Diamonds (4th Edition): The Antoinette Matlins Buying Guide-How to Select, Buy, Care for & Enjoy Diamonds with Confidence and Knowledge, Paperback

Newly updated and expanded, Diamonds gives you all the information you need to buy, collect, sell--or simply enjoy--diamonds with confidence and knowledge.

Whether you are buying a diamond for an engagement ring, anniversary, to commemorate a special moment or for personal pleasure, today it is more important than ever to understand what you are buying. There are new shapes and cuts, fancy colors, high-tech treatments and sophisticated frauds. There are new ways to buy--such as Internet auctions. Buyers need a source of expert guidance.

Practical, comprehensive and easy to understand, this book offers in depth all the information you need to buy sparkling diamonds with confidence, including:

• What is a diamond?
• An in-depth look at factors affecting differences in quality and cost.
• Diamond grading reports--why all the information is important, and what it tells you.
• How to compare prices.
• How to spot differences in stones that may appear to be the same quality.
• How to protect yourself from misrepresentation.
• Questions to ask when buying any diamond.
• What to get in writing.
• How to get what you want within your budget.
• Important information about buying on the Internet ... and much more

Written by an "insider," this easy-to-read guide is the "unofficial diamond bible" for anyone who wants to get the most for their money and enjoy what they have purchased.