Buying a diamond is a serious investment. This is why you need to be extra careful when choosing the place to buy your diamond jewelry. Scams are quite popular when it comes to diamonds, so take your time to research everything very thoroughly before buying. Many jewelers use certain marketing tricks in order to misguide and convince clients their product and price are the best. So keep in mind the following:

• Diamond sales and special discounts- the best thing to do is not to fall for such advertisements. It’s impossible to actually purchase a diamond at 50% off its real value. These are only marketing scams, because diamonds do not depreciate, they have a certain rarity factor, and they represent rock solid investments for anyone buying them. Purchase your diamonds through a highly reliable and reputable jeweler, and always get a certificate (such as GIA certification). Also comparison shop carefully, and check out prices at different jewelry stores. See the differences in pricing for similar carat weight diamonds, and make a well-educated decision.
• High clarity vs. low color diamond- when a jeweler tries to sell you a poor color diamond with a very high clarity, it means the diamond is “clarity enhanced” to sell better. If you want high color high clarity diamonds, then just keep searching until you find what you are looking for. Do not buy a poorer quality diamond, just because you could save X amount of money. Both clarity and color are very important factors.
• Bow tie in fancy shape diamonds- the clerk might tell you that the larger bow tie shadow in your fancy shape diamond is a sign that the diamond is so well cut. In reality, such a bow tie shadow is an indication that the cutter did not use the best possible technique to reduce this shadow mark. Your fancy shape diamond needs to have a uniform brilliance, fire and sparkle from end to end. This is what you should look for in fancy shape diamonds, if you want the best quality.
• Beware of baits- you might see a wonderful diamond at a wonderful price…but then when you come back to buy it, the stone “has been sold”. In reality, they did not sell the diamond, they were just using it on display as a bait for you and others to come back and buy it. When you arrive to actually buy, the clerk will show you other wonderful diamonds, at much higher prices. This is an obvious marketing trick, and you should search elsewhere for the perfect diamond, if they can’t actually offer you a similar quality and price diamond like the one on display.
• Color tricks- it might happen that the clerk shows you the diamond under a light bulb with ultraviolet wavelength. Obviously, this will make a poor color diamond look much whiter than in reality. Always ask for the certification to check the color and clarity grading, and kindly ask the clerk to show you the diamond in natural light if possible (by the window of the store, without artificial light source!).