“There is nothing like the joy of acquiring a truly exceptional diamond, a unique object of desire and a wonder of nature.

Alongside its breathtaking beauty, a diamond’s allure comes in the form of a rationale. Yet it is a rationale most people can’t fathom, because the pricing of diamonds remains a perennial mystery.

While diamond prices have become better known to the public in recent years, I have a vision to create total transparency around diamond pricing, something I believe is long overdue.

Buying a diamond is a journey and the consumer should always be in the driving seat, basing decisions on a comprehensive knowledge of how diamonds are priced, well beyond the 4Cs. An educated diamond purchase is more than an emotional and romantic one. When a diamond carries a re-sale value, it can store both wealth and emotion.

I believe that once a person decides on their budget, they should have access to a list of relevant diamonds available, along with a comprehensive table taking into account trade-offs between the 4Cs and thousands of other quality criteria which impact on price - from the reliability of the laboratory which certified the diamond, to changes in value over time, and the impact on diamond prices of the multitude of comments and irregularities found on a diamond certificate. Beyond the 4Cs, a diamond’s quality and price is determined by irregularities - finer diamond characteristics which describe deviations from a top quality stone and which drive discounts or premiums to the diamond’s price. The presence of irregularities explains why two stones which are identical according to the 4Cs are still priced differently.

Only when armed with all this information is an individual purchaser able to make the very personal and important decision of buying a diamond in an empowered and rational way.

Owning one of nature’s rarest and most exquisite creations should be a joyful, rewarding experience which enables a person to safeguard that value for generations to come.”

Ehud Arye Laniado
Monaco, 2014