Diamond Specialists that Pay More!!!
At Superior Exchange, one of the most intricate aspects of our company is the proper evaluation and pricing of loose diamonds and diamond jewelry. This part of our business requires an incredible amount of expertise as there is absolutely no room for error. We continuously have higher payouts than other jewelry buying industries because we provide a high level training program for each of our pawnbroker professionals as well as testing to make sure they are well educated and accurate. There is far too much room to make mistakes on diamonds as each one ranges greatly in value, clarity, cut and style. We hand pick every employee and generally hire people with jewelry experience. We go to great lengths for your benefit as well as ours to ensure top dollar and always want you to have professional experience with Superior Exchange. From the time you walk in to the time you walk out, whether we do business or not, we want you to feel welcome and to be completely satisfied and impressed with your pawn shop experience. We buy, sell and Pawn on all diamond jewelry as well as loose diamonds.
Feel free to set up an appointment as we have private viewing rooms at many of our locations however it is not necessary. Come see us Today!
The 4 C’s of Diamonds
Below we have gone a bit further into the world of diamonds so that you can get educated for yourself. Superior Exchange and other diamond buyers all over the world pay special attention to a variety of intricacies when it comes to evaluating and pricing diamonds. These intricacies have a great impact on how much your diamonds are worth. This is why the 4c’s grading system was developed back in the 40s. It is a universal grading system that helps diamond buyers and sellers to be as accurate as possible. In addition, one has to be well trained on how to execute the system accurately as well as a keen eye. Superior Exchange is dedicated to accuracy and top dollar payouts come see us today.
Diamond Cut
The luster, glare and brilliance of a diamond all depends on a correct cut. Well cut diamonds are a direct result of calculated angles, proportions, symmetry, alignment and a fine surface finish or polish. Luster and brilliance are the most common words used to describe the effects of a diamonds cut. Luster refers to the rays which fall upon a diamond and reflect off the surface where as brilliance refers to the rays that go inside the diamond and reflect out.
Diamond Clarity
There are many different levels one looks at when finding out the clarity or imperfections of a diamond. Most all diamonds have natural imperfections, the less flaws the stone has the more rare it is, thus making it more expensive. These imperfections are placed into two classifications, blemishes and inclusions. Blemishes refer to the surface flaws which include scratches, pits, and chips. Inclusions refer to the internal flaws which include bubbles, cracks and non-diamond minerals. Superior Exchange has special staff that use a universal grading system, experience and proper tools when evaluating and pricing diamonds. You will always get top dollar!
Diamond Color
The color of a diamond is based off of a grade scale and refers to the lack or absence of color. This scale grades a diamond on how closely the diamond approaches colorlessness. This basically means that there are various shades of yellow and brown within most diamonds, the more yellow and brown tint you see the less valuable it is in most cases. This is an important aspect of evaluating a diamond and usually requires a trained eye with the proper tools and techniques.
Diamond Carat
Carat weight basically refers to the size of the diamond. The unit for weight measurement is the metric carat. One metric carat equals 0.200 grams. So basically if you have a 2 carat diamond it would be 2.00 grams. This would also be referred to as a 200 point diamond. A half carat diamond would be 0.500 grams and 50 points.
As you can see there are many intricacies to evaluating diamonds. By having a bit of knowledge you can see why to diamonds of exact size may vary greatly in value. This is very important in the buying and selling of diamonds. If you have additional questions about diamonds feel free to stop in or simply give us a call.
History & Background on Diamonds
~ How a diamond is formed:
- Diamonds are formed 75-100 miles below the earth’s surface.
- Diamonds are delivered to the earth’s surface by a specific kind of volcanic eruption.
- After reaching the surface some diamonds settle back into the volcanic chimneys or pipes, which is generally where they are mined out of the earth.
~ Chemical composition of a diamond:
- Diamonds are the only gems comprised of one single element.
- That element is Carbon. Most diamonds are 99.5% pure carbon.
- Diamonds are the hardest gem known to man.
~ Where are diamonds found?
- Diamonds have been discovered on all continents except Antarctica.
- Large deposits of diamonds have only been found in a few places.
- The “rarity” of diamond deposits contributes to their value.
~ World-wide Diamond Production
- In 1991 about 104 million carats were mined from the earth.
- Only about 46% were of “gem” quality.
- There are many detailed and expensive steps a diamond goes through before it is a finished piece.
- The biggest mines process 13,000 tons of rock and gravel everyday — to obtain just one carat of rough diamond.
- All the extensive and expensive steps in processing are another reason why diamonds in a retail store are so expensive (valuable).