• Introduction

When selecting a diamond engagement ring, there are many factors to consider prior to making a purchase. The task might seem daunting at first, but with a little bit of knowledge you can walk into any showroom feeling confident in making an educated purchase. When evaluating a diamond, it is best to look at the carat, color, clarity, and cut.

• What is a carat?

Contrary to popular opinion, carat (ct) actually refers to the weight of the diamond and not the size. Typically when discussing stones of less than one carat, jewelers talk about the stone in terms of points. This is because a carat is divided into 100 points, and thus .01 carat would equal one point. For instance a ½ carat stone would be referred to as 50 points. This analogy doesn’t always prove to be true because diamonds cannot be all uniformly cut to an exact carat, or half carat, so oftentimes the carat weight (1/4 carat, 1/2 carat, etc.)  is an estimate of the actual weight of the diamond. For instance a ¼ carat stone can refer to a stone range anywhere between .23 – .27 carats.

• How does weight affect price?

Diamonds become rarer as their weight is increased, and as such, the more valuable and costly each stone is. The larger the stone, the more the cost in carat increases at an unbalanced rate. For instance, a 2-carat diamond is always more expensive than two 1-carat diamonds that are the exact same quality.  It is crucial to note that when assessing a diamond, weight and size are not the same thing.

•  What to keep an eye on

For centuries diamond cutters have sought to produce a diamond with the highest possible weight while not sacrificing quality from the rough diamond. It’s easy to say that bigger must inherently be better, but you really need to consider what is right for you. The quality of the diamond, which we will cover in a successive blog post, must also be considered in addition to budget.

It is 10 pm in Denver, CO.  I am currently in Tel Aviv, Israel where it is 7 am the next day, and I am wide awake and ready to go to work and grab a bite to eat.  I love Mediterranean breakfasts. As I eat the many tasty foods, I speak with my wife on my cell before she goes to sleep. She tells me of a snowstorm going on in Denver. In Tel Aviv it is sunny and warm with robin-egg-blue skies and a gentle breeze coming in off the Mediterranean Sea. She jokes that I plan my trips overseas to avoid shoveling. Her voice is the first voice I hear in the morning, and the last I hear before I go to sleep while on my many overseas trips to Israel and India.

Now my attention turns to the reason I am here. I go through my check lists one last time. I am the Loose Diamond Buyer for Shane Co. I work for Tom Shane, so I have to be prepared.  Buying diamonds is one of the major callings in my life.

At this moment Tom is in Bangkok, Thailand buying colored sapphires. We exchange a quick email and I jump into a taxi and am off to Ramat Gan, the industrial center of Tel Aviv. I have made over 80 trips for Shane Co. in over 13 years as Tom’s diamond buyer in order to supply our stores such as our Nashville location. I even lived in Tel Aviv for a year and a half. That was an interesting time and I will tell you about it another time.

As I enter the chaotically managed security of the Israeli Diamond Bourse I am instantly recognized and fast tracked through to the elevators that will take me to many of the elite diamond cutters in the world. As I enter the first office I am greeted with a hug by the owner of one of the diamond cutting firms. Working with the owners of these firms allows Shane Co. to have buying privilege shared by few. I like to say our diamonds are from the hand of the maker to the hand of our customer. We catch up a little and he tells me how his son is doing in the Israeli Defense Forces and the challenges he and his wife are having with their teenage daughter.  Each country I visit has its own cultural nuances and in this business knowing the unique etiquette for each country and remaining firm to our needs as a company are one of the many interesting aspects of my job.

Now, it is time for business. The diamonds I will be carefully examining have been held in a safe just for Shane Co. I begin thoroughly evaluating hundreds of loose diamonds with my special loupe and a pair of tweezers that I have had for years (funny how you become attached to such things). The diamond offices can get very noisy at times. Negotiations can get a little fierce, but that is all part of the job. More than anything it is the Shane’s family reputation and the familiarity that they have with these diamond-cutting companies that allows me to be successful.

Looking at hundreds of diamonds I reject a notable percentage for reasons of our standards of quality. This is sometimes exasperating to the firms I work with. Because of the fact that I know these diamonds will be purchased from us for major life events like engagements and anniversaries, I bear down and select the brightest and best for each carat weight and quality. The better we buy, the better our customers buy.

Comparing the measures of diamond quality is not just letters and numbers for us. Two diamonds can have the same carat weight, color and clarity but look very, very different. We buy for exact quality specs but Shane Co. diamonds must have the “wow” factor of brightness and beauty.  Every diamond we buy is hand selected, which means that we closely analyze every diamond, unlike most of the corporate jewelers.

This job is intensely personal to me. The diamonds I buy today will be hand selected by one of our customers as they choose both a dazzling loose diamond and one of the hundreds of mountings to create something wholly unique for the one they love.

As the business day draws to a close I am slightly fatigued. Back from a quick dinner, I am just about ready for bed. I have a chuckle as my wife bemoans the continuing snow and wishes me a good night’s sleep although with jet lag we all know that is hardly possible.

As we finish up the Valentine’s Day celebration, I am proud to say that we helped thousands of people celebrate their lives together.  What fun it is to help men and women select precious gemstones to give to their loved ones.  It is always so satisfying to help a young man pick out a pearl necklace or diamond earrings to give to that special person who makes their life complete.  While some people know exactly what they want to purchase for their significant other, many times we will work with a customer to show them items until they find the perfect piece.  Many times these customers are concerned that we spend too much time with each customer.  In a typical jewelry store, salespeople are not so patient due to the fact that they are paid on commission.  Because  Shane Co. Store Associates are not paid on commission we are able to take time with each and every customer to find the right item for them to give to their true love.  We will work with any price range to make sure that they not spending more than they are comfortable with.

This Valentine’s Day we sold many strands of pearls and lots of heart shaped fancy colored sapphires to our customers.  These fancy colored sapphires were hand selected by Tom Shane and the range of colors is amazing.  Our customers loved them.  They are full of sparkle and life and we carry the largest selection of these precious gems compared to any other jeweler.

As we head into the springtime, you should see the new diamond engagement rings that are coming into our stores.  When you visit our stores, you can plan on seeing hundreds and hundreds of styles from all over the world.  Our store employees love helping couples find the perfect setting and the ideal diamond to symbolize their love for each other.  It is truly rewarding to get to be involved with each person’s search for the rings that they will wear for the rest of their lives.  We are fortunate to be able to be involved with each couples engagement and wedding.  We are very careful to hire employees who will take the time to help the customer no matter how much they have to spend and no matter how long it takes to make sure that they’re fully educated about their purchase.

On Feb 10^th I attained my 25^th year with Shane Co., and when I visit the stores, I still see customers that I met years ago coming in to buy jewelry for special occasions like birthdays, graduations, anniversaries and other special events.  We have very loyal customers and they know that Shane Co. offers quality jewelry that is meant to last a lifetime.  Many of these customers that I personally have helped buy a wedding ring throughout my career now come in for gifts for their sons and daughters.  It is fun to see how their lives have changed and grown.  I am a part of their family.  I am their friend in the diamond business.