After researching how to be a knowledgeable diamond shopper, Linda Do thought she was prepared to make an educated purchase. What she wasn't prepared for was a scam.
Do, a Vienna resident, bought a diamond last year from a Fairfax County jeweler. Her transaction went pretty smoothly, until an appraiser told her the diamond did not match its certificate. When she confronted the store, the jeweler refused a refund.
"You never expect to be scammed that way, even if you are prepared," said Do.
Martin Fuller, a master gemologist appraiser in McLean, told Do to contact Ellyn Kay, at the Fairfax County Department of Cable Communications and Consumer Protection, to take care of the problem. Kay, a consumer complaint investigator specializing in jewelry fraud, met Fuller nearly 20 years ago on her first diamond investigation. He immediately became her diamond mentor, and she has since studied gemology further so she can accurately investigate jewelry complaints.
"Most women will tell you that diamonds are their best friends," said Kay. "I beg to differ. My gemologist appraiser is my best friend."
As part of National Consumer Protection Week, Feb. 5-9, Fairfax County consumer affairs hosted seminars, set up an information table in the government center and broadcasted a documentary on channel 16 about diamond fraud, called "Brilliant Deceptions." The department’s mission is to raise awareness among consumers to prevent experiences like Do's from happening to others.
"You have to do your research to make sure you’re getting the product you want," said Susan Jones, chief of investigations in the county’s consumer affairs office.
Sometimes research isn’t enough though, which is why the office is such a necessary entity, said Jones, who lives in Springfield.
Do did her homework before making her purchase. She knew to look for the four C’s: clarity, color, carat and cut. She made sure the diamond certificate listed the diamond’s characteristics in each of the four categories. And luckily, she also knew to take her diamond to an appraiser to get it checked out.
While jewelry complaints aren’t the most common in the county, scams are prevalent, said Fuller. Diamonds have many imperfections that are not always visible to the naked eye. Also, jewelers use many techniques to minimize visible scuffs, and they don’t always report that to the consumer, he said. And some jewelers are knowingly providing false paperwork to customers.
"We're seeing certificate [serial] numbers that don't match the inscribed number on the diamond," said Kay.
In Do's case, the jeweler was a Gemological Institute of America-certified specialist. Fuller told Do that the jeweler's qualifications meant he should have been able to recognize the mismatched certificate without a microscope or any other fancy tools, said Do.
So when the jeweler tried to calmly blame the bad diamond on his wholesaler, Do didn't buy it.
"If the wholesaler sold him a bad diamond, I would think he would be upset too," said Do.
TO AVOID SHADY deals, don't make impulsive purchases, said Fuller. Fuller suggests that consumers obtain a major lab report when buying diamonds. There are a few reputable laboratories, with the Gemological Institute of America, or GIA, being his top pick.
"You don't want to buy a diamond without a major lab report," he said. "It's just not a smart thing to do."
The certificate Do received was not issued by a major lab. It listed her diamond as eight grades off from its actual color. The clarity listing on the report was two grades from actuality. A major lab report, provided it's correctly matched to its diamond, is consistently accurate, said Fuller.
"If you're making a significant purchase, don't leave home without it," he said.
Another cautious way to shop is to make sure a refund is available and not just a store credit, he said. And if a diamond is appraised within the return policy time frame, it can be easier to make the return.
"Always check a store’s refund policy before you purchase a diamond," said Kay.
When Do tried to return her diamond because of the false certificate, the jeweler told her she should have told them she needed the GIA-specific certificate, as if the more accurate certificate was some kind non-standard option only given to those who know to ask for it.
"He said it was my fault I didn't ask him if the certificate was right," said Do.
Once she filed her complaint with consumer affairs though, things began to fall into place.
"Ellyn [Kay] found out a lot about the store," said Do. "She harped on them to give me a refund and she helped me get reimbursed for the appraisals."
Had Kay not been able to get the appraisal reimbursements — which cost her hundreds of dollars — in addition to the refund, Do said she would have taken legal action against the jeweler. She said she learned how great a resource the consumer affairs office is — especially its on-line database of past consumer complaints.
"It's a great tool for finding out who has had pending or resolved cases with [consumer affairs]," said Do.