to this day. The 78 billion dollars worth of diamonds coming out of Sierra Leone alone have to go somewhere.**

---------------

The entire diamond industry is built on a foundation of lies. It (the diamond industry) is the biggest long con in history, with the exception of religion. I saw a documentary some years ago, where they showed that blood diamonds are mixed in with 'clean' diamonds so that no one can tell the difference with regards to where they came from.

But imagine that - a corporation telling their target consumer whatever they need to, in order to allow said consumer to tell themselves whatever they have to, to placate their conscience, in order to keep them buying.
 
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sasha-brookner/all-diamonds-out-of-afric_b_2628013.html

Sierra Leone, once the pulse of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, exports 500,000 carats of diamonds annually, worth an approximate $78 billion dollars; yet is ranked one of the poorest countries globally by the World Development Report. Gem enthusiasts, United Nations, Kimberley Process and the World Diamond Council would have you believe this financial inconsistency pandemic throughout abundantly mineralized countries -- including Zimbabwe, Botswana, Angola and the Democrat Republic of the Congo -- does not pose a "conflict" unless diamonds are being put on the market by African rebels, a favourite villain being Sierra Leone's Revolutionary United Front (RUF) which was formed in 1991.

**Note that what the underlined part above is saying is that conflict diamonds are not considered conflict diamonds unless they are put on the market by certain groups. If those diamonds happen to leave the country and are sold by other parties, well budda bing! Suddenly they're no longer blood diamonds!**

--------------

http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-881410

The Kimberley Process is a voluntary system that places stringent guidelines on its participants, who account for 99.8% of the world?s diamond producer.? This document requires that diamonds be certified as conflict free before leaving the country. Countries that participate are only allowed to trade with each other.

Despite the efforts of the United Nations, Global Witness states, ?The Kimberley Process does not prevent the trade of all conflict diamonds. The governments of some participant countries are corrupt. Furthermore, the Kimberley Process is not adequately funded, making it impossible to investigate suspected violations.?

-----------------

http://www.hrw.org/news/2010/05/21/exposing-blood-diamond-trade

The conditions we uncovered in Marange, together with the knowledge that so-called blood diamonds are a key source of revenue for Zimbabwe's abusive government, prompted Human Rights Watch to take on the global diamond trade...

...To date, we have held a series of successful outreach and education meetings with mining companies, distributors, and retailers.

Tiffany & Co. and Cartier are just the two most recent jewelers to publicly boycott blood diamonds from Zimbabwe.

**The question I would like answered is: Why did it take Human Rights Watch releasing the report for Tiffanys to boycott blood diamonds coming out of Zimbabwe. I don't beleive for a second they weren't aware of the conditions and I don't believe for a second that they care. I am convinced that their 'boycott' is for maketing purposes only and that they, along with the rest of the diamond industry, are still dealing in blood diamonds to this day. The 78 billion dollars worth of diamonds coming out of Sierra Leone alone have to go somewhere.**

---------------

The entire diamond industry is built on a foundation of lies. It (the diamond industry) is the biggest long con in history, with the exception of religion. I saw a documentary some years ago, where they showed that blood diamonds are mixed in with 'clean' diamonds so that no one can tell the difference with regards to where they came from.

But imagine that - a corporation telling their target consumer whatever they need to, in order to allow said consumer to tell themselves whatever they have to, to placate their conscience, in order to keep them buying.

That massive block of copy and paste and nothing to say that Tiffany's are currently selling any conflict diamonds other than the assertion that 'the diamond industry lies'.

Whether for PR or not is beside the point. Tiffany's has taken every reasonable measure of ensuring their diamonds are ethically sourced, your 'hunch' just doesn't cut it as fact.

There have been several studies and investigations into diamond origin since Tiffany's has guaranteed 100% of their diamonds from known mines (this has only been for a few years and I was only ever speaking in regards to their current policy as we are discussing buying rings in the present) yet none have implicated Tiffany's as being corrupt or deceitful (you'll find plenty of other companies implicated).
 
Correct and then get one with a bigger table so that it's the same dimensions as the size you want. I have a 1.78 with a large table and it's the same size as a 2ct.

That's a good thought.. be careful though of going over 60% in table diameter though as the reflection is not nearly as good once it the table gets too big.
 
MTR,

I did not read the entire thread and the response is based on your original post.
I bought a .5ct round diamond ring in 14k gold from BlueNile last month. It looks great and they provide certificates as other genuine vendors do.
Make sure you add customs + GST on top of the price when ordering from BN. Also, if use a card that has no Overseas transaction fee.
The next comparable I found was Jogia Diamonds, who had great reviews and know their trade very well.
All the best!
 
I went into the Tiffany store to see what they had and had to go into a secure room to see their 2ct diamond ring and it was over $100k and it was a G colour!
Insane market for a not fantastic stone. And you can't make any changes to the design.

That is outrageous
 
MTR,

I did not read the entire thread and the response is based on your original post.
I bought a .5ct round diamond ring in 14k gold from BlueNile last month. It looks great and they provide certificates as other genuine vendors do.
Make sure you add customs + GST on top of the price when ordering from BN. Also, if use a card that has no Overseas transaction fee.
The next comparable I found was Jogia Diamonds, who had great reviews and know their trade very well.
All the best!

