Can You Sell Uncut Diamonds?

Before you decide to buy a diamond from a trusted jewelry shop, you’ll need to know a couple of things.

Diamonds that are sold are either natural or artificial. Natural – or real – diamonds are commonly more popular, despite them having a higher price. Their price is directly connected to the cut of the diamonds. But, all of this begs the question: Can you sell uncut diamonds?

There are a few cases where you can sell uncut diamonds – and if you happen to violate these rules by any chance, you might find yourself behind bars.

But we’re getting a bit ahead of ourselves there. What do you need to know before you decide to sell uncut diamonds? Can you even sell uncut diamonds without having a legitimate certificate? And what are those certificates, and how can you acquire one?

Owning a certificate is crucial if you plan on owning – let alone selling – uncut diamonds, as any uncut diamonds can be easily mistaken for blood diamonds. What are blood diamonds, and how can I tell if I have one?

All of the questions above are answered below. Start scrolling to expand your knowledge on the topic at hand!

Are Diamonds Available To The Public?

Despite what most people think, diamonds are common – as in, you’ll find them in most jewelry shops around the world. Go and take a stroll around your neighborhood; you’ll probably find at least one person wearing jewelry that’s embedded with precious diamond stones!

It could be a pair of earrings, an engagement ring, a necklace, or a pendant; diamonds can be found on various types of jewelry. And while they are pricey, diamonds still seem to be a rather popular choice when it comes to buying jewelry – especially when paired with gold.

Diamonds are – and always were – an unofficial representation of someone’s wealth and power.

In the early days, wealthy people were commonly seen wearing various types of jewelry. But the most important thing about those accessories was that they were embedded with diamonds.

Many years and decades have passed since then, but people still choose to wear jewelry that’s made with diamonds and gold. It gets you thinking, doesn’t it? We’re living in the 21st century – so how come that diamonds are still so incredibly popular?

Diamonds really are forever, huh?

One thing is certain, though: People will always wish to possess expensive jewelry, and the pinnacle of this centuries-old trend seems to be pieces embedded with diamonds.

So, what’s so special about diamonds? Is there something you need to know before deciding to buy a diamond for the first time?

You see, most people get so caught up in how shiny and attractive these pieces of jewelry are that they don’t pay close attention to the diamonds that they buy. And if you’re one of them, the chances are that you might unintentionally get yourself in trouble.

You need to know some stuff whenever you decide to buy a necklace or a watch from a jewelry shop. And we’ll get to that in a second.

For now, you should know that the exact price of a diamond is decided based on the four C’s – and those four C’s refer to the diamond’s clarity, color, cut, and carats. If you wish to learn more about the four C’s of diamonds, we’ve got you covered; just click here!

Today, we will take a closer look at the cut of a diamond.

The Better The Cut – The Higher The Price Of A Diamond

Before we start to analyze the topic any deeper, we need to explain further why the cut of a diamond is such a big deal. Now, diamonds can be classified into two separate groups:

Real (or natural) diamonds
Artificial (or fake) diamonds

There’s a high demand for diamonds all around the globe. But natural diamonds are generally rare and hard to find, and because of that, people needed to figure out a way to produce diamonds on their own.

And yes, scientists have come up with a solution on how to make fake diamonds. Artificial or fake diamonds are diamonds that are hand-made by certain professionals with the necessary knowledge in chemistry.

Still, artificial diamonds aren’t as valuable as natural diamonds and will always lack that clear shine that real diamonds have.

On the other hand, real diamonds can be found in nature, deep in the earth. When the time is right, diamonds will slowly begin to “crawl up” to the surface, pushed by the magma.

As they get closer to the surface, people employed to find diamonds – so-called diamond miners – will have an easier time finding them.

Whenever they find one, they will immediately write a lengthy document about that diamond – the time when it was discovered, where it was found, and who dug it up. And yes, all of these pieces of information are crucial to write down.

That will ensure that someday that diamond can be sold in a jewelry shop. Before it arrives in a jewelry shop, that diamond also needs to visit a special laboratory where it will be tested to determine its perimeters – the four C’s mentioned earlier.

Only when the tests have been completed can they travel to the jewelry shop. All diamonds also need to pass the cut test before we expose them in the jewelry shops.

The cut is one of the most important factors when determining the exact price of a diamond. Depending on how well the cut is made, the diamond will have a cost based on the effort that someone put into it.

As the heading suggests – the better the cut, the higher the price of a diamond.

If you want to have a shiny diamond on your necklace or bracelet, you need to buy a diamond that was cut by a professional. The cut of a diamond is what makes a diamond shine as bright as it does.

So, does that mean that uncut diamonds cannot shine as brightly as diamonds that are cut?

Unfortunately, if you want to possess a shiny diamond, it needs to be cut properly. But that doesn’t mean that an uncut diamond won’t shine at all: They have their way of shining – just not as bright as diamonds that have been cut.

