<p>Do you have any experience buying a single loose diamond online through one of the websites that purport to offer ‘wholesale’ prices? Are these really cheaper than at a regular store? If you wanted to sell again would you be able to get anything like most of your money back? I am thinking in the $5-10K range, not a 22 carat pink one or anything like that.</p>
<p>Come on guys, I don’t believe there are no diamond buyers out there.</p>
<p>I have bought a lot of jewelry from a large local pawn shop. It’s in a large city. Local real estate agents have been unloading diamonds and other jewelry there for the last four years. Others have been selling also but some of my best buys were from real estate agents who have been hard hit.</p>
<p>I have bought a one carat loose diamond, but it was at a highly reputable local jeweler who does their own diamond cutting. I bought it from them because it is exceptionally beautiful, not as an investment. Personally, I would NEVER EVER buy something like that online.</p>
<p>I too am a diamond (emerald/ruby/sapphire/pearl) person. NEVER would I purchase anything (save costume jewelry) on line. Nowadays there are so many ways to take consumers. Find a jewelry store (not a mall type store) and check it out…then go to another place…and one more…then compare.</p>
<p>My H and I couldn’t afford a diamond wedding ring and had gold bands for years. As our 30th anniversary was approaching, H wanted to buy me a diamond ring. We went with a jewelry designer friend to the diamond district in NYC. Jeweler friend got a referral to this diamond dealer from her stone dealer–also in NY. It was lots of fun to go and pick out the stone. I’m not sure I really knew what I was doing, but the salesperson was helpful in pointing out the attributes of diamonds–clarity, color, cut, carats, etc. I have a really beautiful ring and liked being able to make suggestions about the design. IMO you have to have some trust in the merchant selling the stones. I wouldn’t buy online–you really don’t get a sense of the merchant with whom you are dealing.</p>
<p>The only online sources I would trust are blue nile and costco. All their loose stones are GIA certified and they accept returns if you are not happy with the stone.</p>
<p>For a loose stone in that range, I would go to a brick and mortar store - the difference in how stones look is huge and you will probably want to see the stone.</p>
<p>I don’t know anything at all about diamonds.</p>
<p>That said, you can find some interesting information about loose diamonds on the Borsheim’s site. They are owned by Berkshire Hathaway, (Warren Buffet).</p>
<p>They have a loose diamond search fuction that lets you specify a lot of parameters and they will give you a list of available stones. I don’t know what the parameters mean,but if you select some, you’ll get one frame of reference on what one store charges. They don’t appear inexpensive.</p>