Diamond Diva Online

Best deal on a big platinum diamond ring

Divas know what Mama wants...come on down!!!
An 8.03 carat
Fancy Intense Yellow, which looks like ''vivid''.
GIA report
Clarity grade is VS-2.
Fabulous make, 63% D, 67.3T, VG,VG,N. 13.53 X 9.64 X 6.49MM.

Mounted in Platinum w/2 traps that make 1.27 carats total.

The diamond is $75,000.00 per carat + $15,250.00 for the mounting.
That would be $617,500.00 for the ring.
We rarely see emerald cuts in yellow, period, much less one of this intensity!
Let's get this one home to Mama..
:) Patti

Diamonds, crying and why I came to Way-Fil Jewelry

Being in retail, you hear almost everything and today was no exception. My first guest of the day, had been to Sam's Club with her father-in-law looking at jewelry for her mother-in-law. The "dad" asked if these were real diamonds in the ring they were considering. The clerk whipped out a multi function diamond tested and show the gentleman that "indeed" these were real diamonds. To further prove her point she took my client's hand and put the tester on her wedding ring. To everyone's shock the tester showed that my client's stones were moissanites!( Moissanites are a man-made stone.) My client went straight to Tear City and then back to the jewelry store that sold the ring to her husband. I'll let her take it from here...
"I explained to the owner that I have been to Sam's and what had happened. Instead of taking my situation seriously, they laughed at me. I've spend a lot of money with these people and they laughed at me. That's when I remembered that you were a gemologist and I came right over. I'll never go back in there..ever again."

Well, needless to say, she did have a diamond, a real one. Then I explained that if all Sam's Club has to rely on is those "testers", maybe they need to have more training on how to use them correctly. I showed her how easy it is to make a mistake by using our multi function stone tester. Oh, and the store where they laughed at her...that I can't explain at all.

More tomorrow...
Patti

HTHP Diamonds

"What do you think about HTHP Diamonds?"

HTHP stands for Heat Treated High Pressure Diamonds.

I have no problem with the treated diamonds.

I was invited to attend a seminar on HTHP diamonds about five years ago. I started researching them at that time.

I understand that one of my suppliers is using this method which accounts for the extraordinary number of high color diamonds they offer.\

I have rarely seen the "trademarks" that HTHP diamonds are supposed to have:

"Indicative features seen under the microscope include: internal graining (Type IIa); partially healed feathers; a hazy appearance; black cracks surrounding inclusions; and a beaded or frosted girdle. Diamonds treated to remove their color by General Electric are given laser inscriptions on their girdles: these inscriptions read "GE POL", with "POL" standing for Pegasus Overseas Ltd, a partnered firm. It is possible to polish this inscription away, so its absence cannot be a trusted sign of natural color. Although it is permanent, HTHP treatment should be disclosed to the buyer at the time of sale."

Since this process is considered to be permanent and unless you have the GE POL, these features are often discribed as natural inclusions. But if you KNOW the diamond is HTHP...you MUST disclose it!!!!

The bottom line is.......I'm okay with them. Any thoughts?

Patti

Big Diamonds make a splash

People don't realize that even small independent jewelry stores, like mine, carry anything of great value. I don't understand that. As an independent, we have to be different and what better way of being different than stocking unique, one of a kind, big diamond jewelry! Here is an example:

This is a three stone, Past, Present, and Future ring set in white gold. The center diamond weighs 4.02 carats, is a K color and VVS-2 clarity. It is ideal cut and it looks fabulous! the side diamonds are .86 carat each of I color and VS clarity.

So what does this one of a kind ring sell for? The list price is $98,000.00!

So the next time you think you can only get quality diamonds from the big boys, think again. And think of the personal services, like helping you remember birthdays and other special occasions. Every time someone comes into Way-Fil Jewelry, we take notes. What they look at, what they like and don't like. And guys, a lot of the time, they give us the nod and say "Tell him I REALLY like this". That's when we email you the photo and give you the chance to play Romeo the Romantic!

We've been doing this since 1948...any questions?

Getting it together

Brides are getting it together these days. They shop online, in the mall and in independent stores. We're seeing that they want control over the design and the style as well as the color and quality.

That being said, yellow color diamonds have made a strong comeback. Older cuts like Ascher and emerald are taking the stage this year as contenders for the princess cut. Good ole round diamonds never go out of style. And they hold their value better if the long term investments of 30 years ago are any indication of the future.

But what does the future hold? My crystal ball reveals synthetics, white sapphires and moissanites are out there on the third fingers of many brides. We sold a lot of semi mounts this past year with natural diamonds bead set in the shanks of those 18 karat white gold rings, but with a shiny new cubic zirconia or white sapphire as the center stone.

It seems our little brides are using logic to get the look they crave for the price they can afford now. The center diamond can be a 5th or even 10th anniversary gift and no one is the wiser.

What a concept!!

