1.WHAT ARE DIAMONDS AND WHY ARE THEY SO EXPENSIVE?

A. Diamonds are crystallized carbon—naturally occurring but very rare in high quality and very difficult and expensive to mine.

2.WHY DO YOU PUT CUT AS THE FIRST PRIORITY FOR DIAMOND QUALITY?

A. Because no customer has every asked me for a dull, lifeless diamond; they always want the fire, brilliance and scintillation that only occurs in better-cut diamonds. Clarity only greatly affects fire in very low-grade stones (I2 or I3). Furthermore, some customers prefer slightly tinted colors like J-K over D-E-F colorless stones—and more power to them. The important thing is just to buy your favorite.

3. WHAT MAKES A DIAMOND YELLOW INSTEAD OF WHITE OR COLORLESS?

A. The presence of the element nitrogen causes a diamond to show yellow.

4. WHAT IS A FRACTURE FILLED DIAMOND AND WHY DON’T YOU TRY TO SELL THESE BARGAINS LIKE SOME OTHER STORES DO?

A. The name says it all: these stones have very serious flaws open to the surface (or opened to the surface with a laser drilled hole) that are filled to hide the flaw's magnitude. Regarding their apparent value, keep in mind most of these stones would not be considered a saleable quality for fine jewelry before the treatment. The investment in filling these stones--about $100.00 per carat--lets dealers sell them for two to three times that amount after treatment. Now are they pretty? Yes, but your bargain might just be a joke. Remember what your dad taught: you get what you pay for.

5. WHAT IS LASER DRILLING AND WHY AREN’T YOU AGAINST SELLING THESE STONES?

A. Laser drilling is important to understand. The drill hole is permanent, tiny and usually visible under 10x; however, if the drill hole worries you, so would the carbon inclusion. It has whitened so you wouldn’t be buying that particular stone anyway.

6. WHY AREN’T YOU SELLING DIAMONDS AND OTHER PRECIOUS STONES OVER THE INTERNET?

A. Diamonds—and stones in general—need to be shown and explained in person. Paperwork is not enough. A salesperson needs to work personally with you, teach you what to look for, and help you learn what you like. Diamonds should be studied under different types of light and under 10x magnification. Why do you think diamond dealers buy stones in person? The savings on travel is not worth the mistakes we would make by buying from a fax or Internet picture. Plus, many diamonds have good-looking laboratory reports but don’t look that good in person. I call these Internet diamonds.

7. WHAT IS THE BEST SHAPE OF A DIAMOND AND SHOULD I ONLY BUY THIS SHAPE?

This is a personal opinion and only you can answer this one. Best should be your choice for what you think you will enjoy the most and what you find most beautiful thank goodness we are all individuals and have minds of our own with the right to choose for ourselves as only the great US of A can offer.

8. WHY ARE MOST OF YOUR DIAMONDS LOOSE? I CAN’T PERSONALLY PICTURE HOW THEY WOULD LOOK IN MY FAVORITE MOUNTING.

A. We want our customers to have the same shopping advantages we have when buying at the cutting centers. It is much harder to determine the different quality factors when a diamond is mounted. Color is the very most problematic characteristic to grade when a stone is mounted—the diamond usually look several grades better than it really is. Look at the stone you are buying loose then have it dropped in some settings you like. This will make sure there are no flaws hidden by prongs or color you don’t see.

9. THE MALL STORE OFFERED A LIFETIME WARRANTY ON DIAMOND SOLITARIES AND MY FRIEND SAID NO STORE LIKE YOURS COULD MATCH THIS. WHY IS THAT?

Actually, we do offer a lifetime warranty for stone characteristics and mounting quality and materials. Plus we have been here offering this for 35 years while many of these stores have come and gone in the years we have been here servicing our customers.

10. DO YOU CHARGE TO CLEAN OR CHECK THE CONDITION OF MY DIAMOND RING IF IT CAME FROM GRISSOM’S?

No, but even for those of you that bought you ring elsewhere, this service is free of charge.