People usually don’t pay close attention to this stuff, and they find themselves buying a diamond that doesn’t shine as bright as they would like.

The good news is that uncut diamonds aren’t usually up for sale in jewelry stores; it’s virtually impossible to buy one by mistake. And there’s a reason for that!

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Is It Illegal To Sell Uncut Diamonds?

The answer to this question heavily depends on the state in which you’re currently living – but in most cases, yes, it’s illegal to sell uncut diamonds.

But why is that? Why is it essential to have a cut diamond before we decide to sell it? The answer might surprise you!

As I’ve mentioned before, it’s crucial to write down every single piece of information whenever you find a diamond in the wilderness. It goes without saying, but most of us won’t have even the slightest chance of digging up a natural diamond somewhere – and here’s why:

Nearly all excavating points with diamonds in this world are under the jurisdiction of a state or a mining company.

Because of that, you cannot just visit these locations with a pickaxe, hoping to mine and find a diamond or two. That act will be labeled as trespassing, and you could find yourself in trouble with the law.

That’s not the way you want this to go down, is it?

If you want diamonds, take your credit card straight to your local jewelry shop. Only there can you find and buy legitimate diamonds that won’t get you in trouble with the law – and even then, you have to be careful about the whole diamond-buying process.

No one expects you to forgo buying diamonds altogether – but as a conscious consumer, it’s up to you to do some research and ensure that the diamond is certified.

Before a diamond is offered for sale, it needs to be certified by an official and trusted company that works with diamonds. When you decide to buy a diamond, you need to pay close attention to the papers that come with it.

If the jeweler doesn’t have a certificate for a diamond that you wish to buy, the chances are that that diamond might be a blood diamond.

Learn More:

What’s A Blood Diamond?

All diamonds that are found in the wilderness, but aren’t documented, are usually referred to as blood diamonds.

There are some controversies surrounding blood or conflict diamonds used in African countries as a means to fund civil wars. And while there’s been some progress regarding addressing this issue, the world still has a ways to go.

Greed is still an issue within the diamond mining industry, leading to exploitation, corruption, and violence. We are deeply saddened by this and encourage all consumers to do their research. If you hear anything about these violations, we urge you to inform your local authorities.

Most blood diamonds are found in rural countries, far from the United States and Europe. But some of them can be found in the black market, as well as some jewelry shops that offer them without knowing that they are blood diamonds.

To prevent that from happening, people need to document the location in which they have found a diamond.

Uncut Diamonds Can Be Sold Under Certain Conditions

Although buying and selling uncut diamonds is illegal, they can still be put on the market as long as you, as the seller, can provide legitimate evidence that they are not blood diamonds. That is commonly achieved in two ways:

Owning A Diamond That’s Certified

Whenever you purchase an accessory embedded with uncut diamonds, you should ask the jeweler to present you with the certificate of those diamonds.

For you to legally own an uncut diamond, you’ll need this certificate that defines that diamond as genuine and legitimate.

Unfortunately, just because you have a certified diamond, it doesn’t mean that the overall value of that diamond will rise. All diamonds have a fixed price that won’t rise or fall just because you own a certificate.

Its only purpose is to legitimize the diamond in your possession.

Learn More: How Do I Get My Rough Diamond Certified?

Have Your Diamond Checked By A Legitimate Company

Every diamond that’s put on the market will need to pass a few tests. Most tests are there to determine the price of those diamonds. Depending on the clarity, cut, carats, and color of that diamond, it will be cheap or expensive.

If by some chance, you possess an uncut diamond and don’t have a document that legitimizes its existence – you’ll need to visit, at least, your local jewelry store.

There, the jeweler will take a closer look at your stone and see if it has some worrying aspects. If so, you’ll need to ship it to a legitimate company for further inspection.

Depending on their answer, you might lose your uncut diamond if they cannot trace the location where it was dug up initially.

Don’t worry: In most cases, you’ll get to keep the diamond – unless you’re a wanted criminal, that is. But you won’t have the ability to sell it further without a certificate!

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To Sum Up

As soon as you step into one of your local jewelry shops and point to a piece that’s embedded with diamonds, they need to have a certificate on hand – especially if the diamonds are uncut.

If the question “Can you sell uncut diamonds?“ is still unclear, let me put it like this:

Without a certificate, you cannot buy or sell uncut diamonds, regardless of how shiny they might be! You need to have a document that legitimizes the origin and existence of the uncut diamond before you sell it.

If you try to sell an uncut diamond without offering a certificate, you might find yourself in jail in no time. Still, it’s completely legal to sell uncut diamonds – but only if you have a certificate that has all pieces of information regarding that diamond.

Don’t find yourself in a sticky situation ever again when you’re in a jewelry shop – ask them to show you the origin of an uncut diamond before you buy one!

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