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Jerry Burnell
Jerry Burnell has been a driving force in the jewelry industry of Kansas for the past 30 years. Jerry is a native of Wichita and a graduate of Wichita State University. He jokingly says that he had a degree in business, almost a masters in business, almost a degree in chemistry, with heavy studies in physics, math, and biology and he just quit college, that he figured that with 239 credit hours he should be able to make a living somewhere. Actually he was already deep into the motions of starting the most respected jewelry design team in this part of the country. Jerry is highly regarded and considered an expert in many fields, three of which are Precious gemstones, jewelry manufacture, and jewelry design. Jerry is presently president of The Kansas Jewelers Association and holds a position on the advisory board of Jewelers of America. You may contact Jerry at Burnell’s Jewelers, (316) 634-2822, or find Burnell’s Jewelers on the web at www.burnells.com
Gold, Silver, Diamonds & Jewelry
2003-10-01 16:28:00
Buying the right diamond
ANSWER: There are only two things you pay for in a diamond, the first is how bright it is, the second is how large it is. It is hard to compare one diamond with another from store to store.  There are those who would tend to lead you astray as to how great the diamond they are selling really is.   First and foremost, how reputable is the person that you are buying your diamond from? After all, if they are going to misrepresent the diamond that they are going to sell, they will not have any qualms lying to you in other ways. Do you feel confident that they are telling you the truth? The telltale emotion is do you think you need to get someone else's opinion to be sure you are getting what you are paying for? If this is your feeling then you need to find a reputable jeweler you can trust.   What are the traits of a reputable jeweler? Do they have gemologists on staff? Some jewelers merely take someone else's opinion as to the quality of your diamond. Do they have to live with their reputation? In other words, are they going to have to look you in the eye if they deceive you and you uncover it later? Buy local, from a jeweler whose reputation you can check out. Ask if they belong to Jewelers of America and their affiliate state society. They have to at least sign a code of ethics to be accepted into JA. Are they active in their state organization? If yes, you know that they are interested in keeping up to date on knowledge in the jewelry field? Then the question that will separate the men from the boys is: has the owner held any offices either state or national in the organization? If the answer is yes and it is a responsible office, then you know that the other jewelers, either regional or national, think enough of their abilities and honesty to have them lead their organization. You can usually narrow down a group of jewelers from over fifty in an area to one or two in any area. You have now very simply found a jeweler you can trust. You will also usually have found a jeweler that is willing to teach you about diamonds, protect you from fraudulent advertising, and will be a friend to you.   That jeweler will explain that how bright a diamond is, is a factor of cut, clarity and color. He will also explain how cutting a diamond too flat, which many are today, will make the diamond look larger but you lose greatly in brightness. Be careful of claims about the latest and greatest claims in diamond cutting, which is rampant today. The ideal cut, a round diamond cut, is the brightest.  There is only one diamond which is based on the ideal cut, the Star 129 that is an improvement.    Be wary of certified diamonds. The playing field is not level. We recently received nine diamonds from a large diamond house with certs, from a world-wide certification lab, we returned seven of the nine because they were simply wrong. We received three more diamonds and returned all of them. Select a bright diamond over a large diamond. Remember, a good diamond is dictated by her heart, a large diamond is dictated by the size of the pocketbook. When buying jewelry, you will always pay for what you get, but you will not always get what you pay for. With what I know, I would never buy a diamond over the internet. Find a jeweler that you can trust and you will enjoy the experience and your jewelry more.
 
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