Avoid Diamond Scams

Diamond scams come in a variety of different forms, and are becoming more prevalent as the cost of diamonds continues to rise. The most common types of diamond scams occur when customers purchase an item online that is significantly priced lower than other stores. These buyers might be persuaded to purchase a diamond at a suspiciously low price because they assume there must be something wrong with it or it is counterfeit.

In fact, anything that seems too good to be true probably is. Diamond scams can happen in person at your local jewelry store, or through an online shopping portal like Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace. Being careful about where you buy your diamonds will go a long way in minimizing the chances of falling prey to one of these fraudulent schemes.

The best way to avoid diamond scams is to be aware of the red flags that a new diamond is too good to be true. Here are a few warning signs:

1. Excessive Claims of Quality: Scammers will often make outlandish claims about their diamonds or jewelry. They might lie about their certificates, claim the diamonds are from a respected and famous brand or claim that they are worth thousands of dollars per carat.

Although diamonds can be worth thousands per carat, this is definitely not the case for all diamonds. If you're buying an item for less than a thousand dollars per carat, chances are it's not a real diamond at all.

2. Diamond Supply: The number of diamonds that are available for sale is an important factor in assessing the quality of a diamond. If a seller claims to have hundreds of high-quality diamonds in stock, this means they may be able to provide more than one gemstone per order, meaning they do not need to buy a large amount of inventory. This can make diamonds less prone to being counterfeited or stolen than ones that have few or no on hand at all.

3. Bad Certificates: One of the most important things you can do when buying diamonds online is to buy from an established and reputable company instead of buying from someone who's name you don't know. You can easily check this by looking at the certificate of authenticity that comes with your diamond.

4. Red Flags on the Certificates: Keep an eye out for the red flags that come with a fake certificate. These include misspellings, spelling errors and a lack of information about the diamond itself. If there are too many inconsistencies with what you're being told and what you see, talk to someone from your local jewelry store about your suspicions before making a purchase.

5. Diamond Shapes: Another easy way to spot a scam is to look at the shape of the diamonds in question. You should never buy diamond or gemstone based on the shape of the gemstones themselves. Fake diamonds are often times cut differently from actual diamond, and many times these shapes will be completely different from what you would expect.

6. Diamond's Characteristics: What color is your diamond? Does it vary much in color? Does it have an unusual tone? As long as your diamond maintains a consistent hue, you can assume it's a real stone. Make sure that any stone you're considering has been graded by a recognized laboratory and that the grading report is linked to a source that can be verified with reputable sources.

Conclusion:

The safest way to avoid diamond scams is to make sure you are only buying from a reputable company as we suggested before. Check the certificate of authenticity and buy from a company that has been in business for a while.

Diamonds are one of the few assets that have remained valuable over hundreds of years and thousands of wars, famines and financial crises. This makes them inherently valuable for all people, not just those who can afford expensive jewelry. However, fake diamonds do exist, and being able to identify real diamonds from fakes will help you get the most value out of your money when buying diamonds in the future.