The question of “value” is probably the most difficult for the male jewelry buyer. Typically, he only shops for jewelry every two and a half years and then he often has the uncomfortable feeling that he is not spending his money wisely. Take the young man who entered our shop a couple of weeks ago, for instance. He’d done some online shopping and he’d shopped a few other stores before he entered ours. Kathleen greeted him and spent more than an hour with him discussing the parameters of diamond beauty; and when she was done, he asked that we get diamonds within a very tight range of weight, color, clarity and cut characteristics to show him. We agreed, even though the diamonds he’d asked to see were barely within the range of what we’d consider “O.K.”. A week later he arrived for the appointment, examined the diamonds and remarked that he didn’t like any of them very much. As we represent Hearts On Fire, the most beautiful diamond on the market, we could not disagree with him; so he and Kathy worked out a new set of characteristics that he thought would be acceptable, scheduling an appointment for a week later. The day came, he arrived and he liked these diamonds much better; but they were on the outer fringes of what he was willing to spend. Daunted by the prices, he could not make a decision, complaining that he didn’t know if he was getting a good deal our not; and there it was left. What he may do in the future is anyone’s guess; but it raises the question of the interrelationship between price and value.They’re not the same; and confusing them or conflating them is a self deceit. Speaking through one of his characters more than a century ago, Oscar Wilde put it more bluntly, observing that a cynic is “A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.” When it comes to diamonds, price is a direct function of rarity. The more rare the diamond, the higher its price – not as determined by some some arbitrary index (the conspiracy theory of diamond pricing), but as determined by the market. Yes, diamonds are almost always sold at market value. For the young man, the problem was simple, he could see that beautiful diamonds cost more than “plain Jane” diamonds but he could not accept the notion that beauty is the greatest rarity factor of all and thus “worth” its higher price. He was caught up in color (yet no responsible appraiser will assign a “tight” color value to a diamond set in a piece of jewelry), concerned over clarity grades that could not be differentiated with the naked eye and somehow convinced that if he sacrificed perfection in cut for more rare color and clarity he’d automatically have greater value in the diamond – even if it didn’t look as good as a lesser priced, but flawlessly cut diamond! I doubt if we’ll ever see him again as it seems likely to me that some smooth talker will take him by the shoulder and say, “I
like you, son. So I’m gonna give you the deal of a lifetime. Looka here at this diamond; it’s regularly $10,000; but because I like you, you can have it at half price!” And like a trout to a fly, he’ll snap up the bait. Need convincing that this would most likely be a bad bargain? A few years back, “Prime Time” took a look at “off price” jewelry sales as well as misrepresentations of gems. One of their undercover shoppers, for instance, purchased a ring with a “list price” of $385 at a 30% “discount” price of $270. “Prime Time” then submitted the ring to three appraisers for an evaluation: they all agreed that $152 was a fair retail price for the ring. In place of Kathy’s learned and experienced discussion of diamonds, “Prime Time” found gems being sold by sales people who ranged from untrained (the majority) to those who willfully misrepresented their goods. The moral of the story? When you shop price, you will find yourself in bed with those who care only about your money. Proceed to the next paragraph for a look at value.

The value of a diamond or diamond jewelry is wholly emotional. An engagement ring is not a “bride price”, it is a token of love and esteem. Does a homely but technically rare diamond say “I love you” at a bargain price? I don’t think so! Last night I sold a lovely diamond to a young man who knew the real value of the engagement ring. It wasn’t the largest diamond he could buy for his money nor was it the most technically rare, but it was far and away the most beautiful. It was the world’s most perfectly cut diamond, it was a Hearts On Fire. Its supernova brilliance, its volcanic fire and its superior transparency and luster made it obvious to him that it was the most beautiful diamond he’d ever seen; so it was a fitting gift for the most beautiful woman in his life, the woman he wanted to marry. And of course, that’s why we sell Hearts On Fire. Oh, the money’s O.K.; but the real satisfaction lies in doing the job right – giving the guy who needs to make a statement a diamond or diamonds that are so stunningly beautiful they will say, “I love you” for him while he’s bashfully looking at his shoes. Check out our Hearts On Fire collection on line at hurstsberwynjewelers.com; then phone 708.788.0880 for an appointment to select your perfect statement. We’re Hursts’ Berwyn Jewelers and our job is realizing your dreams.