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Bonded Jewelers
Know who to trust and who to walk away from
In every organization
there are always the elite few that standout in the crowd. In the
Army, you've got the "Rangers". In the Navy, you've got
the "Seals". In the Air Force, you've got the "P.J.'s"
and in a world filled with ordinary jewelers you have super jewelry
stores called "Bonded Jewelers!" Why Fred, are "Bonded
Jewelers" better than the rest? What are they bonded for? Well,
hold onto your hats and I'll tell you.
For starters, only approximately 5% of the jewelers
in the world are bonded. Only 1 out of every 20! By "bonded",
I'm referring to the fact that they sell bonded diamonds, and bonded
diamonds my friend, are the way to go if you can afford them. They
typically run 10-15% above non-bonded diamonds. A bonded diamond
is just a fancy way of describing a fully warranted diamond.
This is what you
get when you buy a bonded diamond:
1. All bonded diamonds
come with a lifetime breakage policy. You bust the stone; the jeweler
gives you a new one. (One bust per customer) This is a wonderful
policy. Since treated stones tend to be brittle. No jeweler would
give you this guarantee unless your diamond is 100% natural.
2. And you're going
to love this: all bonded stones come with a lifetime buy back policy.
Translation, for the life of the diamond, you can take it back to
the jewelers and get 100% of your money back on the diamond!! (Mountings
and sales tax not included) How wonderful is this! If you're not
100% satisfied for the life of your purchase you get your money
back. Now you might ask, "How can a jeweler afford to do this?"
How can he not? Great diamonds are in demand, very liquid and easy
to resell. Any jeweler worth his salt will be glad to buy back a
good diamond. If a jeweler doesn't want to buy back your diamond,
then there was probably something wrong with it in the first place.
3. All bonded diamonds
come with an unconditional lifetime exchange policy. This is great!
If your fiancee ever gets bored with her shape, your jeweler will
allow even exchanges. (You have to pay for resetting fees.)
4. Bonded diamonds
come with a lifetime trade-in policy with a fixed appreciation rate
to keep up with inflation.
5. Bonded diamonds
come with a market crash protection policy. If the diamond market
ever crashes and your diamond depreciates, the jeweler will refund
the difference between what you paid from the new market value.
6. All bonded stones
are guaranteed to be natural and untreated.
Final Comments: If you can find a bonded jeweler,
they are the way to go. Dishonest jewelers thrive knowing that it's
possible to take a bad diamond and make it look good. But looking
good and staying looking good are two different things. That diamond
needs to pop as much as the day you bought it as it will on your
25th wedding anniversary. With a bonded diamond, if the diamond
doesn't always meet your expectations or surpass it, you get your
money back.
One of the most commonly questions I get asked
is, Where can I find a bonded diamond jeweler in my area?
This is one thing DCIs FREE MyGemologist program helps
people do. Find out more and sign up for DCIs MyGemologist.
by Fred Cuellar, author of the best-selling book
"How to Buy a Diamond." More questions? Ask
the Diamond Guy®
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