Has anyone else purchased a diamond that they thought would hold its "value" and then try to trade it in or sell it only to find out its not actually worth what you paid for it? My diamond has a trade in deal @ Sathers but I would have to buy a diamond worth twice what I paid which would be like $8800- which I don't have the $ for. When I tried to trade it in with a pawn shop they only would about 10% what its worth!

This is so frustrating. I thought it would hold its value like gold, but I was way wrong! Has anyone else found out their diamond is worth 1/2 or less what they paid the hard way?

unfortunately thats kinda SOP with jewelry stores upgrade policy...its not that your stone isnt worth what you paid, its just that the store will only give credit if you spend double on the upgrade....dont be upset, you didnt get jipped on your original stone...its just the way the stores work.
Id recommend trying to sell the stone on the diamond bistro or ebay, and then taking that cash to go towards the upgrade you seek.

This is really sad. The diamond industry has advertised itself as an "investment" for so long that people believe it. Not that diamonds aren't an investment - of course they are emotionally at least - but if you ever have hopes of a bigger and/or better one, then be prepared to swallow a pretty big loss on a trade-in. That's why I would probably re-set my original stone into another ring/pendant, etc., and just buy a whole new stone for my ERing.

I guess this is another great reason to buy Sims.

I read a whole article a while ago on not counting on diamonds as an investment... At least not a financial one. They almost never sell for their appraisal value, and like everyone says trading up isn't always feasible...

I agree with SoonToBeMrs... I wouldn't want to swallow a loss on a trade in and am going to remount my original stone.

The only way I would see a diamond as an investment is as an antique to be passed down and cherished from generation to generation...

It is frustrating... I guess that is just the way the industry works....

Unless you've come across a steal of a deal through a private sale, and know you have a buyer for double what you've paid, diamonds and jewelry are not an investment. Buy them for what they are and enjoy them. Jewelry is unfortunately rather like a car...they begin to depreciate as soon as you purchase them new, and you're lucky if you can get half of what you paid when you sell them used.

This is why when we sell a piece we've loved, whether it be to fund a new project or pay a bill, we try to keep them "in the family" by selling to one of our friends on the Diamond Bistro. It doesn't hurt as bad to take a loss when you know that the buyer is going to love the piece as much as you did, and there's a good chance you're going to wind up owning it again.

Here here DA!

+ 2

Well keep in mind some vendors do allow for 100% trade in for the diamonds they sell. So if you bought one for $2000 and five years later you want a larger one, you exchange back the diamond you originally bought from them and they will credit you the whole amount on a more expensive stone. You have to search around for a diamond vendor that will do that and not all stones will qualify, nor will you get usually get credit for the setting and of course there is always conditions as part of the deal. But it's certainly an option for those thinking they may want to upgrade to a larger or more expensive diamond down the line.
As for selling second hand, yah it sucks how so much value is lost as soon as you buy the piece and get it home. Doesn't stop me from buying though.

[quote=tricksi]Well keep in mind some vendors do allow for 100% trade in for the diamonds they sell. So if you bought one for $2000 and five years later you want a larger one, you exchange back the diamond you originally bought from them and they will credit you the whole amount on a more expensive stone. You have to search around for a diamond vendor that will do that...[quote]

Does Good Old Gold do that? Anyone know?

My jeweler does allow for 100% buy back/upgrade. But keep in mind he is more affordable than most. So, since we paid roughly 2500 on this upgrade, to upgrade again would only be another 2000 or so. We got lucky, not everyone does. Only because most places go 10,000 and up for diamonds. So in that case, our 2500 would be peanuts and we would have to pay the whole extra balance of 7000 plus. It also could be a matter of which jeweler one shops at and what buy back/ugrade policy they have.