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Books
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How to Buy a Diamond
by Fred Cuellar
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This book comes from an industry insider who will tell you all about the business and how
to protect yourself when purchasing diamond jewelry. Highly recommended.
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Diamond Ring Buying Guide
by Renee Newman
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The clear illustrations and enlarged pictures of actual diamonds are what add tremendous value to this book. You can
learn to recognize blemishes, inferior cuts, etc., without having to set foot in a jewelry store. Also recommended.
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2. Shape
As the name suggests, shape
is nothing more than the intrinsic shape of the diamond. As viewed from the top, the
most common shapes are:
 Round |
 Marquise |
 Oval |
 Pear |
 Heart |
 Emerald |
 Princess |
 Radiant |
With the exception of the emerald cut, today's most
popular shapes are brilliant cuts or hybrid cuts (as opposed to strict step cuts).
In terms of cost, the round brilliant tops the list, while the square cuts typically cost
about 10% less for a diamond of the same weight and quality.
Unless you're purchasing a diamond as an investment (in
which case you should strongly consider a round brilliant), you should choose the shape
which pleases you most. Saul Spero, a New York diamond appraiser, spent 25 years
interviewing over 50,000 people to determine if there was any correlation between
personality and preference of diamond shapes. In his book Diamonds, Love, and
Compatibility, he states that if a woman has a strong preference for any of these
shapes, she can be characterized as follows:
| Shape |
Spero's Personality Traits |
| Round |
Family-centered, dependable, unaggressive. |
| Oval |
Individualistic, creative, well-organized, willing to take
chances. |
| Heart |
Sentimental, feminine, sensitive, trusting. |
| Rectangle/Square |
Disciplined, conservative, efficient, honest. |
| Pear |
Conforming, considerate, adaptable. |
| Marquise |
Extroverted, aggressive, innovative, career-centered. |
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Unless you're buying a diamond as an
investment, choose a shape that you like, regardless of its relative value or the
correlation between the bride-to-be's personality and Spero's study. Other than
personal preference, the only characteristic that you should trade off if you choose one
diamond shape over another is in brilliance and fire. Continue with
the tutorial to learn more. |
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