Buying diamonds on eBay requires that one has a good solid knowledge of diamonds. Many of the diamond pictures you see on eBay are simply stock pictures so you have no way of knowing if the diamond you are looking at is real or if it is a stock picture.
So here are some simple criteria that can help when browsing diamonds on eBay.
Firstly, check the feedback of the seller. Someone who has been selling diamonds for sometime is more likely to be selling genuine diamonds otherwise their feedback would be poor or they are likely not to have survived for long if found to be selling fakes.
Second, any diamond for sale should have a certificate from an independent gemological laboratory outlining the qualities of the diamond, such as the cut, the color, clarity and carat weight. The certificate should be displayed along with a picture of the diamond or jewelry with the diamond setting and the certificated information should match the diamond. The first thing you do when actually buying a diamond online of course is to check the certificate against the diamond to see that they match
If the seller also displays an independent appraisal that would be a mark in their favor as well. Often with this appraisal a replacement value will be stated and this is usually more than the asking price for the diamond.
Some knowledge of diamonds in terms of color, clarity, cut and weight is important so you can tell if the price is right and not too expensive for that particular diamond.
It also pays to ask the seller questions. Such as, do they have a returns policy in the event that the diamond is not what was described or what you expected or even, is not suitable after a full inspection? What sort of payment options are there? Papal and credit card are the preferred payment options principally because, if it turns out that the diamond is a fake or not as described, then you may need to recourse to getting your funds back through Papal or the credit card company.
Additionally, When buying diamonds on eBay, using just plain common sense and a little due diligence goes a long way to ensuring that you get a good secure deal
