Some good homework before you purchase will help unravel the confusion. Knowing what questions to ask about quality ensures you will spend your money wisely and be happier with your purchase. T he fact is that mark-ups vary widely in the jewelry industry both from the wholesale and the retail side. You'd think you could just look around some and ask different jewelers the grade on their diamonds and then compare prices. The problem is that while diamond grading is supposed to be a universal standard, it rarely gets interpreted that way.
All jewelers assign their own grades, which leads to misgrading, both unintentional and on purpose.
Either way, you can't compare based on quotes alone. A good jeweler will appreciate your questions and give clear answers. A poor jeweler will find them irritating, and give vague answers. T here are six sections to this site.