Why shop with a jewelry broker for your diamond engagement ring?

Alongside a house or a car, an engagement ring is one of the most intensely personal acquisitions in life. Perhaps the most personal, because it is visible all the time. It shows who you are, as well as standing for your unique relationship. How do you go about something so important? A good jewelry broker provides the most personal jewelry shopping experience possible. If you have looked in normal retail venues and not found what you want; or not found a salesperson’s undivided attention and unfaltering patience, in a completely private, serene atmosphere; or want the proof of superior value that a private jeweler-gemologist can provide, through high expertise and lower costs of doing business, you should consider working with me.

How does a broker sell diamond engagement rings without inventory?

A broker occupies an unusual place in the commercial world, but fulfills an old and honored function. He or she is simply someone who puts buyer and seller together, charging a fee for this service. The idea is associated with financial instruments, such as stocks, bonds and insurance; and, of course, most closely with real estate. It is a form of retail selling whenever the buyer is doing so for private use, even though none of these items is taxed in the same way as jewelry. Sometimes, a broker will become a seller, assuming legal responsibility as a party to the deal (as is my usual practice).

Even with as tangible an item as jewelry, brokerage is the sale of market information, including prices, products and market conditions (including current styles and trends). In gemstones and jewelry, market information is hard for the prospective buyer to acquire, establishing the role of someone like myself. In today's new retail jewelry reality, with such high costs of materials, most wholesalers are open to alternative channels for bringing goods to market, as long as they know they can depend on the small dealer for prompt payment or returns of their goods. From all this, it may be clear that my thirty-four years of experience form the foundation for how I function in the jewelry business.

We begin with a discussion to find out where you are in your search. What have you seen? What do you like? What do you already own?  What have you seen that appeals to you most? What best flatters you, based on hair, eye and skin color?  I quickly provide you with information, and, then, within a few days, actual choices for you to consider.

Sometimes I do sell pieces from my showcases, whether an estate wedding or engagement ring on consignment from its private owner, or something from a source in the jewelry trade, old or new. Mostly, though, I bring items in on short-term consignment from the jewelry trade. You get to see it before making a decision. If you like it, you can buy it; if not, I return it. I shop to find the lowest cost for an item that meets your needs, working with the lower costs of doing business that being a smaller trader allows.

Finding your diamond

Finding the right diamond for you is the easier part of what I do (the ring mountings they go into are the harder). Thanks to standardized grading, diamonds are essentially generic to shop for, even as they are each one-of-a-kind. The most essential value elements are, and always will be, their color, clarity, and cutting quality (which is the main cause of their brilliance, fire and sparkle), as well as their carat weight. I am a life-long student of what makes a diamond beautiful, and I want to share that knowledge with you. Although no one you will meet owns a diamond mine, a few will make buying a diamond easy and fascinating at the same time, and I am one of them.

Finding your engagement ring

I lead by following. I look and listen to find out what kind of ring you want. We go on-line together, look through trade journals, auction catalogs, and wholesalers' literature. What is your sense of style? What is most flattering for your face, hands, and eyes? What do your wear now? What do you do for a living? Then, the search is on. And it's fun!

If the item must be custom-made, sometimes I make a sketch, or I might choose to work with a jeweler who is skilled at computer aided design to render a picture. Most of the time, custom manufacture utilizes the lost-wax casting method. This requires making a wax model, which is available for you to see before the item is cast, giving you a chance to make changes to the final product. Or, if hand-made, you can view the item in progress at critical junctures.

Why it works

So, in brief, I am a gemologist-appraiser and jewelry broker, who has a degree of design sense to go with a good knowledge of jewelry history and an understanding of manufacturing techniques. The more special the diamond engagement ring of your dreams, the more you will be delighted with the results of working with me.