When evaluating a diamond, there are several factors that come into play that affect the quality and value of the stone. We in the industry like to call them the 4 Cs—cut, color, clarity, and carat. The following is a guide to help you use the 4 Cs to evaluate a diamond so you can better ascertain its worth.

Counterintuitively enough, color actually refers to a lack of color in a diamond, which can have a natural yellow tint. Therefore, colorless diamonds are rarer and more valuable. Color ranks as the second most important diamond characteristic, just after cut, which creates that immediately impressive sparkle.

 

How many watches is too many? When have you stopped being an aficionado and simply become a hoarder?

True watch lovers are obviously scoffing at the moment. They sincerely believe that you can never have too many. That every year, there’s another time telling masterpiece to lust over and aim for. Combine that with the love for vintages and you will never run out of pieces to collect.

While we agree with that statement, we do believe that there is a limit. Simply buying watches because you need something to splurge on or to boast of your collection isn’t true collecting. Having a drawer full of junk watches that you picked up from wherever shouldn’t count. And owning watches that you don’t value is simply a waste.

Simply put – watch collecting is a matter of quality over quantity. It may be better to own fewer, one of a kind truly amazing pieces that tens of cheap watches. To read more about which watch is meant for you, check out our Guide at TrueFacet.com

With the volatile markets and growth of designer jewelry purchases over the last 5 years, there has been an increase in the availability or pre-owned jewelry on the market. Also known as estate, pre-owned, used and refurbished, there are hundreds of stores out there as well as online that buy, promote and sell the items. However, whether to buy it or not is a totally different question.

The biggest advantage of buying used jewelry over brand new pieces is the price. Pre-owned jewelry has to be cheaper than its brand new counterparts often between 30-50%. And considering that worn jewelry shows very little signs, a great piece can be a great steal.

But this doesn’t mean that used jewelry is completely brand new either. Prongs may have widened and clasps may have loosened. So if you do find a piece that you love, make sure that the fix all the tiny glitches before you pay up.

A lot of pre-owned jewelry will come unverified. Silver may be passed off as gold and zircon as diamonds. So be very, very careful when making these purchases and ask for appraisals or try to stick to reputed and trusted sources such as TrueFacet.com

One of the scariest things about buying jewelry is not knowing 100% whether what you have is fake or real. While there are tests for gold, silver, gemstones and rubies, what about designer brands? With the recent trend for designer jewelry, there has been a growth in the counterfeit market. So we’ve put together a list of tips to keep in mind when you’re out buying your next Tiffany, Cartier, Bvlgari or David Yurman piece:

– Beware of super shiny silver; it’s what most fakes are made of. You’re safer with gold and titanium because it’s expensive and would cost the faker more.
– Most pieces with Chinese or Far East Asian signatures are fake because these countries don’t regulate the counterfeit market much
– A new designer piece should have a box or papers. If the piece is made of finer materials and gemstones, a GIA certificate can work too but or else don’t buy new pieces without their packaging.
– Check reviews, feedbacks, warranties, return policies and anything else that might indicate that the seller may not be the upstanding guy he claims to be. TrueFacet.com verifies and guarantees the authenticity of your piece or else you can get your money back.
– Does the seller seem to have a lot of copies of the same piece? That’s suspicious.
– Finally, when in doubt – go without

Buying a designer piece can be overwhelming. Try to get as much information on both the seller and the item. Try to go to a trusted source that vouches for its items like TrueFacet.com

Who needs a luxury watch when your phone can tell you the time? Right? Wrong.

A luxury watch does not just tell you just the time. It is a work of art, a perfectly crafted piece made of tiny wheels and the finest materials to create a timeless artifact that screams taste, class, personality and yes, the time.

There are as many different types of luxury watches as different brands. From as early as Omega in 1848 and Patek Philippe in 1851 to the most recent Hublot in 1980, these names have raised the standard for timekeeping across the world. So what makes these watches luxury watches and not just great watches?

Precious Materials: Luxury watches are luxurious primarily because of the materials they are made of. The most common metals used are the different golds, platinum and occasionally silver. In addition, they may have precious stones or diamonds inlaid to add an extra wow factor.

Own Movement: A watch tells time using movements. Most watchmakers buy movements from other various suppliers. However the best watches come from makers who also make their own movements which takes the level of decoration and complexity to the next level.

Seal of Geneva: This seal is only applied to those watches whose movements adhere to the stringent Swiss laws, certifying quality and origin. While the lack of a seal doesn’t take away from the quality of a watch, the existence of one does make it more impressive.

Assembly: The longer and more painstaking the assembly of a watch, the higher its value. High end watches should be a testament to the mastery behind them which makes them more detailed and of a higher quality.

Complexity: There is a difference between beautiful and complex watch movements and luxury watches should have the latter. Luxury watches should tell time in a unique way, the movement should be interesting to look at and often include additional bells as whistles such as calendars, chronographs and multiple time zones.

Limited editions: The more limited, the more exclusive which naturally makes it a luxury

Investment: Luxury watches are often investments and have a good resale value if and when needed. Check out our watches at http://www.truefacet.com/watches.html to see what sort of retail value the different pieces have.

