Where To Buy Raw Diamonds

Buying the perfect engagement ring is a tough task. Usually, people will opt for a gorgeous and carefully cut and polished gemstone, be it diamond, or a coloured stone, or something more alternative like a moonstone. When diamonds and gemstones are cut, the intention is to maximize the stone's refractivity, which in turn translates to a more general brilliance. The cut makes the stone, which is why cut is the most important of the four Cs: cut, colour, carat, and clarity.

where to buy raw diamonds

Enter: the raw diamond. Raw diamonds flip the diamond industry on its head, a little bit. Opting for a raw diamond brings in an exciting new variable that might be perfect for your engagement ring. Here is our ultimate buying guide for raw diamonds.

Raw diamonds are what they sound like: they are mined (always sustainably and ethically, if purchased from us!) and cut, but only into a general size and shape. It is not cut to maximize brilliance, and then is not polished.

The result is a dynamic and "rough" looking surface, which brings in a really interesting and exciting look for engagement rings. The look and feel of raw diamonds are a bit similar to salt and pepper diamonds, which are polished, but feature lots of inclusion to create a highly dimensional look.

You should buy a raw diamond, first and foremost, if you like how it looks and if you know your partner would too. We love raw diamonds for unconventional folks, people who love the texture and the specific natural look of diamonds, and people who are a bit ethereal and fashion forward.

You should also consider the colour of your stone. Like polished diamonds, raw diamonds can range from absolutely colourless to quite yellow. The difference is that raw diamonds with a warm, golden tone can be quite beautiful, whereas in polished diamonds this is generally considered unfavourable. You can find beautiful, deeply coloured amber diamonds, or delicate, blush coloured stones, which bring a totally unique look and texture to the engagement ring.

The last thing to consider when buying your raw diamond is where it comes from. When buying raw diamonds, it's possible to purchase directly from the companies that do the mining, or that sell diamonds wholesale, and who consider raw diamond to be an "offcut" (a valuable one at that, though!). You should, in our opinion, be sure that the company you are buying from can prove that their operations are run ethically and sustainably.

Raw diamonds are beautiful stones and should never be overlooked when considering your engagement ring purchase. There's an excellent chance to save some money, and with such a unique diamond, your stone will be one of a kind, and totally suited to you and your partner. That's pretty romantic if you ask us.

In a diamond mine, just a few carats of diamonds are acquired from several tonnes of rock. They are still unprocessed, and look rather cloudy or crystalline, like broke ice cubes, and still have a long way to go before a sparkling gem can be produced from the raw stone. Find out all you need to know about raw diamonds and their purchase.

The global diamond industry is an almost closed universe, from the mines, with their large operating companies that mine the precious stones, to the diamond bourses, where the raw diamonds and the finished, cut stones are traded, or the gemcutters, who transform the diamond into the jewel that can be used in jewellery or sold as an investment.

This is precisely where lies the problem when purchasing raw diamonds: within this system, which, away from the large mining corporations, is based on old traditions such as contracts based on handshakes, family or regional ties, and established logistics chains, end customers are not taken into consideration.

Private individuals have no access to a diamond bourse. You cannot simply go to a gemcutter with a raw diamond. To actually find someone who masters this art and is taking on private orders at a fair price is a challenge. The finished, cut diamonds also have to be certified, as a 4C certification increases the tradability and generates trust in the quality of the diamond.

From above, diamond mines look like gigantic snail shells, running into the earth in a spiral formation. The rock is extracted and crushed, and the diamonds are washed and pre-sorted by means of a special procedure. The stones that are suitable for jewellery manufacture are passed on to the diamond bourses via distributors, where they are sold and then cut by diamond cutters. These then pass directly to commercial sellers, or pass through the diamond bourse once again.

At the end of the chain is the jeweller or diamond trader, who offers the pieces of jewellery or the loose diamonds for sale. Depending on the provider, the precious stones will come directly from the source; from the gemcutters, or will pass through a network of intermediary distributors, which has a major influence on the price.

