More questions....
1) Understand that Tiffany does not use GIA or AGS, they have their own standards. True?
yes this is true, you will get a tiffany cert instead
2) I see a lot of Solitaires being displayed in shops locally. Are the solitaires of one shop
cut the same as the competitor. Or they are all cut differently?
yes mostly are cut to the same brilliant 57-58 facet cut. however not all gems are equal, its good to be able to compute the holloway cut advisor rating which can give an indication on how good a rock is. additionally, there's a term called triple-ex (excellent), which is excellent cut, excellent polish and excellent symmetry. diamonds that are triple-ex and have a good HCA value of below 2 typically are very good gems, albeit may be overpriced.
but there are also other modified brilliant cuts that can be available at a premium too.
3) Can you trade-in diamonds? eg, you bought a 0.7ct diamond from shop A. 1 year later, you bring the diamond back to trade in for a bigger 2ct diamond with cash top ups.
yes for those renown shops like sk, sookee, leehwa and blahblah.. they have a "full value protection" system, which means within 2 years, with the diamond and receipt and cert you can go back to the shop and upgrade your rock to higher value one. you just have to pay the difference as the shop "takes in" your current rock at the same price you bought. above 2 years, they may chop 20% or more off the price per year there after. but do note, buy a diamond only if you are reallllly into getting it, because diamonds in reality, are quite worthless. there are some old brand shop, that even suggest aunties bring in their gold to trade for diamond.. dont. cuz gold holds its value, diamonds...dont. its good info to know that the cost of mining a carat of diamond is probably a hundred USD or less.
4) How often do you need to polish or clean the diamonds?
not often. cleaning is once in a while, i waterbath sonicate the diamond in 20% ethanol for five minutes. comes out super sparkly.
5) What is full value protection?
as per previously described
6) Does the holder set of the diamond makes a difference to the sparkle? Which material
aids in the sparkle - platinum, white gold, silver?
white gold or platinum is the norm these days, yellow gold may only make a mildly yellow rock look even yellower. the holder may make a difference to the sparkle, depends on how the diamond is held, the claw design and how much the rock is elevated etc. light that hits the pavillion can be redirected upwards, so if the holder covers too much of the pav, you may have a loss of some of this sparklyness
BTW, saw that De Beers is opening shop in Marina Bay Sands.
Also, please buy my lenses so that I can start getting my education in diamonds.
http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=744977
http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=744988
http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=745279