Thanks I will look into this.

Someone sent me this link, looks pretty good, can learn something about diamonds here.

http://www.diamondemporium.com.au/
 
is the biggest long con in history, with the exception of religion. I saw a documentary some years ago, where they showed that blood diamonds are mixed in with 'clean' diamonds so that no one can tell the difference with regards to where they came from.

But imagine that - a corporation telling their target consumer whatever they need to, in order to allow said consumer to tell themselves whatever they have to, to placate their conscience, in order to keep them buying.

Are you kidding me? Many people in the world would be lucky to own one piece of jewellery that would have diamonds - even two would be very unusual. 80% of diamonds are mined for industrial use (they have the highest hardness of any material and are very effective in cutting and grinding tools/machinery, for example) and do not meet the standards to be used in jewellery.

Do you drive? I would say that the number of deaths caused by conflicts to control oil supply have resulted in (and continue to result in) far, far more deaths than the diamond industry. Of course, human rights abuses are horribe in any industry but "blood diamonds" certainly seems to be a more fashionable cause.

There are good conflict free diamonds being mined in Canada which seem to be quite closely controlled.

That is outrageous

That's why you buy it from overseas :p Depending on quality, you should be able to get a round 2 carat diamond for under 40k in the US
 
not sure whether you already have decided on a setting, but have a look at HALO setting. They look awesome. They were out of my budget, so did not buy them:

http://www.pinterest.com/explore/halo-engagement-rings/

Very nice.
My last setting was princess, and that was also lovely setting.
I watch antique road show where the cushion setting was quite popular, but it did not show off the diamond, we now know how to achieve this to maximise the sparkler.
 
That's why you buy it from overseas :p Depending on quality, you should be able to get a round 2 carat diamond for under 40k in the US

You should be able to achieve this for somewhere between 20-30K, but I want 3 carat diamond:)
 
Very nice.
My last setting was princess, and that was also lovely setting.
I watch antique road show where the cushion setting was quite popular, but it did not show off the diamond, we now know how to achieve this to maximise the sparkler.

I think you mean cut rather than setting - princess and cushion are both types of cuts :p The setting is the style of ring that the diamond is set into
 

Yep, depends on the specs!

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I would never pay 30k for a diamond that was only "very good" cut (or even less money, for that matter). The cut grade is the most important specification. If you've got that much money to spend, I would get an AGS 000 with hearts and arrows :)
 
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sasha-brookner/all-diamonds-out-of-afric_b_2628013.html

Sierra Leone, once the pulse of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, exports 500,000 carats of diamonds annually, worth an approximate $78 billion dollars; yet is ranked one of the poorest countries globally by the World Development Report. Gem enthusiasts, United Nations, Kimberley Process and the World Diamond Council would have you believe this financial inconsistency pandemic throughout abundantly mineralized countries -- including Zimbabwe, Botswana, Angola and the Democrat Republic of the Congo -- does not pose a "conflict" unless diamonds are being put on the market by African rebels, a favourite villain being Sierra Leone's Revolutionary United Front (RUF) which was formed in 1991.

**Note that what the underlined part above is saying is that conflict diamonds are not considered conflict diamonds unless they are put on the market by certain groups. If those diamonds happen to leave the country and are sold by other parties, well budda bing! Suddenly they're no longer blood diamonds!**

*snip*

The 78 billion dollars worth of diamonds coming out of Sierra Leone alone have to go somewhere.

Sorry, it was 2am when I initially responded to this post and I missed a couple of points. I didn't even click on the Huffington Post link, I just read the copy and paste.

The Huffington Post article isn't actually about diamonds being mined to fund conflicts, it's trying to assert that all diamonds mined from poor regions in Africa should be deemed 'conflict' because the workers aren't paid well. I think you took the article to literally mean that if the conflict diamonds aren't sold directly by rebels that they aren't classed as blood diamonds which is completely untrue.

I am not going to justify the salaries or working conditions of miners in African countries, but that is a different issue to the issue of conflict diamonds. If we're going to use the word 'blood' to describe a diamond resulting from an underpaid worker, then my Kmart clothes made in Bangladesh should be described as 'blood garments'. This could apply to any number of items found in our homes or on our persons.

Additionally, the are many countries within Africa that economically rely on the diamond trade. Many of these are relatively peaceful. The vast majority of diamonds sourced from Africa do not come from conflict zones or directly fund conflicts and, contrary to popular belief, conflict diamonds have declined since the 1990s/2000s mostly to the changes in regional politics and civil unrest rather than because of Westerners wringing their hands after watching that Leonardo DiCaprio film.

You mention Sierra Leone a couple of times but seem unaware that Tiffany's finance their own mines in Sierra Leone so unless you believe Tiffany & Co. are violent rebels wanting to amputate the arms of children and overthrow the Sierra Leonean government, the diamonds from that region are conflict-free.

Anyway, I can't help but feel the reason you have a problem with diamonds has more to do with demonising women as per usual rather than any real humanitarian concern.
 
Anyone who wants to get into blood diamonds, just start your own thread please.

Lets just stick to the topic of diamonds, pricing etc.

Thanks
 
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