To top it off, luxury watches should just be beautiful. All the crafting, design, decoration and finesses doesn’t mean a thing if it doesn’t appeal to the eye. A luxury watch is one that attracts your attention and stays with you even after you’ve looked through another hundred.

Check back with us for more on our Luxury Watches Series to learn about the individual brands and ease you into making your big buying decision.

If you’ve gone to a jeweler to sell jewelry, their lowball offer might have shocked and scared you from the get go. And rightfully so. I mean you paid a lot for this, so why are they devaluing it?

The reason for this is because the jeweler is offering you the wholesale price. When jewelers buy pieces, they pay wholesale values to the manufacturers. So they aren’t willing to pay above that to procure your one piece. But don’t worry, you have other options to explore.

You can try and sell jewelry yourself. Here are a couple of tips to selling your jewelry yourself that your should keep in mind:

1. Have your jewelry appraised. This way you will know what its worth and be able to price it attractively. For help on appraisals, contact us at suppert@truefacet.com

2. Start by pricing the piece off at 25-35% off retail value. Unless you’re selling a limited edition or exclusive piece, the only reason someone will buy a piece from you instead of a brand new one at the store is cheaper price.

3. Contact your social network first – friends, family, business associates. Hopefully they trust you and might secretly envy those beautiful earrings you wore last Christmas.

4. Be careful with any ads you run. You will be contacted by a lot of fraudulent offers from deceptive buyers. Verify and cross verify bank references and PayPal accounts.

5. Meet buyers at a secure location that is NOT your apartment or theirs. Do not disclose your address or the location where the piece is stored. Agree to meet at a bank or any other secure but public place.

6. You can place your piece on consignment with a trusted and reputable jeweler. This means they’ll hold on to for a period of time and you’ll have to pay them a portion of the selling price; anywhere between 30 – 50%.

TrueFacet accepts pre-owned pieces. For more information contact us at support@truefacet.com

When you purchase jewelry or watches you may never think that one day you might want to sell it and get something new. But when that day arrives you start thinking, where am I going to sell?

Well you have several options. You can go to a jewelry retail store, a pawn shop, sell online on eBay or Craigslist, or go to Circa (a known buyer of jewelry).

There is a 60% spread that exists in the jewelry industry from when you sell your piece to when a consumer purchases that piece. By the time the consumer purchases, your piece has touched at least 2 to 3 hands.

We sent our undercover team out to see what you might receive trying to sell two diamond rings.

Meet Pam (true name kept undisclosed). Pam bought two diamond rings for a total of $2,700. She brought both rings to an appraiser that gave her a price of $1,750 wholesale with a retail value of $4,320. She now wants to sell her two diamonds rings so she visited with several places. Let’s see what she received.

Pam didn’t want to sell on eBay as it required too much work and she didn’t want to have to wait a while before it actually sold. 
Pam knows that receiving an amount back that is at least wholesale would be fair. All of her options gave Pam up to 70% less. She paid $2700 and the most she was getting back was $1250!

Our suggestion is to negotiate and not take the first offer you receive. We understand that the process can be grueling, especially when you are selling something you cherish. Go to a trusted and reputable source that knows the real value of your jewelry and watches so that you get the fair value back for your items that you deserve.

For any tips on selling back jewelry or watches, contact us anytime at support@TrueFacet.com

You spent your entire salary and most of your savings on that one expensive piece of jewelry. But no worries, you think. When the time comes and you’re short on money, you can always sell it. So it’s really an investment. And its that belief that you hold on to that helps you sleep easier. Until you go to a store and the storekeeper tells you and he’ll only give you a tiny fraction of the amount you had hoped for because actually your jewelry is not as authentic as you thought it to be.

That’s what happened to John Mayer, celebrated musician. He recently sued watch dealer Bob Maron for $650,000 claiming that several vintage Rolex watches he purchased were not authentic because some of the parts being used in them were manufactured elsewhere, tainting the value and authenticity of the entire piece. After spending approximately $5 million on his watch collection over the years, you can imagine his concern.

Purchasing vintage watches and jewelry can be tricky. In this situation, it is often important to ask as many questions as possible and get as many opinions too. Go to a reputable or trusted dealer. Talk to them, ask them questions.

Only make the purchase if you think the dealer knows his stuff because a certain level of skill and proficiency is needed when assessing vintage pieces. If the dealer sounds less than knowledgeable, he could have been fooled when acquiring the piece too.

In addition, find out how the dealer sourced the piece and authenticated it. Make sure that he did. Ask for any sort of certification or proof. All pieces sold by TrueFacet come TF Verified. Ask the dealer if the piece comes with any return offers or warranties. Hire an independent appraiser that is an expert in the piece. Make sure that you have another verified opinion since certain parts and pieces may be swapped.

Buying vintage jewelry and watches can be a daunting process. Don’t take it lightly, because it really can happen to anyone. If you have any further questions or need help in locating the right appraiser or expert, contact us at support@truefacet.com