Consumer Guide To Diamonds, Third Edition [Paperback]

Joseph Mirsky (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

An excellent layman’s guide…a highly affordable "must-read" for anyone considering a hefty monetary investment in these precious stones. -- The Midwest Book Review, December, 2003

Product Description

Are you going to spend a fortune on a diamond?

Are you afraid you'll make a mistake?

Do you know what an ideal cut diamond is?

Consumer Guide To diamonds - How to spend your fortune without making a mistake.

There are plenty of bad diamonds out there and somebody has to buy them. Written by a working jeweler, gemologist and appraiser who's seen every mistake you ll make, Consumer Guide To Diamonds will make sure that somebody isn't you.

Every diamond education covers the four C's: Carat Weight, Color, Clarity, Cut. The first three are straightforward and easily grasped. How big is it? How white is it? How many flaws? But the cut makes the diamond shine and shine is the whole point of buying diamond. Cut refers not to the shape or number of facets of a diamond, but to the angles and relative sizes of the facets. There's less than 1 degree tolerance for good brilliance on the angle that forms the bottom cone of a diamond.

Cut is very messy. Angles, percentages, ideal cuts, near-ideals, spread stones, nailheads, fisheyes, girdle, crown, pavilion.... Well, so what? Just buy one with a good cut grade. Well, one outfit has one that really isn t one but everybody uses it anyway. But the GIA (Gemological Institute of America), the 800 pound gorilla of diamonds, doesn't like it so they just got their own, which really is one. I told you cut was messy. The book explains these convolutions, from the optics to the politics.

There s a lot about cut in the book because cut is The Next Big Thing in the diamond world and the industry is in the middle of a cat and dog fight about whose idea of the ideal cut diamond will win. The diamonds in the sky and water on the cover are actual top and bottom photos of a hearts and arrows diamond, a perfectly symmetrical, superideal cut, taken through a special viewer. The book explains all the ins and outs of ideal cuts and hearts and arrows diamonds.

There are a lot of photos in the book. A series of photos shows you how easy it is to spot diamonds for which that bottom angle you just got so worried about is wrong. And those flaws you're still worried about are shown in another series of photos. There are photos of fake and doctored diamonds, too. One of the reasons the book is relatively short is all those thousand-word pictures. The other is that you want a book to get unconfused first and learn the history of diamonds later. Well, you need a little history for the big picture and the book will give you just the right amount.

The book also covers certificates, price lists, fake and doctored diamonds, advertising hype, shopping tips, and appraisals.

And you'll get a dose of that old-time retail religion. You get what you pay for. Discount means cheap stuff cheap, not good stuff cheap. A good deal on a bad diamond is no bargain. And there s juicy gossip about the non-believers who went to diamond hell.

But it s not all work. There's some fun stuff, too. A company called LifeGem will turn your ashes into a diamond after you're gone. The company will heat your specially prepared 'cremains' in a vacuum to reduce you to pure carbon, and then will squeeze you into a diamond. Cost is $22,000 per carat with a 1/4 carat minimum at $4000. A human is forever. And there's no need to spend forever without your best friend. Rover can join you when his time comes. The company reports that half its business is for pets.

Click on see more pictures just below the thumbnail of the cover, then click on the right thumbnail of a page from the book to see a few of the 64 photographs in the book that show you what to look for and what look out for.

I write newsletters, too. For something completely different, check out Ornamentally Incorrect, Have You Hugged Your Jeweler Today? , also sold on Amazon

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 108 pages
• Publisher: Joseph's Jewelry (June 3, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0970007418
• ISBN-13: 978-0970007414
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,073,004 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best of its type!, June 3, 2001

By	Paul Bifani (Wyckoff, NJ USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Consumer Guide to Diamonds, 2nd edition (Paperback)

Before I began shopping for an engagement ring for my fiance, I knew absolutely nothing about diamonds. Determined not to make a mistake in my purchase or pay more than I should, I researched the subject intensively. I bought six different books on the subject of buying diamonds, went to countless diamond dealers including many on 47th Street in NYC, and learned enough over time to make an informed purchase. The best single aid to my education, by far, was Joe Mirsky's book. His explanations were clear, objective, comprehensive and honest. His emphasis on the importance of the quality of the cut in determining the beauty of a diamond is right on! End result: a very happy fiance!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Storehouse of Information, May 9, 2006

By	Barry Bridgestock - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Consumer Guide To Diamonds, Third Edition (Paperback)

This book is a storehouse of information and contains more
gem information in its 108 pages than any consumer guide
I've ever read. For anyone who intends to buy a diamond this
is a very modest investment which can help buyers avoid the
pitfalls of gemstone purchasing. I am a professional colored
gem cutter and I've found much of the information in this
book to be relevant to buying rough gemstones. This book is
honest, informational and entertaining.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A suit of armor for your diamond shopping trip!, February 6, 2005

By	Barbara W. Smigel - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Consumer Guide To Diamonds, Third Edition (Paperback)

As a graduate gemologist and gemology teacher whose main area of interest is colored stones, I read relatively few books on diamonds. Joe Mirsky's book is one that caught and held my attention.

He cuts to the chase, and through the mystique which so often accompanies the industry hype on diamonds. His practical and senisble approach to diamond selection, terminology and ownership should be read by anyone with an interest in owning or learning more about this most precious form of the element carbon.