What you should know about platinum | How to buy a pearl

What you should know about diamonds Color | Cut | Clarity | Carat Weight | Setting

"The more you know about diamonds the better  we look"

At MJ Harrington & Co., we specialize in diamonds. Our reputation we have earned through the quality and value of our diamonds is matched only by the degree to which we educate our customers.

Selecting a fine diamond is eminently more involved than the purchase of an automobile and every bit as complicated as the purchase of a new home--there are that many variables to consider! And as well as the stone itself, how the diamond is set into the prongs should not be overlooked. We hope the following will assist you in making your decision.

The Five C's: You may be familiar with the Four C's - Cut, Color, Clarity, and Carat Weight. If not, rest assured, we will go into some detail in a bit. But first, the Fifth C-Cost. Cost and value may be similar, but they are not one and the same!

Why does Cost become one of the factors?

The key word to watch for is "sale". For example, a "sale" item at a discount store could cost as much as a non-sale item at a certified AGS jewelry store! How is this possible? Well, to offer a substantial discount, many merchants will inflate the original price of the diamond beyond its real value and then discount the price back to reality. Voila! A "sale".

The question you should ask is why is this item on sale? Certain items that go out of style each year (automobiles, clothing, and furniture are good examples) are often put on sale for legitimate reasons. But because of diamond's hardness and permanence (the newest diamond you can buy is already some 60 million years old!), they hardly go out of style each year. While jewelers do occasionally have legitimate sales, for purposes of reducing inventory, it is much less common than you would think.