Customer Reviews

Diamonds: The Antoinette Matlins Buying Guide (How to Select, Buy, Care for Diamonds With Confidence and Knowledge)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have most of Antoinette Matlins books and I give them all five stars. If you are interested in learning about or are planning to buy a diamond for any reason, I would read this book first!!
I recently purchased the book "Diamond Buying Guide" and had not realized how involved and complicated it is to understand the differences in the evaluation of diamonds. A particular diamond I thought was a great deal before reading this book, however, I learned was not a good deal at all. The purchase would have been a poor investment. Thanks to this book I gained enough confidence and knowledge to explore the diamond market and I purchased a beautiful diamond ring for my wife. I had the diamond ring appraised by a reputable appraiser and I felt even better when she informed me that my purchase was as represented and the purchase was at a very good price. The appraiser was impressed with how much I new about diamonds. I was proud to inform her it was because of this book. The book is easy reading, informative, and was helpful to me. Thanks!

A detailed book that gives you a great understanding of diamonds and what affects their value, covers the important facts on diamonds, how they can be enhanced and their simulants. What to avoid, how and where or where not to buy. The scams and how to get professional appraisals. Will give you more knowlage than most high street chain jewelers have. Buy this before buying any diamond jewellery.

Antoinette Matlins' buying guides for jewelry and gemstones are excellent, and "Diamonds" is no exception. Perhaps because she is a gemologist consultant, Ms. Matlins excels in anticipating what consumers want to know and makes sure her guides answer those questions. The paucity of color photographs, which are limited to a 12-page insert, may be "Diamonds" weakness. People like to look at pictures of sparkling gems, but the abundant information in the guide is easy to understand without photographs. And photos are probably less essential in a diamond guide than in a guide of colored gemstones, since there are fewer varieties. Many of the most interesting and popular cuts are pictured, so the essential photos are included.

After explaining how to examine a stone through a loupe, Matlins moves on to the meat of the guide in Part 2: There is a chapter for each of the 4Cs: cut, color, clarity, carat weight. Illustrations of ideal cut, different cuts, faulty cuts, and how they affect price are especially interesting. The chapter on color includes discussion of color grading systems and the HPHT process to improve color. These are followed by chapters on diamond grading reports and how that information affects price, and common types of misrepresentation and what you can do to avoid being misled, including discussion of fake diamonds and how to detect them. One chapter is dedicated to comparing prices for round, brilliant-cut diamonds, so that we can see the relative effects of the 4Cs on price. Another chapter addresses color and color enhancement in fancy diamonds, with a retail price guide and sample gem grading reports.

The last 2 parts of "Diamonds" include descriptions of common diamond settings, advice on what to ask when shopping for a diamond, what to consider, and what to get in writing on your bill of sale, as well as advice on finding a good jeweler, gemologist, appraiser, or insurer, caring for diamonds, and a little about the Gemprint diamond identification system. This book provides more detail about diamond cuts, enhancements, and how to detect a fake than Fred Cuellar's "How to Buy a Diamond" guide. Antoinette Matlins' approach is more hands-on, emphasizing the consumer looking at diamonds through a loupe, whereas Cuellar expects that you will rely on machines to analyze the diamonds but offers more guidance on the shopping experience itself -guidance that is inextricably entwined with promotion for his own business, however.

Informative and realistic for the diamond buyer. Gives the basics necessary when searching for a diamond. My only complaint is that the book was purchased new and the cover was dirty.

This book has been more than helpful to me in terms of buying and selling my diamonds. I learned so much and find myself going back to it atleast once a week for advice and information lol. By far the best purchase I've made in a very long time, well other than my beautiful diamonds:) It has helped me to be able to tell when I'm potentially being scammed or if someone is trying to sell me a diamond for way more than its value. Needless to say, I would reccomend this book to anyone who is in the market for ANY diamond or diamond piece for that matter. A+++

The newly expanded, updated edition of DIAMONDS: THE ANTOINETTE MATLINS BUYING GUIDE tells how to select, buy and care for diamonds and is a 'must' for any library catering to consumers with jewelry books. It covers everything from quality differences and grading reports to how to compare prices, spot differences in stones, and protect from misrepresentation. A 'must' for any who would collect or assess diamonds.

Sorry to rain on the 5-star parade by other reviewers, but this book is a TOTAL waste of money. DO NOT BUY IT. ALL, I repeat -- ALL -- the information included in this book can be found FOR FREE by doing simple Google or Bing searches for key words. I feel like such a sucker for paying $10 for this book. I literally learned NOTHING and already had read EVERYTHING it's contents included. Shame on me, I guess, for thinking this book would provide more insight than I already had.

That being said - if you are too lazy to conduct free internet searches from your couch, for $10 you do get a good amount of information in one place via this book.

Cheers and happy diamond hunting.

This book is a must for anyone interested in becoming a savvy diamond buyer! A muat read....

This book provided all the information I needed to feel confident about making a major diamond purchase. Very informative and easy to understand. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone getting ready to buy a diamond.

Without a doubt, this edition is the best buying guide for diamond buyers. Antoinette Matlins knows everything there is to know about diamonds and their purchase. I would buy a diamond from her any day.