Hi! I'm new to this so hopefully I posted in the correct place. But how can you tell the quality of diamonds if you're just a regular person like me. I will attatch some photos if I could get some key points to look for that would be helpful
Have these stones been graded by an independent lab (eg GIA, AGS, HRD)? That is my first point of call as the grading reports will contain information about the crown and pavilion angles, table percentage and depth that will assist in being able to determine if the stones have been cut decently.
After that, does the retailer have available Idealscope or ASET imagery of the stones you want to purchase as these images will give a good idea as to how well the stones return light to the viewer.
Unfortunately I don't have much info on it. This is at a local well known pawn shop that a good of mine works at. There is a slight inclusion in the middle stone otherwise everything else is ok. I will be getting the details tomorrow since I was kinda in a rush just wanted to stop by and see. I just didn't know if there was anything I could notice first hand with the lack of knowledge I do have on diamonds & the lighting.
So this is something you're probably not spending a lot of money on (I know thats relative)...I guess if it were me I would
check it out in different lighting to make sure it is bright and sparkly. (make sure the stone is clean first). Its probably
not a high quality stone so you'll just have to go on looks and whether it looks sparkly or not.
Here on Pricescope we usually recommend AGS/GIA graded stones that give you the info to determine if its a well cut
stone or not. However, these stones are higher quality and therefor cost more.
Its a pawn shop, so dont pay what they're asking. Do you mind telling us how much they are asking?
Smaller stones set in rings often are not going to be graded. You'd have to be pretty familiar with well cut diamonds to determine cut and be able to use a loupe to see how clean they are. If you love the ring, it comes down to how good the price is, basically. As tyty said, never pay the asking price in a pawn shop.
If it's a pawn shop, they probably don't have a lot of info. on the stones. Can you take macro photos of the diamonds? If not, my other advice is to find out their return policy--buy the item, take it to appraiser and have them evaluate it, then possibly return if it's not a good deal for what you paid. Also look at it under different lighting (outdoors, in your home/office, etc.) to see if it goes dark or if the inclusion is noticeable in different conditions.
Welcome to Pricescope! As many here rightly said, look at diamonds graded by independent labs like GIA, AGS and HRD. They are a good place to start. As you're completely new to the world of diamonds, I would also suggest going through knowledge section right here on Pricescope. https://www.pricescope.com/wiki
Once you know the basics, you can always come back here and post options that you want to buy. The experts here at PS will be happy to help
The other thing to do, as you actually can, although only VERY rarely find a good bargain at a pawn, is to buy yourself an Idealscope and a hand held ASET tool as well as a good ten power loupe. Learn how to use them and then YOU TOO can be a legitimate bargain hunter. The bargains are out there, but only if you truly know what you are doing.