our Where & How to Sell a Diamond for Cash
Do you want to sell a diamond in San Diego? Before selling a large diamond or expensive diamond jewelry, you should know the quality of your diamond(s). In this article from San Diego Jewelry Buyers (SDJB), we will first explain how to sell a diamond by covering the basics regarding the quality valuation of diamonds. Then we will explain where to sell a diamond by showing why SDJB has become the diamond buyer of choice for thousands of fine jewelry sellers in California and across the country.
You may have heard that the quality of a diamond is based on the 4 Cs. When you sell a diamond in San Diego, your California diamond buyer will first evaluate these four diamond characteristics. So, what are they? Let’s learn them:
Sell a Diamond: How to Evaluate My Diamond Color
Diamonds can occur in virtually any color, including white, blue, yellow, orange, red, green, pink, purple, brown, steel gray, and black. Fancy colored diamonds are those that exhibit an intense shade of color. Diamonds that are considered highest quality by the jewelry industry are ordinarily colorless or have a very faint bluish hue.
The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) grades diamonds using the following scale, with a D color rating being the highest and a Z color grade the lowest:
D, E, F: Colorless Diamonds
G, H, I, J: Near Colorless Diamonds
K, L, M: Faint Yellow Diamonds
H, O, P, Q, R: Very Light Yellow Diamonds
S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z: Light Yellow Diamonds
Fancy colored diamonds have a color intensity that is greater than the Z color grade. They are graded using a different grading scale, one that is similar to the scale used when grading colored gemstones. Certain rare fancy diamonds can be worth just as much or than a D color diamond. The diamond buyers at San Diego Jewelry Buyers are always looking to buy large diamonds in the D-J color grades and rare fancy colored diamonds, but we also will consider purchasing diamonds with lower color ratings.
Sell a Diamond: How to Evaluate My Diamond Clarity
The clarity of a diamond refers to the appearance of internal diamond characteristics called inclusions and surface defects called blemishes. If you want to sell a diamond in San Diego for the most cash, it should have both a high color rating and a high clarity rating. A high color grade when selling your diamond won’t matter much if the clarity grade is poor. Here is the scale that GIA uses when grading diamond clarity:
1) FL = A Flawless grade diamond that has no inclusions or blemishes visible under 10x magnification.
2) IF Diamond = An Internally Flawless grade diamond that has no inclusions visible under 10x magnification. Only small blemishes can be seen on the diamond surface.
3) VVS Diamond = A Very, Very Slightly Included grade diamond that has tiny inclusions that are difficult for a trained grader to see under 10x magnification. The VVS category is divided into two grades: VVS1 and VVS2, the former being the better.
4) VS Diamond = A Very Slightly Included grade diamond that has minor inclusions that are difficult to somewhat easy for a trained grader to see when viewed under 10x magnification. The VS category is also divided into two grades: VS1 and VS2.
5) SI Diamond = A Slightly Included grade diamond that has noticeable inclusions that are easy to very easy for a trained grader to see when viewed under 10x magnification.
6) I Diamond = An Included grade diamond has obvious inclusions that are clearly visible to a trained grader under 10x magnification. Included grade diamonds also have inclusions that usually are visible without magnification which threaten the durability of the stone.
San Diego Jewelry Buyers specializes in purchasing diamonds with a VS clarity grade or better. Our diamond buyers consistently make best cash offers on high quality loose diamonds and fine jewelry set with high clarity diamonds.
Sell a Diamond: How to Evaluate My Diamond Cut
A diamond cut refers to the way in which your diamond was cut for polishing and is related to the symmetry and proportion of your diamond’s facets (flat sides). A diamond cut does not refer to the shape of your diamond (i.e. round, heart, pear, marquise, etc.) The better your diamond has been cut, the more luminosity it will have-and likewise it will be worth more.
On a GIA grading report the cut ratings are: Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, and Poor. This rating system was established in 2006. So earlier diamond grading reports will not show this ranking. At San Diego Jewelry Buyers, our diamond buyers purchase both antique cut diamonds and modern cut diamonds from famous luxury brands, such as Tiffany, Cartier, and Harry Winston. Hearts On Fire is a newer, lesser-known diamond brand that produces ideal cut diamonds of the highest cut grade, making it one of the most sought after diamonds on the market today, and a diamond brand that San Diego Jewelry Buyers purchases for a premium cash price.
Sell a Diamond: How to Evaluate My Diamond Carat Size
Carat size is the easiest diamond characteristic for consumers to evaluate. One carat equals 200 milligrams. For diamonds less than 1 carat, the measurement is often stated in points-one point being equal to one one-hundredth of a carat. Everything else being equal, the price per carat increases with carat weight because larger diamonds are more rare and desirable for use in fine jewelry.
What to keep in mind about carat weight when trying to sell a diamond for cash is that there are sharp jumps in price/value at certain carat weights. For example, a 0.99 carat diamond could bring a significantly lower cash offer from a diamond buyer than a comparable 1.01 carat diamond. This is because there is greater demand for diamonds that are one carat or more.
Sell My Diamond: How to Evaluate the Hidden Price Factor
Although the 4 Cs are important when evaluating the worth of a diamond, there is a hidden factor to consider when you want to sell a diamond or sell diamond jewelry for cash. We’ve mentioned it already in our discussion: Demand. When you go to sell a diamond to a San Diego diamond buyer, they will evaluate the demand for your diamond and at what price they can resell it. Therefore, when choosing a diamond buyer, you need to consider how that diamond buyer is evaluating demand and resale prices.
If your San Diego diamond buyer is a fine jewelry store, they likely are basing demand simply on what the demand is within their jewelry store. If you sell diamond jewelry online, the price will be based on the demand by visitors to the website. A big reason why San Diego Jewelry Buyers is rated as the #1 diamond buyer in Southern California is because we have multiple channels through which we evaluate the demand and resale price of your diamonds and jewelry.
SDJB resells diamond jewelry through an exclusive worldwide resell network that we’ve developed over decades, AND we resell fine jewelry in our showroom, AND we resell diamonds online through our e-commerce relationships. This gives our San Diego diamond buyers a much more accurate sense of the true resale value of your diamond jewelry, and allows us to pay you more of the cash you deserve.
Sell My Diamond: SDJB’s Owners Make the Biggest Difference
SDJB’s head diamond buyer Izhak Abu began his career as a professional diamond cutter in 1988 and is a recognized diamond expert with over twenty years of worldwide industry experience. Upon looking at your diamond, Izhak will know exactly its worth on the global market. If your diamond is a poor cut, he often will still buy it so that he can re-cut it to make it more valuable. Thanks to Izhak’s knowledge of the global diamond marketplace and his ability to recut diamonds, he is able to make cash offers on diamonds that are higher and more accurate than other Southern California diamond buyers, who lack his background as a diamond cutter and his international diamond experience.
“How to sell my diamond and jewelry now?” Selling diamond jewelry to SDJB is fast, secure, and easy. Simply call us at 800-557-9413 to arrange a free diamond appraisal, with absolutely no obligations.
