Description
Antoinette Matlins, PG, FGA, is an internationally respected gem and jewelry expert, author and lecturer. With over 1 million copies of her seven books in print in nine languages, she is the most widely read author in the world on the subject of jewelry and gems. Honored with the international Accredited Gemologists Association’s highest award for excellence in gemology, Ms. Matlins’ books are widely used throughout the world by consumers and professionals in the gem and jewelry field. Her books include Jewelry & Gems: The Buying Guide (over 400,000 copies now in print-the only book of its kind ever offered by Consumer Reports); Colored Gemstones: The Antoinette Matlins Buying Guide; The Pearl Book: The Definitive Buying Guide; Gem Identification Made Easy; Engagement & Wedding Rings: The Definitive Buying Guide for People in Love; and Jewelry & Gems at Auction: The Definitive Guide to Buying & Selling at the Auction House & on Internet Auction Sites (all GemStone Press). Former gemology editor of National Jeweler magazine, her articles and comments on buying and selling gems and jewelry and on gem investment have appeared in many national and international consumer and trade publications. She is also the author of the “Gemstones” chapter in the Encyclopedia of Investments, second edition. Ms. Matlins has gained wide recognition as a dedicated consumer advocate, and continues to spearhead the Accredited Gemologists Association’s nationwide campaign against gemstone investment telemarketing scams and other types of consumer misrepresentation. A popular media guest, she has been seen on ABC, CBS, NBC and CNN, educating consumers about gems and jewelry and exposing fraud. In addition to her educational work, Ms. Matlins is retained by clients worldwide to seek fine, rare or unusual gems and jewels for acquisition. Contents List of Price Guides. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi-vii List of Special Charts and Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii Contents of Color Photograph Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii Preface to the Third Edition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv PART ONE Appreciating Diamonds 1 The Magic of Diamonds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 2 Becoming Familiar with Diamonds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 3 Looking for a Diamond That’s a “Cut Above” . . . . . . . . . . 13 PART TWO Diamonds 4 What Is a Diamond?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 5 The Importance of Cut & Proportion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 6 Body Color. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 7 Clarifying Clarity: How Flaws Affect Diamonds . . . . . . . . . 61 8 Weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 9 How to Read Diamond Grading Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 10 False Claims & Costly Bargains: How to Spot Fraud and Avoid Misrepresentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 11 Comparing Colorless Diamond Prices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125 12 Fancy-Color Diamonds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131 13 Comparing Fancy Natural-Color and Treated-Color Diamond Prices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147 14 A Word about Synthetic Diamonds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153 PART THREE Design &Style Getting the Look You Want … and Keeping It That Way 15 Choosing the Right Metal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159 16 Choosing the Design of the Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175 17 Caring for Your Diamond Jewelry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181 PART FOUR Important Advice Before &After You Buy 18 What to Ask When Buying the Stone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189 19 How to Select a Reputable Jeweler & Gemologist Consultant. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195 20 Buying on the Internet: E-Commerce &Online Auctions . . 199 21 Choosing the Appraiser & Insurer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207 Appendix A Selected List of Recognized Laboratories . . . . . . . . . 213 Selected Readings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214 Color Plates and Exhibits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215 Index 217 Price Guides Retail Price Guide for Round Brilliant-Cut Diamonds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126-28 Retail Price Guide for Old-European Cut Diamonds . . 129 Retail Price Guide for Rose-Cut Diamonds . . . . . . . . . 129 Retail Price Guide for Briolette-Cut Diamonds . . . . . . 130 Retail Price Guide for Fancy Natural-Color Diamonds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147-150 Retail Price Guide for Fancy-Color Permanently Enhanced/Treated Diamonds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150 Retail Price Guide for HPHT-Treated Fancy-Color Diamonds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 vi CONTENTS Auction Prices of Fancy-Color Diamonds (A Sampling) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152 Retail Prices of Colorless Synthetic Diamonds (A Representative Sampling) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155 Retail Price Guide for Fancy-Color Synthetic Diamonds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156 Special Charts and Tables Diamond Color Grades. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Commonly Used Diamond Color Grading Systems . . . . 47 Commonly Used Diamond Clarity Grading Systems . . . 71 Sizes and Weights of Various Diamond Cuts . . . . . . . . . 77 Diameters and Corresponding Weights of Round Brilliant-Cut Diamonds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Acceptable Tolerances for “Round” Diamonds . . . . . . . 83 Depth Percentage Guidelines Used Generally. . . . . . . . . 88 Table Percentage Guidelines Used Generally . . . . . . . . . 89 Comparison of Diamonds and Diamond Look-Alikes . 123 International Ring Size Equivalents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180 Comparison of Gold Content Markings . . . . . . . . . . . 161 How Alloys Affect Gold Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
