Would you buy a "used" diamond?

[Quinn]

How do you feel about buying a diamond that was worn by someone else? Do you feel it may carry bad luck or is it just a diamond? Do you feel you may get a better deal or not?

[Jeff A.]

Quinn,
A consumer would never really know if a diamond was "used or worn" unless it were purchased in a worn setting or was an estate or antique ring. Many diamonds that were worn, then sold again to dealers are taken out of the original settings, cleaned, examined and oftentimes re-cut to improve the appearance. At that point it would be impossible to know if the diamond was previously owned or worn. The exception might be an Old Mine or Old European Cut diamond that is not re-cut. Most certainly that diamond was worn by grandma many years ago. You could quite possibly get a better deal on a previously worn diamond ring or diamond if the dealer bought it at a low price and wanted to turn it quickly. I'm not spooked by diamonds with bad karma just ugly imperfect diamonds with big nasty inclusions!

Jeff A.
www.metrojewelryappraisers.com

[Princess]

Some diamonds, especially one that was a part of an ugly divorce may hold some bad luck. Maybe it's just me but I like to be the original owner.

[Quinn]

It's not like its going to wear out or anything. When you think about it, diamonds are millions of years old.

A nice new Tiffany style setting would scare away any of the heebie jeebies ;)

[panachegems]

If you ask me it is totally impossible to know if a Diamond has been owned by anyone if it is loose. That's kind of like used Gold. I think something like 70% of the new gold Jewelry purchased in todays market has seen the smelters before. This is not a quote it's from an article I read sometime ago from one of the findings company's.
AC ;)

[GGJoe]

My wife and I dated for 6 years .... most of the way through college. I paid my own way through school, all expenses and everything else and she has a fat finger, so one day I told her I was gonna buy her diamond from a pawn shop or something.

She matter-of-factly told me "you will NOT get my diamond used."

Later on in life, I got into the jewelry industry. Became the diamond grader for the most successful jeweler here in Knoxville. His policy was, and is "if you buy your diamond from here, you'll get full value trade-in if you upgrade here in the future". I can't tell you how many take him up on it. From engagement rings to earrings. whatever. Know what happens to that trade-in the next day? It gets put back into stock to sell to the next person.

After my girlfriend (at that time) found out how many "come back" she saw the light and said "I don't give a flying ratt's butt if you dig granny out of the ground and take the ring off her finger, just get me a ring." You see, after 6 years of stalling, she gave me an ultimatum.

All the sudden that was 11 years ago!

ggjoe

[megus]

Let's see, what constitutes a "Used" diamond.

First off, a miner finds a diamond.

He sells it to the company. Sometimes several intemediaries.

Most of the time, it ends up at DeBeers.

Then, they sell it to a site holder, who sells it to several different suppliers who eventually sell it to a cutting facility. Then, it's cut.

Now, after it's cut, how many different buyers get the diamond before it finally gets to a consummer?

If a diamond is owned by several people, does that constitute used?

Or what if it's mounted in a ring and shown several times, but then taken out of that ring and placed into another is it used?

That's if you could trace and track it. We won't even get into the secondary market.

MEgus

[panachegems]

How can you justify the term "used" when the item (Diamond) is already over a million years old? I don't get it. I cruise the Pawn Shops on a regular basis and I beat the dealers price a lot of times on color and Diamonds. The key is knowing what you are buying! I wouldn't go into one and buy a Red Lazer Incombobulater if it was $.050 and they said it's original cost was $50,000.00 because I don't know what it is. A Diamond is another story. :D