Engagement rings. Do you need a GIA report?

September 6, 2018

Demystifying diamonds

Where should you buy a diamond?  What should you look for?

You’ve made the decision you want to get married.  Congratulations.  This is an important decision requiring much thought.  And you go into this new beginning with an extremely high level of confidence.  Now you want to get a beautiful engagement ring.   For many, purchasing their diamond engagement ring is one of the most important decisions they will face.

Where should you go?  Whom can you trust?  How can you tell a good one from the other? It took me many years to develop the discerning eyes to choose the best diamonds.  When I say “best” I mean the best quality in terms of performance of the diamond and value for the dollars.   We can assist you with this dilemma.

This is my 40th year in the diamonds and fine jewelry business.  One thing I got from my father was the passion for giving people the best we possibly can.  I am a perfectionist. It doesn’t mean all diamonds have to be flawless.  It means we assist clients in striking the right balance that is the right choice for them, with respect to quality and size, vis a vis price. It is a give and take for most clients.  What I am not willing to waver on is the quality of the setting.  Many years ago, the mantra that was told by most jewelers was, “Put all of your money in the diamond, and get a plain setting.  You can always change the ring later.” This couldn’t be further from the truth today.  With the development of advanced manufacturing design techniques, we are able to create magnificent engagement rings that will make a good diamond look incredible. 

But lets’s go back to the diamond.  

Here is a Gemological Institute of  America (GIA) grading report for a seemingly magnificent diamond. We absolutely feel you should have a GIA report when you buy a diamond.  But just because a diamond has a report, that doesn’t mean the diamond is good.  What table size is best?  Should I get Excellent cut, polish and symmetry? Is it better to have no fluorescence?  Which combinations of color and clarity make the most sense to purchase? The GIA report is a useful tool to help a very experienced diamond specialist analyze a diamond. Then the expert will look for small nuances to find the one that stands out above the rest. At Maurice Badler Fine Jewelry, we do our best to take the intimidating guess work out of purchasing a diamond engagement ring. It is impossible for us to teach you everything. However you can feel confident in these two key points.   WE know all about the small details of what makes one diamond stand out above the rest. We’re not just here to sell.  We CARE so much about what you buy!

Look at the GIA report above, while it may appear to be OK, I would never sell that at our firm.  The color is fantastic and the inclusions don’t appear to the type that will interfere with the power of the diamond. So what is wrong?  It is highly likely that the internal and surface graining will severely impact the ability of the diamond to properly reflect and refract light. 

The document below is an example of an excellent GIA report. Not because it is flawless, but because the ratios of table and depth percentages are ideal, and there are no negative comments.  But I STILL want to examine the diamond with my professional eye to determine the diamond is indeed, as good as the GIA report looks.  

Of course, the quality and size of the diamond is a personal choice. We will adapt our selection to fulfill your wishes as much as possible.  We will not however, waiver on the  engagement ring settings.  Ours are ABSOLUTE top of the line, with guaranteed stellar workmanship and superior design.  Many are custom made to your specifications.  So If you really like the shank (band) of one and the top of a different design, we can easily create that for you. Or you may have something in your mind that will make it the perfect ring for you.  We will with your design idea and sometimes suggest improvements  Call for an appointment for a consultation.  Once you get the Maurice Badler experience, you will understand why clients travel from near and far to purchase here.  If you won’t be in the NY area, we will set up a video chat to show you diamonds and settings.  We offer a money back guarantee but we’ve never had a diamond ring come back.  Custom wedding bands are our specialty too.  Visit us at 485 Park Ave (between 58 & 59 Streets) in NYC, or online at badler.com or call (800) M-BADLER   (800) 622-3537