Buying
Buying loose diamonds wholesale as a jeweler
How trade accounts actually work, when a phone call beats a cart, and the red flags that should end a conversation.
September 1, 2026 · 6 min read
Education
Plain guidance for jewelers and designers who buy loose stones. How the trade prices them, how pairs get matched, what a report does and does not tell you, and where the specialty cuts actually come from. No fluff and no sales pitch.
Pricing
What wholesale diamond prices actually look like
Per-carat math, break points, and why the natural and lab-grown markets no longer move together. Written for someone buying, not browsing.
September 1, 2026 · 6 min read
Grading
GIA and IGI, the real-world split
Natural stock comes on GIA papers. Lab-grown comes on IGI. Here is how the market ended up that way and what to check on either report.
September 1, 2026 · 5 min read
Shapes
Length to width ratios, the working guide
What ratio bands the trade actually orders in, shape by shape, and why the charts you find online will hand you the wrong stone.
September 1, 2026 · 6 min read
Grading
How diamond matched pairs are actually matched
Weight to the point is the easy part. What actually makes two stones read as a pair, and why the second stone costs more than the first.
September 1, 2026 · 7 min read
Shapes
Long cushion and elongated cushion: what the trade means by each
Two names, one shelf, and a real supply problem behind them. What the terms mean in the trade and how a long cushion prices next to an oval.
September 1, 2026 · 6 min read
Shapes
Old mine cut in the lab-grown era
A cut that stopped being made in 1910 is one of the fastest moving things on our shelf. What it is, what to check, and why it came back.
September 1, 2026 · 6 min read
Layouts
How to choose side stones for an engagement ring
Tapered baguettes, trapezoids, half moons, bullets, pears or rounds. Which one belongs beside your center, how big it should be, and how close the color has to be.
September 3, 2026 · 6 min read
Buying
How to pick a center stone size
A carat is a weight, not a size. Here are the millimeter numbers by shape, what changes between a size 5 and a size 8 finger, and where the money is best spent.
September 3, 2026 · 6 min read
Layouts
Tapered baguettes, how to size the taper
A tapered baguette has three measurements and one angle. Here is how to read them, how to match the taper to the shank, and what tolerance a real pair holds.
September 3, 2026 · 6 min read
Grading
Melee diamonds, how to spec them so they match
Melee is sold by sieve and graded by parcel, which is exactly why it arrives looking a grade off. Here is the size table and the spec that prevents it.
September 3, 2026 · 6 min read
Grading
Matching side stone color to the center stone
One grade is the working tolerance, and whiter sides are worse than warmer ones. Why that is, and how to check a match before the stones are set.
September 3, 2026 · 6 min read
Buying
Mixing lab-grown and natural in one piece
A natural center with lab-grown sides is a normal order. What it saves, whether the two will match, and exactly how the paperwork has to read.
September 3, 2026 · 6 min read
Grading
Reading a diamond report for calibrated layouts
A grading report is a quality document that happens to contain four fitting numbers. Here is how to pull them out and pre-check a layout before you order.
September 3, 2026 · 6 min read
Pricing
Memo and consignment, how it works for jewelers
A memo puts a stone on your bench without buying it. Who owns it, who insures it, how long you have, and what a dealer needs before saying yes.
September 3, 2026 · 6 min read