Before you start shopping for diamonds,



consider dealing with a bonded jeweler.

Bonded jewelers sell bonded diamonds,

and there are very few bonded jewelers in

the world. In fact, out of all of the jeweler's

in the world, only about 5% of them are

bonded. Buying a bonded diamond will

cost more than buying a non-bonded

diamond, but when you look at what you

get with the bonded option, you will see

that it is well worth the extra expense.

First, bonded diamonds have a buy back

policy for the life of the diamond. No matter

how long you have had the diamond, you can

take it back to the bonded jeweler and sell it

back to him or her, for a 100% refund. If a

jeweler does not offer a 100% buy back

guarantee, for the life of the diamond, then

you should take a closer look at the diamond

to see what is wrong with it.

Bonded diamonds also have a breakage

policy. If the stone breaks or chips, the

bonded jeweler will replace it with a new one

- one time. No jeweler would ever offer such

a policy on any stone that was not 100%

natural, so just the offer of such a policy

should give you piece of mind concerning

the quality of the diamond. Bonded

diamonds are natural and untreated.

Bonded diamonds increase in value, with a

fixed appreciation rate that is designed to

keep up with inflation. This means that a

diamond that is worth a certain amount of

money today will be worth more in the future,

as the price of diamonds continues to rise.

This generally does not apply to buy backs,

however. It typically applies to trade-ins.

Alternately, by purchasing a bonded

diamond, you are protected against the

possibility of a market crash. If a market

crash occurs, the value of diamonds will

drop. However, the bonded jeweler

guarantees to refund you the difference

between what the diamond is now worth

and what you paid for it before the market

crash.

It may be difficult to find a bonded jeweler in

your area, but if you can, this is who you

want to deal with, as opposed to dealing

with an un-bonded jeweler. Specifically tell

the jeweler that you are only interested in

bonded diamonds. You can find a bonded

jeweler in your area by using various online

resources, or by calling the local jewelry

stores.