Six Tips For Buying Diamonds From Expert Diamond Dealers
The Mediterranean Blue diamond became the highest-value diamond to sell at auction this year, when it went for $21.2 million at Sotheby's Geneva last week. Unearthed at the Cullinan mines in South Africa in 2024, the 10-carat Fancy Vivid Blue diamond eventually sold to an American collector after a three-minute bidding battle. If you're thinking of adding to your own collection — albeit at a different price point — the diamond dealers of GemGenève gem and jewelry show have the insider knowledge you need.
A Fancy Greenish-Yellow diamond was also on sale at Sotheby's Geneva earlier this month.
Examine potential diamond purchases in good lighting with a loupe, noting shape, brilliance, color and any chips or damage. 'Before looking at any certification, you need to trust your eye. Do you like it? What does your gut feeling say?' asks Constantin Torroni, of Nicolas Torroni, an art, gemstones and jewelry dealer based in Geneva, Switzerland. A diamond's natural colors will show up well in daylight, whereas artificial light will affect how different highlights may appear.
Reputable diamond dealers will be able to provide a diamond analysis report from an independent lab — look for expert organizations like the GIA, Gübelin, the BGI and the Swiss Gemmological Institute SSEF. 'A diamond grading report offers reassurance by guaranteeing the natural nature of a gemstone and providing details of its properties,' says Claudia Hamann, of Claudia Hamann Edelstein Double Rose gemstones.
A old-cut diamond dated back to the Renaissance, approx. 3 carats, thought to have been cut by the ... More famous Venetian lapidiarist Vincenzo Peruzzi.
White diamonds graded D, E or F may command the highest prices as 'investment diamonds', but according to Torroni, 'charming gemstones' with colored highlights, inclusions, and even minor damage might offer better value for money. In addition to having more perceived charm and character, their value will also hold up better in times of crisis, as they are less vulnerable to speculation, says Torroni.
Original and new cuts mean fresh inspiration for jewelry designers and interesting acquisitions for collectors. Look beyond the traditional princess-cut stones, to geometric cuts (Asscher, emerald); fancy cuts (pear, marquise), or rarer cuts like Ashoka, a modified cushion cut. Hamann, a member of the International Colored Gemstones Association (ICGA), created the asymmetrical Double Rose cut a few years ago.
Rose quartz, Malayan garnets, brilliant and Double Rose cut pink sapphires, by Claudia Hama ... More Edelstein.
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Antique gems and diamonds, also known as 'old cuts', were hand-cut without modern machinery anything from one to four hundred years ago. With softer shapes and unique luminosity, these stones come into their own in gentle candlelight. 'Hand-cut diamonds are true works of artistry, redolent of history and expertise in a way that makes them truly unique,' say Alain Weinberger, Dean Köning and Julien Lorincz of Fima Diamonds. Experts can date these diamonds based on the quality of faceting, which tells us about the tools used.
Precision-cut modern stones will all look very similar, while many collectors believe that old cuts possess their own special character because they were made by a craftsman using hand-tools. 'This artisanal dimension provides a blend of excellence and imperfection and is exceptional in every sense of the word,' say Weinberger, Köning and Lorincz, comparing the stones to standardized modern cuts. Diamonds from the Golconda mines are highly prized, as are Mazarin and Peruzzi antique cuts, both popular in the 17th century.
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