Depending on the size and quality, the price of raw diamonds can range from just a few euros up to several million, however, even in the case of average goods that fall nowhere near these extremes, there are considerable price differences. Without being cut and certified, the quality of raw diamonds cannot be determined as standard using the 4C method.

The disadvantages on the other hand, are more than apparent: purchasing raw diamonds is considerably more speculative than buying cut stones. The tradability in comparison to that of certified cut diamonds is less. The cost of having the stone professionally cut independently i so high in Europe that, ultimately, you will pay more than had you just purchased a cut diamond. Cutting also carries a slight risk: if stresses in the stone are not detected in advance, the diamond may shatter during cutting, and will be irreparably destroyed.

In conclusion: purchasing raw diamonds is risky business given that, for laypersons, the actual value is nigh on impossible to assess. If you are looking for a serious investment with much less risk and attractive return prospects, then the purchase of cut diamonds, with a certificate from a laboratory such as the GIA, is by far the better option.

Are you interested in purchasing 100% natural diamonds as an investment, at a very attractive price? The experts at BNT Diamonds would be happy to advise you. Contact us by email or Chat, or call our team directly on +32 3 201 24 90.

Every diamond ring or piece of diamond jewelry starts with a loose diamond. These are diamonds that have been cut and polished, but not yet set in a piece of jewelry. Many jewelers today sell loose diamonds as well as pre-made jewelry.

To ensure you have no post-purchase remorse, shop with a retailer that comes recommended across the diamond industry. Here are the best places to buy loose diamonds in 2023 (click them to get to the proper section):

James Allen have established themselves as the go-to place to buy diamonds or diamond jewelry online. Everything they offer goes into providing the best customer experience possible and allowing you to walk away happy with your purchase. The technology James Allen provide on their site allows you to closely inspect every diamond, almost as if you were seeing it in person. Each diamond has a 360 high definition photo which can be rotated and magnified to see any small inclusion or flaw in the diamond.

On top of this, they offer the #1 selection at more than 500,000 diamonds, conflict-free and certified by the GIA, AGS or IGI. They also happen to have one of the best ranges of loose lab-created diamonds, should you choose to go down that route.

Abe Mor have a selection of high-quality, rare and valuable diamonds available to view on their website. They also offer Fancy Yellow diamonds and match pairs. And since they are a wholesaler, they can find almost anything. Contact them and see for yourself.

Leibish & Co are one of the oldest names in online diamond sales, having been selling to consumers online since 1995. Where they differentiate themselves from all other diamond sellers is their range of fancy colored diamonds.

The range Leibish carries includes the more common canary yellow diamonds, bold and unique black diamonds, and even incredibly rare and valuable pink diamonds and chameleon diamonds. As well as everything in between, of course.

Begin by choosing a diamond shape to narrow down your search. There are many shapes to choose from when shopping for diamonds, from your classic Round Brilliant diamonds to unique shapes like Oval, Pear or Emerald Cuts. Choose the shape you and/or your partner likes best.

In terms of Clarity, you want the diamond to be eye-clean, where inclusions are not noticeable except under intense magnification. This should be around VS1-SI1. Any grades higher than that will command a premium price, with no immediately noticeable difference.

Some buy loose diamonds with the intention to eventually have it set in a piece of jewelry. This can help you better assess the quality of the diamond before seeing it obscured by a ring setting, as well as having the flexibility to have the ring or piece of jewelry made exactly how you want it.

A loose diamond is a diamond that is available to buy alone, i.e. without a setting. Loose diamonds are most commonly purchased to be set into an engagement ring or other diamond jewelry, however, there are also people who choose to buy loose diamonds simply for investment purposes.

The old school, brick-and-mortar process of buying a pre-set engagement ring has the advantage of offering immediate gratification. This perk is far outweighed by the benefits of buying loose diamonds. 041b061a72