Don't stick to magic sizes. Magic sizes...a quarter carat, a half carat, three-quarters of a carat, one carat...those are the diamond stone sizes everyone wants. Because so many people want magic sizes, jewelers pay a premium when they buy these stones. If you want a quarter carat, better to ask your jeweler for something between 20 and 30 points (100 points equals one carat). If you stay away from magic sizes, you can often find a great deal on a stone simply because it is a non-magic size! Something that is 69 points can look exactly like a 75 pointer to the eye, but save you a lot of money per carat!

The American Ideal Cut can cost more. The American Ideal Cut diamond is perfectly proportioned for maximum brilliance and fire...but the closer the cut comes to it, the more the stone will cost you. This may be what you consider most important, so you may want a smaller, perfectly cut stone rather than a larger stone with slightly less fire. But if you are on a budget, sometimes you can find a great deal on stones which were cut around the turn of the century, before the American Ideal was perfected.

These stones can be called Old European Cuts, or Transition Cuts, and because they are older cuts, you can get them for less money per carat. If you buy a large (over a carat) older cut stone, you can sometimes have it recut into a modern cut stone, losing a little bit of the weight, but substantially increasing its value. Then again, my diamond engagement stone belonged to my husband's grandmother and is a transition cut, and unless I point them out, my friends say they can't see the differences! So if you want a bigger stone and think you can't afford one, ask your jeweler if he has an older cut stone lurking in his safe, waiting for an understanding buyer to take advantage of its old world warmth and charm.

How you mount it can help. You can buy diamonds in the lower color ranges, and help nature out a bit. If you purchase a diamond solitaire with a bit of color to it, have the jeweler set the stone in a white gold or better yet, a platinum head (the part that holds the stone). White gold heads will jump the color grade about one grade (most jewelers use white anyway), while Platinum heads are slightly more expensive but will jump your color about two grades. A great way to get better color without paying for it.

You can improve on clarity. There are companies which will take your stone and laser drill a microscopic hole in it and literally suck out an inclusion to improve the clarity. They then backfill the hole with a substance which has similar refractive properties as diamond, and only your jeweler will know its been drilled. Most guarantee the process for the life of the stone, and as long as you tell future jewelers that your stone is filled, you should never have a problem. Many people use this technique to improve the quality of inherited stones, but you can also buy clarity enhanced stones from your jeweler and get a nicer or larger stone for less than you would spend on a non-enhanced stone. But be aware, clarity enhanced stones are generally worth less than stones of the same quality which are not clarity enhanced.

Volume can be cheaper. A cluster of small stones can be less expensive than one big stone. Ever wonder why? Its because the larger the stone, the more you pay per carat for it. For example, two .25 carat stones should cost you the same as one .50 carat stone, right? Wrong! The half carat will cost you more. The larger the stone, the more you will pay per carat. So if you are on a budget, but want something impressive, buying a smaller center stone and surrounding it with a splash of smaller stones can make for a knockout piece of jewelry which costs considerably less than one single diamond.

Earrings? Forget it, buy cheap. I tell most of my shoppers that if they are buying diamond stud earrings under .50 points in total weight, to go for something decent in the SI2 to I2 range, with an emphasis on what they call "good top white color."

Why? Because no one really stares at your ears, or holds theirs up to yours the way ladies might do to compare their rings. All anyone will see is the beauty of the stones as they flash by. Also, diamonds have a real affinity for grease and will get dirty quickly when worn as earrings, which means unless you are diligent about keeping them clean, most people won't be able to tell an H color diamond earring from a J color one.

Now, having said that, I also tell my clients if they think their diamond earrings may someday be handed down to become their children's wedding stones, they may want to purchase their diamond earrings with the same care they would take in choosing a wedding stone and stay in the G-H color range, and the SI2 to VVS2 range.

A word about tennis bracelets. Some people buy tennis bracelets without inquiring about the quality of the stones that make them up. You may think one jeweler is more expensive than another, but it may simply be that his bracelet stones are of a better quality. Again, you have to decide what is important to you.

Most tennis bracelets are made with adequately white stones, and if the size of the stones is small, who cares about clarity as long as the price is right and it looks good, right? But if you are going to buy a bracelet with larger sized stones, stones that may someday become a pendant or a pin or side stones for a ring, be aware of the color and the clarity. Those bargain bracelets are made with really poor quality stones, so don't be fooled by special offers. Any jeweler worth his weight will accommodate your questions and help find you exactly the right quality bracelet within your budget.

I hope these hints help you with your shopping - be sure to Ask Mrs. Gottrocks if you have any questions about our stock, or about jewelry in general, and check back for additions to our topics!