Diamond Buying
Sell diamonds and diamond rings in Kelowna
We buy and sell diamonds at fair market value, graded and explained in front of you by a working jewellery manufacturer. Bring the ring, the loose stone, or both.
Selling a diamond is a different exercise from selling gold, and it is worth being clear about why. Gold has a published world price and a purity fraction, so the arithmetic is fixed and public. A diamond has no published price. Its value comes from a combination of four characteristics, from the current demand for that particular combination, and from what a buyer can realistically do with the stone afterwards. That last part is the one nobody explains, so we will.
Northwest Diamonds Inc. has manufactured and supplied jewellery since 2005. When we buy a diamond it goes into a piece we make. We are not buying it to resell to a dealer who resells it to a manufacturer, which is why we can pay a real number rather than the number left over after three margins.
The four things we grade at the counter
Every stone is assessed on the four Cs, and we will show you what we are seeing through the loupe rather than reciting grades at you.
Carat weight
Size, measured in carats. Value does not rise in a straight line with weight, which is why a single one carat stone is generally worth considerably more than four quarter carat stones of the same quality.
Cut
How well the stone was proportioned and finished. Cut is the characteristic that determines how much light comes back out of the diamond, and it has more effect on how a stone looks than most people expect.
Colour
Graded from colourless downward. The difference between adjacent grades is often invisible to the naked eye but visible in the price.
Clarity
The inclusions inside the stone and marks on its surface. We will show you any inclusion we find and explain whether it affects durability, appearance, both or neither.
Certificates, and what they change
If your diamond came with a grading report from a recognised laboratory, bring it. A certificate does not set the price, but it does remove uncertainty from the conversation and it usually shortens the appointment. If you do not have one, that is completely normal and it does not stop us from making an offer, because we grade the stone ourselves in front of you.
An insurance appraisal is not a certificate and it is not a price. Appraisals are written at replacement value, which is what it would cost to buy a comparable new piece at retail. That figure is deliberately high, and comparing it to a cash offer is comparing two different things measured for two different purposes. If what you actually want is an independent valuation document rather than a sale, we refer people to Stellar Gem Services, the only truly independent jewellery appraiser and certified gem lab in the Okanagan. We do not do certified appraisals ourselves, precisely because we buy.
Rings, settings and the metal underneath
An engagement ring is two assets in one. There is the centre stone, there are any smaller accent or melee stones, and there is the gold or platinum band holding it all together. We assess and quote them separately so you can see where the value actually sits, and occasionally that answer surprises people in both directions. The metal side of the assessment works exactly as described on our gold buying page.
You are also not obliged to sell the whole ring. Some people sell the stone and keep the setting for sentimental reasons. Some sell the setting as scrap and keep the diamond to have reset later, which is something we can do through our jewellery manufacturing service. Both are common requests and neither is a problem.
Lab-grown diamonds
We will always tell you whether a stone is natural or laboratory-grown, and this matters, because the two trade in very different markets. Lab-grown stones are real diamonds chemically and optically, and modern testing identifies them reliably. Their resale market behaves nothing like the natural market, and a lab-grown stone bought recently at retail will not return anything close to its purchase price. That is not a comment on the stone. It is how that market currently works, and we would rather you heard it from us at the counter than found out afterwards.
We sell diamonds as well
Because we buy directly and manufacture, we also sell diamonds and diamond rings at fair market value. If you are on the other side of this page, looking for a stone rather than selling one, it is worth a conversation. The same absence of middlemen that lets us pay more when buying is what lets us price sensibly when selling.
Your appointment
Bring the item, any paperwork you happen to have, and government-issued photo ID. Assessment is free and carries no obligation, and nothing is ever taken out of your sight. We are at Unit 301, 478 Bernard Avenue, ScotiaBank Building, third floor, Downtown Kelowna, BC V1Y 6N7, open Monday to Sunday, 9 AM to 5 PM, seven days a week. Diamond assessments take longer than a gold weigh-in, so an appointment is genuinely worth booking. Call +1 (250) 860-0096, or +1 866-872-0096 toll free. If your ring also carries a watch or other pieces, see selling a luxury watch in Kelowna, or start with a free estimate. Settling a whole estate? See selling estate jewellery in Kelowna.
What to bring
The stone, the setting, and anything written down.
Nothing leaves your sight, the assessment is free, and the centre stone, the accent stones and the metal are all quoted separately so you can see where the value actually sits.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How much can I get for my engagement ring in Kelowna?
It depends on the diamond's carat weight, cut, colour and clarity, on whether the stone is natural or laboratory-grown, and on the gold or platinum in the setting. Those are assessed as separate values and quoted separately. Any honest buyer needs the ring in hand before giving a real number, and the assessment itself is free and carries no obligation to sell.
Do I need a diamond certificate to sell my ring?
No. A grading report from a recognised laboratory is helpful and speeds up the appointment, but most rings that come through the door do not have one. The stone is graded in front of you either way, and you can watch and ask questions while it happens.
Why is your offer lower than my insurance appraisal?
Because an insurance appraisal is written at replacement value, which is what a comparable new piece would cost at full retail today. It exists so an insurer knows what to pay to replace the item, not to reflect what the piece sells for second hand. Every buyer in the world quotes below an insurance appraisal, and comparing the two figures is comparing two different measurements.
Do you buy lab-grown diamonds?
We assess every stone and identify whether it is natural or laboratory-grown, and we will tell you which yours is. Lab-grown diamonds trade in a very different resale market from natural stones and generally return far less relative to their retail purchase price. We will be direct with you about what is achievable before you decide anything.
Can I sell the diamond but keep the setting?
Yes, and it is a common request. The centre stone, any smaller accent stones and the metal band are assessed as separate values, so you can sell any part and keep the rest. Some people do the reverse and keep the stone to have it reset into something new instead.
Find out what your diamond is actually worth
Free assessment, graded in front of you, no obligation.