For 10 years, jewelers have had benefit from the position of being the “keepers” of the data about diamonds and gems. They stood at the back of jewelry counters and revealed small tidbits of info about jewels to shoppers. The jeweler looked to be talking down to the consumer, making them believe as if they should be appreciative to even be in the store or touch the valued jewelry in the show case. This domination of comprehension went hand in hand with the control of resource. The only way you could acquire a diamond or valued gemstone was to buy in a jewelry shop. The prices were synthetically high with markups of 100% to 300% of wholesale expenditure. The factors that differentiated stores included the luxuriant decorations, the fancy show cases, and sophisticated storefronts. Life was easy and so profitable for the jeweler. The customer came in, the jeweler said this is what you should obtain, and the shopper paid the price as they had no other preferences. Could you bring to mind any poor jewelers earlier than the millennium change in the year 2000? It was about this time that the most feared word in the jeweler’s word list started to alter the business forever. That word was Internet. Out of the blue there were competitors springing up who could supply gems and jewelry delivered to your gate, normally at prices lower than could support the high overhead of the jewelry shop. Nonetheless, the greatest concern was that the concealed knowledge of diamonds and precious gemstones was accessible to any customer who wanted to spend a little time researching online. The jeweler of the earlier period said here is what I have and which 1 do you like to buy? Then came the experienced customer equipped with printouts of online diamond opinion. Rather than simply asking for a 1-carat diamond, the purchaser now has a comprehensive list of requirements that all but guarantees that nothing in the store will meet their requirements, regardless of the price. It is normal for a diamond purchaser today to say, “Here is what I wish for” and I expect the lowest price in the country.” Then they present their list of requirements for their round diamond: 1) Carat weight exactly 1.27 because our 1st date was January 27th 2) At least G color 3) VS2 clarity but I don’t want to be able to see anything below the microscope 4) Must have a GIA grading report dated in 2006 with Excellent cut grade 5) No fluorescence 6) At least Very Good for polish and symmetry 7) Girdle has to be Medium (nothing more or less will do) and faceted Laser inscribed with the GIA number 9) Must be able to take to an independent appraiser who agrees with all grading 10) I need it in two days Their parting observation is that they are shopping these similar necessities with twenty other retailers and are going to buy from the one with the lowest price. This is the jeweler’s nightmare since this is not how their company workings. Their jewels shop caters to the fancy purchaser who will come in, observe something stunning and purchase with only some encouraging words from the sales clerk. Spending hours of effort to find the certain diamond the buyer desires and then paying the shipping and insurance to have it shipped next day is just more effort than they want to do for a transaction. As an alternative, they grumble and wish for the return of the fine old days, when Ma Bell restricted the telephones, gas was 59 cents a gallon and the secrets of the diamond business were carefully at the back of the jewelry counter. Happily, for diamond and jewel buyers there are a new kind of diamond retailers available who not only encourage diamond education; they like working with shoppers who understand precisely what they want. These diamond brokers have access to the diamonds on the wholesale market and know how to locate diamonds that meet the shopper’s necessity. Best of all, the diamond brokers have much lower overhead than a jewelry shop so could find the excellent diamonds at very cheap prices. The inexpensive marketplace always looks to create sources for services and goods that buyers ask. The online diamond broker is well matched to serve today’s well-informed and difficult diamond consumer.

Tags: diamond earrings, diamond engagement ring, diamond rings

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