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Buying Shy
“Buying Shy” is a term I coined. It’s
one of my shrewdest and most valuable suggestions for saving money
buying diamonds. Here’s what I mean by buying shy: Shopping
for diamonds that weigh just under half-carat and full-carat weights.
VIEW price tables for buying
shy.
For example, instead of a 1-carat (100-point)
diamond you'd buy a .90-carat diamond. Instead of a half-carat,
you’d buy a .49-carat stone. It’s as simple as that. “But
Fred,” you’re saying, “why should I buy a smaller
diamond than I want?” The simple answer: to save a lot of money.
Because the price of a diamond jumps dramatically
when it reaches a true half-carat or full carat, the advantage of
buying shy is also pretty dramatic! And let’s see how much
smaller we’re talking about. The diameter of a 1-carat diamond
is 6.5 millimeters. The diameter of a shy .90-carat stone is 6.3
mm. The difference is the thickness of a piece of ordinary paper!
Looking at the stones side by side you’d be hard-pressed to
tell the difference.
LOOK AT THE SAVINGS:
.50ct SI1-I $1,596
.49ct SI1-I $1,303 You
save $293!
1.00ct SI1-I $6,384
.90ct SI1-I $5,147 You save
$1,237!
1.50ct SI1-I $11,172
1.49ct SI1-I $9,512 You save $1,660!
2.00ct SI1-I $17,024
1.90ct SI1-I $14,151 You save $2,873!
You’ll notice that buying shy sometimes means
a difference of 1 point and sometimes a difference of 10 points.
And you’re thinking, “Why don’t I buy the .99-carat
stone instead of the .90 carat stone? Won’t I still get the
same price break and a slightly bigger stone?”
Yes, but the problem is finding that 99-pointer.
Diamond cutters, who are well aware that the full one-carat stone
is worth quite a bit more than the 99-pointer, will cheat on the
proportions a bit to get the stone up to the full carat. So don’t
be obsessed with trying to get closer than 10 points on full-carated
stones, but you will find .90s and 1.90s, etc. With half-carat
and in-between sizes you will be able to get within 1 point,
and find
.49s, .69s, 1.49s and so forth. Diamond cutters, who are well aware
that the full one-carat stone is worth quite a bit more than the
99-pointer, will cheat on the proportions a bit to get the stone
up to the full carat. See article “True
Weight” .
The one potential problem with buying shy is a
psychological one. What sort of person is your True Love? If she’s
going to be upset that you didn’t get the full carat, and will
forever think of you as a cheapskate, then it may be worth the extra
money.
Your fiancée may never ask how big her
90-point diamond is, but if she does, you might say, “About
a carat,” and leave it at that. I believe that happiness is
a dream that becomes a reality — and if she sees a diamond
that is just what she dreamed of, she'll be happy!
Of course, if you’re a practical couple and
you decide to shop for the diamond together, you should both read
this first and then decide what you’re going to shop for.
FRED’S ADVICE: Always buy shy! You’ll
pay a lot less for a diamond that looks just as good.
Take a look at these tables
to see how much you’ll save:
Click on the following sizes to see the “buying
shy” comparison.
Learn about Clarity
Grading Scales or Color
Grading Scales.
by Fred Cuellar, author of the best-selling book
“How to Buy a Diamond.” More questions? Ask
the Diamond Guy®
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