August 13, 2009
Are All Ideal Cut Diamonds the Same?
Cut graded dossier certificate
Lots of light loss (red) in an ideal cut diamond
Very little light loss (red) in a nice ideal cut diamond
This question has been posed by several people from time to time, and most people think it is true.
The answer is no, they are NOT all the same.
The actual answer is more complicated. On paper based on the certificates they come with they may appear to be the same but there are differences. Sometimes the differences are major.
Even AGS (American Gem Society) and GIA (Gemological Institute of America) two of the most accurate and respected grading laboratories do not have the same criteria to determine the ideal cut. It is our observation is that AGS is stricter in their cut grading than GIA.
There are several machines that will visually assess light return and light loss in a diamond. They are the Idealscope, Firescope, our Diamond Photoscope and equipment by GCAL (Gem Certification and Assessment Lab).
Using these equipment you can actually determine which of several ideal cut diamonds are better. The range can actually be quite diverse and with the naked eye once you know what to look for you can actually see the difference.
To choose just by looking at the certificate information is not the best method to buy your diamond if you are looking for the nicest one. You should have someone with access to one of the previously mentioned equipment to verify the best light return before you pay for that diamond if you want the most beautiful, brilliant, fiery diamond.
Russell Oshita,
The Diamond Specialists Inc.
Diamonds Hawaii
July 9, 2009
Moisannite a Fabulous Fake, Unfortunately
There are many diamond simulants in existence. Simulants are other kinds of stones that have the appearance like diamonds, but are not diamonds. One of the latest is moisannite which will even fool conventional thermal diamond testers.
Darryl had excitedly come into our store asking us if what he found was a diamond. He had already gone to another jewelry store and they used a diamond tester which said it was a diamond. They told him that there are simulants like moisannite that will register as a diamond and that you need additional equipment to verify if it really is a diamond and not a moisannite.
We first used our diamond tester and it did indeed register as a diamond. As carbon based simulant, moisannite will have similar thermal conductivity as diamonds and will read positive on diamond thermal testers.
Using the moisannite tester it then registered as a moisannite and not a diamond.
Darryl was disappointed. Unfortunately it was not a diamond. Fortunately he did not pay for it.
Russell Oshita
The Diamond Specialists Inc.
Diamonds Hawaii
July 2, 2009
Diamond Earrings Badly Misrepresented
Integrity is an important consideration in any business and we try very hard to uphold it in our industry, by educating our customers and disclosing all pertinent information on any jewelry piece.
From this perspective it is appalling to see what some jewelers in our industry do.
Matt’s girlfriend had just purchased a pair of diamond hoop earrings from a downtown jewelry store and he was interested to know the quality of the diamonds so he brought it to us.
We counted 34 diamonds in each hoop earring, each a 3 point diamond by measurement. This would make it a total of approximately 2.04 carats. The color grade looked to be about a J or K and through the microscope the clarity grade was in the I1-2 category.
Matt said that the diamond earrings were sold as 3 carats total weight, G color and SI clarity grade. This would have made it 1 carat more in weight 3-4 color grades off and 2-3 grades off in clarity.
They had paid $2500 for the earrings thinking it was 3 carats total weight, which would have been a reasonable price if the information was accurate. As a 2 carat total weight and lower color and clarity than represented, a reasonable price should have been $1500. They had over-paid by a $1000.
Unfortunately most consumers would assume that the seller is telling the truth and never get a second opinion. They may never know that they paid much more than they should. Nor that they did not even get the grade they thought they paid for.
We do not know how much of this goes on. The consumer without knowledge of jewelry quality is vulnerable to unscrupulous jewelers.
It may be best to gain at least a rudimentary knowledge of jewelry quality, get second opinions or just find a jeweler you can trust.
Russell Oshita, the diamonddude
The Diamond Specialists Inc.
Diamonds Hawaii
June 29, 2009
EGL Certificate Not Accurate
Mark had his diamond ring resized in another store and called to see if we could help him identify his diamond. He was concerned that it did not look the same as he remembered. He said it had a certificate so we told him to bring it in. With a certificate it is usually a simple, quick confirmation using the microscope to confirm the plotting of the imperfections.
Even with our having over thirty years of experience it was still surprising what we saw. The diamond was graded by EGL (European Gemological Laboratory) International and came with a plotting. Upon inspection we noticed that there was an obvious omission on the plotting of a large fracture located in the middle of the stone. There was no way the imperfection could not be noticed. All other imperfections toward the edges were listed and the measurements and the weight coincided with the information on the certificate.
The diamond was a listed as 1.01 ct. SI1 clarity grade , H color. The diamond as inspected under the microscope would have been graded as an I1 clarity grade taking in account the fracture not listed.
Within the industry it is known that EGL is not graded quite as strictly as AGS (American Gem Society) or GIA (Gemological Institute of America). Further inspection revealed that the color grade was a J color. The lower color and clarity grade of the diamond would have lowered its value by $3000.
The diamond was the one listed on the certificate but with the appalling omission of the fracture. Mark had paid more than he should have for the actual grade of the diamond and to make matters worse did not get the grade that he thought he purchased.
Unfortunately the average consumer does not know enough about diamonds and the industry to always make the proper decision.
We have written an article on Oceanic Time Warner’s Around Hawaii website to help people understand the information about diamonds necessary to make a wise purchase. You can follow this link to read the complete article.
Russell Oshita
The Diamond Specialists Inc.
Diamonds Hawaii
May 13, 2009
Diamonds Can Chip
Helen called today to ask if diamonds can chip. She was under the impression that diamonds were the hardest substance so how can it chip.
We told her that a diamond is indeed the hardest substance in the world. Meaning that as the hardest it can scratch any other substance, unfortunately it is not the toughest. It can chip. It is sometimes chipped when the diamond is being set in a mounting. Other times it is chipped when it is worn.
Due to its hardness a diamond is fairly durable. If you took care of your diamond it can have the same beautiful look for generations.
Russell Oshita the diamonddude 
The Diamond Specialists, Inc.
Diamonds Hawaii
April 23, 2009
A Fortunate Find
Recently, Cynthia, a past customer of ours excitedly walked into our store. She had found a pendant on the ground that looked like a diamond and wanted to know if it was really a diamond or a cubic zirconia.
With our knowledge and experience we can usually tell just by looking at the stone and it looked like it could be a real diamond. To confirm it positively we used a diamond tester and it indicated that it was a diamond. We also tested it with a moisannite tester to rule out that it was not a moisannite, because moisannites can fool diamond testers.
It was indeed a diamond that weighed ¾ carat which was worth about $4000. What a fortunate find! I guess some people are just born lucky!
Russell Oshita, the diamonddude
The Diamond Specialists, Inc.
Diamonds Hawaii
