Black Hat vs White Hat Diamond Merchants

Nowadays, with so much choices offline and online for buy diamonds, it is difficult to decide who the best is. For a bit of fun, we've attempted to categorise different types of merchants using a colour scale - black hat = bad, white hat = good.

Blacker Than Black Hat

Sells uncertified diamonds that are either fake or have undergone treatments. They tell their customers that they are natural, and possibly give a certificate or valuation they have made themselves.

Black Hat

Engages in a variety of less than ethical sales techniques such as "total carat weight", switching stones or inaccurate in house grading.

Pencil Grey Hat

Sells low quality diamonds, possibly with a grading certificate from an independent laboratory. However, they trick their customers into thinking they are buying a large, high quality diamond at a great price (or they say "you can't buy high quality diamonds in this city/country") and that the grading certificate is "just as good" as one from The GIA.

Overcast Grey Hat

Lists certified diamonds on the internet, but doesn't keep any stock, instead, opting to drop ship diamonds from supplier to customer.

Off-White Hat

Sells a variety of certified diamonds that they keep in stock. However, charge an unreasonable premium, possibly with branding, and deliberately limit the customer to the diamonds they have in stock.

White Hat

Sells certified diamonds online and offline, is well connected within the diamond industry, and possesses a lot of diamond experience. Keeps a good amount of high quality stock and has solid relationships with diamond wholesalers. For online customers, they give extra information such as light performance information, photographs, ideal scope images and diamond scans.

Pearly White

Uses the internet as a medium for advertising, research and discussion. However, unlike white hats, they do not sell diamonds over the internet, instead opting for the more traditional approach. When customers come to their store, they are given accurate, unbiased information and like white hat merchants, are offered a variety of choices from the merchant's own stock and wholesalers.

Blindingly White

They are like pearly white hat merchants, but take time to understand what the customer is after, can afford and generally get to know the customer better. With this they match the customer with the perfect diamond. If they are unable to do this, they admit defeat and refer the customer to a more suitable merchant. They also take steps to avoid attracting the "wrong crowd" such as those seeking a "big and cheap" (and therefore low quality) diamond. They may also travel to rural or remote locations to show customers diamonds.