Educate Yourself
Learn about diamonds and gems from the source: GIA, the Gemological Institute of America. GIA developed the diamond grading system we use and they have educated jewelers and consumers for the last fifty years. Their latest educational campaign is GemKids.gia.edu. It’s a blast and definitely NOT just for kids. Their videos on diamond grading are unbiased, of course, and are a part of their never-ending push to educate consumers as well as those who sell. It’s all there on their website; check it out. Aim straight for the basics you’ll need to understand and take charge of what can easily be a confusing and stressful purchase.
I strongly recommend these clever, colorful visual tools to those on the side of the counter who sell diamonds and gems, especially GemKids. Gems, jewelry and gemology – family friendly!
Excellent books on gemology include Eyewitness Books’ Crystal and Gem, part of a series available in the children’s section at any bookseller. Its pictures are dazzling. Crystal and Gem is marketed as a book for kids, and, like many children’s books, it emphasizes graphics – not text. Yet it accurately covers concepts such as crystallography, atomic structure, gem identification, synthetic gemstones, and optical properties. Cally Hall’s Identifying Gems and Precious Stones is similar. Both can help when choosing a colored gemstone.