All Jewelers Are Not Created Equal: Where to Buy a Diamond.

Even if this is your bride's second marriage, the special thrill of receiving an engagement ring can never be diminished. Today there are lots of places you can buy her diamond: traditional jewelry stores, department stores, online stores and, yes, even eBay.

With all these choices, how do you know where to go to make sure you buy the best ring you can afford for your encore marriage? First, some things to consider:

• You want to be assured of quality.
• You want to trust that you're paying fair market value.
• You want to see a broad product offering so you can make comparisons.
• You want to gather as much information as you can and get honest answers to all your questions.
• You want to be assured of good service. (This includes having the ring sized after you present it, or perhaps changed to a different setting, or maybe upgraded at a later date.)
• You want proper certification for your diamond.
• You want to deal with a well-respected jeweler and a knowledgeable salesperson.

When buying a diamond for your second marriage, your goal is to get the most beautiful diamond for your money. The following is a list of your major options.

Option 1 for buying diamonds:
Retail jewelers.

If you select a well-respected retail jeweler, you'll undoubtedly have the best chance of making the right investment and getting the best assurance of quality, value, and service. There are a lot of benefits to dealing with a retail jeweler. For example:

• You'll be able to look at a broad spectrum of diamonds to assess their beauty and brilliance and compare one with another.
• A knowledgeable salesperson will be able to explain the characteristics of each diamond.
• The jeweler you purchase from will provide valid certification of your diamond and stand behind every diamond sold.

Guaranteed-or your money back.There's a great advantage to developing a one-on-one relationship with a jeweler you trust. A reputable diamond retailer will provide a money-back guarantee, so you can return any diamond for a full refund or exchange. Additionally, many retailers will allow you to upgrade your diamond at any time.

Say you purchase a one-carat diamond as an engagement ring, and five years later you want to trade that one-carat diamond for a three-carat diamond. (What woman would say no to that?) A jeweler who knows you will happily give you the trade-in at the current fair market value of your one-carat stone and charge you only the difference in value between the two stones.

Remember, too, that fine diamond jewelry needs to be maintained - cleaned and checked periodically to make sure the setting is tight.

So how do you find a reputable jeweler? Ask around and see if your friends have a jeweler they trust. Or choose a jeweler authorized by one of the major names in diamonds, like Leo Schachter. Leo Schachter selects its jewelers because of their reputation for excellent service, their highly trained and knowledgeable sales associates, and their insistence on providing only quality merchandise. Find an authorized Leo Schachter jeweler near you.

Option 2 for buying diamonds:
Online diamond retailers.

There are many online diamond retailers, and it makes sense to look at their sites and get an idea about product offering and pricing. Most online retailers say they discount their diamonds, and offer a 30-day money-back guarantee.

The downside of this method of buying diamonds is that you can't compare the diamonds side-by-side. The real beauty of a diamond lies in its fire, sparkle and brilliance - and those are attributes you simply can't evaluate on a computer screen.

So what happens if you buy your diamond online? If you don't like it, you wrap it up, insure it, send it back, and start all over again. In terms of service , there is no professional sales associate to guide you through the purchase; neither is there someone to provide ongoing service for your diamond jewelry - cleaning, repairs, upgrades and so on.

Online diamond retailers provide proper certification from independent laboratories. However, they may not offer the GemEx Systems certification for Return of Light - a scientific measurement of brilliance. Find out more about the GemEx Systems certification and diamond brilliance.

Option 3 for buying diamonds:
Estate jewelers.

Antique and estate diamond jewelry hold great appeal to some women. There are retailers who specialize in estate jewelry; and independent jewelers who may carry a few estate pieces. You are unlikely, however, to find diamond jewelry of this kind in most stores where diamonds are sold.

The drawback to buying an old diamond is that it probably will not come with certification, so determining fair market value will be more difficult. The value of the piece will not be based on the value of the diamond alone, but on the age and particular appeal of the overall design. Independent and smaller jewelry retailers may have their own policies regarding returns or exchanges.

What else do you need to know before buying a diamond?

Before buying diamonds from any store, be sure to ask whether you can receive full credit or whether you can only expect store credit. Chances are, whatever diamond you select, she'll accept your proposal with a resounding yes-but this is still a good insurance policy . Need some ideas for making your encore wedding proposal special?

It's important to make an informed choice about your diamond purchase. Leo Schachter Diamonds has a helpful Buyer's Guide you can print out to ensure you make an educated decision.