NASCAR and the Diamond

I never thought I live to see the day when diamond and race cars collided! It's two totally differnet worlds...like wine and light beer! I'm just kidding. Ten years ago, my store was the sponser of a race car. It was a big hit with the the fans, but I can't say that it brought in dollars for diamonds. Here's the article.... Patti Lazare Kaplan on the track with NASCAR SEPTEMBER 25, 2006 - New York -- Lazare Kaplan International has created a promotional partnership with NASCAR in hopes of capturing the attention of racing enthusiasts loyal to NASCAR-related brands. The marketing campaign includes prominent placement of "The Lazare Diamond" name and logo on the hood and trunk of car 49 in the Nextel-NASCAR racing series, as well as an online contest. In conjunction with Whatsonline.com, Lazare Kaplan is offering a "Lazare Kaplan Crystal Octahedron Rough Diamond-a-Day" giveaway sweepstakes, which will drive potential new customers to the Lazare Kaplan Web site, www.lazarediamonds.com, and its jeweler locator.

Survey Says

Everyday my emailbox has at least one survey from somewhere asking my humble opinion on buying or selling or predictions in the jewelry world. Today, the Diamond Promotion Service survey wanted to know what I think the upcoming "selling season" will be like. I thought about this and send my answer.

I really think that American will notice that gas AND gold is going down. I also think they will notice that an election is coming up in November. We have passed the five year mark for 9-11. Americans have put up with a lot of crap from every corner of the world and are still taking it. We know the war will not be over soon. Most of us didn't want the war in the first place and are very angry at those who started it. We want only to be with our families and to know they are as safe as possible. Americans are going to take a break from the world and do something for themselves this year. And I believe it will be during the 2006 holiday buying season. Here is an article that I read after I had posted my soap box email to DPS.....

NRF sees unexceptional holiday season

SEPTEMBER 19, 2006 - Washington, D.C. -- Amidst high fuel costs, global conflicts and economic uncertainty, consumers have shown surprising resilience this year. Yet the impact of these challenges could be felt in only modest gains over the holiday season, predicts the National Retail Federation (NRF).

Total holiday retail sales are expected to increase by 5 percent over last year, bringing spending to $457.4 billion, according to the NRF. Last season sales were up 6.1 percent to $435.6 billion.

"Consumers have faced a number of economic challenges this year and have taken them in stride," said NRF Chief Economist Rosalind Wells, in a media release. "Although sales gains will not be as robust as last year, retailers can still expect above-average holiday sales growth."

The expected increase for holiday 2006 is actually above the average sales increase over the past 10 years, which is 4.6 percent. The critical holiday season—defined by NRF as November and December—accounts for a fifth (19.9 percent) of retail industry sales for the year.

I humbly agree. Merry Christmas.

Patti

Online vs Brick and Mortar Stores

Several years ago, my friend Tuvia and I decided to launch a combined effort to capture buyers both online and in a regular store setting. Buying online was still one of those things only tech savy folks did. Tuvia and I had a rock solid line of estate jewelry, not reproduction stuff, but REAL...Old and reconditioned for a new generation to enjoy.

As in most of my endeavors, we were WAY ahead of the times. The website is still up an running and you can still buy from it at www.antiquemountings.com. (Oh, and please do buy!)

Today, I came across this story and found it all to familar.

Study: Consumers still prefer brick-and-mortar jewelry stores

SEPTEMBER 18, 2006

- Paso Robles,

Calif.

-- Consumers have become more comfortable with online transactions, but not necessarily those involving jewelry. According to a new study from the Jewelry Consumer Opinion Council (JCOC), 91 percent of JCOC members make purchases online, yet only 34 percent have purchased jewelry online.

Of those who have never made an online purchase, 60 percent say they would consider buying something in cyberspace. The top three reasons for not making a purchase on the Web were: preferring to see an item in person; fear of identity thefts; and belief that online prices are too high, according to the study.

The majority of consumers (78 percent) said they were satisfied with the online purchasing experience. The research—conducted last month—found the top two shopping incentives for jewelry purchases were affordable prices and free shipping.

Auction sites represented the most popular site for Internet jewelry shopping, with 30 percent of Internet jewelry purchasers selecting eBay as their favorite site to buy jewelry. Of those who purchase jewelry online, 12 percent chose Zales.com as their favorite site, and 8 percent picked Amazon.com.

So, my good friend....whatever you need in the jewelry line...I have and if you prefer the brick and mortar store, well, I have that too.

www.antiquemountings.com

http://stores.ebay.com/Tupelo-Jewelry-and-Gifts

or Way-Fil Jewelry    1125 West Main Street Tupelo, MS 662-844-2427

Rainbow diamonds

In the past when you heard the term "yellow diamond", it meant that the stone was not the best in color. People were taught from the 4 C's diamond bible that colorless was better. I always felt that better wasn't the best way to view these stones and lately the rest of the world has discovered it, too.

Yellow, champagne, blue, purple (yes..purple!) almost any color of the rainbow is available to you. Here is an example of a great looking champagne princess cut diamond set in a white gold mounting surrounded by perky little colorless diamonds.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5079866199&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&rd=1

Don't you want to be different? Show your colors! Enjoy the rainbow!

Patti

Who wants a brownie?

Who wants a brownie diamond? Well everyone does. Here is an example of a great tennis bracelet set in white gold.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=ADME:L:LCA:US:31&item=5044604122

The soft color of light brown against the silvery backdrop creates a stunning piece of jewelry. So color diamonds are very popular right now. Red and yellow, black and white diamonds sparkle in the light.....

Patti