Diamonds • Precious Gemstones • Jewelry • Gemology

Okay, Sun Tsu said "Fight on your own terms or fight not at all." But if he had been buying a diamond instead of waging a war he would have said what I said.

Diamond sellers spend big bucks on lighting and decor. Those halogen spotlights sure do make diamonds sparkle, don't they?

And that black velvet background makes them look a perfect blue-white.

So why do they use white lights and black velvet? To fool you!

The best way to look at a diamond is in natural daylight. Not sunlight. If you can't get to daylight, get to a "daylight" fluorescent.

A gray background will give you a better feel for color. And look at color the way graders do .. table down.

Never judge the color of a diamond in a setting!

You will have far fewer problems seeing the body color if not distracted by the spectral colors created by the prismatic effect of the crown.

So, bottoms up! Look at the diamond with the pavilion up.
How do you learn about colors? Compare 2 diamonds side-by-side .. just like the graders do. If you look at enough diamonds, you will start to develop an eye for color.

Don't be rushed .. take your time .. this is an important decision that you may live with for decades .. if you're lucky!

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