The prices of diamonds on the internet versus prices you see in a store is a sexy temptation. And clearly, low overhead on an internet site as opposed to a store will get you more diamond for your dollar. But what do you give up or gain in the process?

If you think this article will be a lesson in how to judge whether a diamond is beautiful or has light spillage based on the crown height and the table size published on a GIA Report, stop now. Because I can't tell you that. I have to see whether a radiant has dramatic corners or whether that cushion has an antique sort of facet pattern. I am not a diamond cutter nor a diamond dealer. I'm a writer who's noticed some things about the industry thanks to a three-year association with a reputable diamond company.

  
Both of these are cushions. Even if they measured the same do you think they look alike?
Photos are copyrighted and courtesy of Diamondsbylauren.com

Drop Shipping Diamonds

So you see all these websites with thousands and thousands of diamonds to choose from. You might think that if you find one of these at a location an hour from you, all you have to do is drive up there and they'll go in the safe of 10,000 diamonds and you'll get to compare all these diamonds side by side and choose your favorite. Wrong.

It's a database list to which several different websites have access to. In other words, the actual diamonds are in Peoria or Pluto or something like that but they aren't at that establishment's place of business and they've never seen the one you're thinking about buying. Okay, so they're not really in Peoria or Pluto, but probably at one of the offices of different cutters who are marketing them (think data feed) through this database.

These vendors are not doing anything dishonest or have malicious evil intent by drop shipping diamonds. But you have to consider whether you want to buy a diamond, which is a one-of-a-kind item, in the same manner you would buy a pair of Khakis from the Gap?

What does drop shipping mean?

It means they'll order it and "drop ship" it to you. They take your credit card number and when that goes through, they call the supplier of chosen diamond and they give them your address so they can ship it to you. Keep in mind, they've not seen it or looked at it. So they can't tell you what it looks like. They can only look at the numbers you see on a GIA Report. It arrives and you decide whether it's a keeper or not. If not, you send it back and get a refund less the overnight shipping & insurance fee and in some cases a restock fee.

But wait, didn't you see that 1.21ct J/SI1 on another website with fifty thousand diamonds?

Remember, they are all accessing the same list. Same GIA report number, same diamond, different dealer. Different price? What gives? Sometimes the price difference is a reflection of the percentage markup one place takes versus another. But sometimes it's a reflection of an outdated list. Often, you'll choose something, pay for it and then afterwards find out it's not available simply because someone did not update the list. Since diamond prices fluctuate, they can search and find something similar (maybe) but oftentimes it will cost you more. That often leaves people feeling suspicious of the process.

The List Method is one tough way to buy a fancy shape.

Fancy shapes pretty much means all shapes except rounds. At least if you are choosing a round brilliant cut sight unseen, you can be pretty sure from the numbers that it's going to be round. I can't tell squat about a diamond without at least looking at a photo. But then I'm just a writer with a good eye. But what defines a pear shape for example? Below you'll see a bunch of pear shapes. Do they all look alike to you in terms of shape and facet pattern? Would you be able to tell a shape just from a set of numbers? Do you have a preference for a fat squatty or a long and narrow? I need to see an outline. I need to see if it speaks to me. I need to see it or I need to see a photo.

 
  
Both of these are cushions. Even if they measured the same do you think they look alike?
Photos are copyrighted and courtesy of Diamondsbylauren.com

There are dealers online that have diamonds in their possession.

If you have decided you want to buy your diamond online, do know there are dealers who have the diamonds in their possession and can take and send you a photo. The one I work with even takes You Tube movies. If they have it in their inventory, it means they thought it was beautiful enought to slap down their own cash to buy it. That means they took a good look at it and they can pull it out and describe it to you. I can tell you that there are some UGLY diamonds out there. And I'd rather you did not end up with one of them.

No matter what you do DO NOT piece meal the process

What I mean is don't go trying to save money by buying a diamond one place and getting it set somewhere else. You really should have one place oversee this process simply because you don't end up saving squat and you very well could end up with a headache and a final piece of jewelry no one is willing to offer any kind of guarantee on. Let's say it breaks in setting. Was it the setters fault? Or a faulty diamond with a crack? If you've pieced out the process, good luck getting anyone to take that loss. But if you kept the process under the guidance of one establishment, a good dealer will make sure you get compensation.

There are many who know more about diamonds than I do. Here's one place to ask diamond questions. I can't speak for anywhere else because I've not done work for other dealers but I do know this one, Diamonds by Lauren website.

Other diamond articles by this writer: Emerald cuts, Pink Diamonds, GIA Reports