Loose diamonds, engagement rings, diamond earrings, antique cuts. With GIA certificate or without. Every stone assessed professionally — the four Cs evaluated, antique cut premium considered, setting separately assessed.
Most diamond buyers pay melt value for the metal and a generic rate for the stones. We assess every diamond individually and explain what drives the offer. Free insured postage. Written valuation per stone. Paid in 72 hours.
Diamond value is determined by four properties, assessed individually for every stone. We document each in writing and explain how they combine to produce the offer.
The proportions of the stone — how light enters, reflects, and exits. Modern round brilliant cuts are graded Excellent to Poor by laboratory standards. Antique cuts (old mine, old European, rose cut) are assessed differently: their character comes from their handmade proportions, not from optimised modern formulae, and their value is determined partly by collector interest in period stones. We note the cut type and assess it on appropriate criteria.
Diamond colour is graded D (colourless) to Z (light yellow or brown) on the GIA scale. D–F are considered colourless; G–J near-colourless; K–M slightly tinted. Beyond Z, fancy colour diamonds (vivid yellow, blue, pink) are graded separately and can command very high premiums. We grade colour under standardised lighting using reference stones.
Clarity measures internal inclusions and surface blemishes on a scale from Flawless (FL) to Included (I3). FL and IF stones are extremely rare. VS1–VS2 (very slightly included) inclusions are invisible to the naked eye. We examine every stone under 10× magnification and record our clarity grade, noting the nature and position of any inclusions present.
One carat = 0.2 grams. For loose stones we measure directly. For set stones, we estimate carat weight from measurements using established formulae for each cut type. We note whether the weight is measured or estimated and explain the methodology. Above 0.5ct, carat weight has a significant price-per-carat effect; stones above 1ct, 2ct, and 3ct command substantial premiums.
The most commonly overlooked category in diamond selling is antique cuts. A Victorian old mine cut diamond in a gold setting may be dismissed as "old-fashioned" by sellers — but among collectors and antique jewellery buyers, these stones are actively sought.
Old mine cuts have a distinctive cushion outline, a high crown, a small table, and a large culet (visible as a circle at the base of the stone when viewed from above). Their light performance differs from modern brilliants — warmer, with larger flashes rather than fine sparkle — and this is exactly what makes them desirable to their buyers.
Rose cut diamonds — flat-bottomed, dome-shaped, with triangular facets — from the Georgian and early Victorian period are similarly appreciated. We assess antique cuts for their own qualities and do not penalise them for lacking modern cut proportions.
Tell us roughly what you have. We send a free prepaid, tracked and insured label the same working day.
Use a small padded box or envelope. Include any certificates, receipts, or valuations you have. Your parcel is insured to £5,000 from the moment the courier scans it.
Your parcel is opened publicly on YouTube before any specialist touches it. Your broadcast time is confirmed in advance.
Cut, colour, clarity, and carat documented in writing. Accept what you want to sell. Return the rest free. Payment within 72 hours — or we add 3%.
Call us on 01234 815116 or email support@fairvintage.co.uk. We respond within one working day.
Get your free pack →No. A GIA, HRD, or IGI certificate helps establish provenance and can increase the offer. However, many inherited and antique diamonds have no certificate, and we assess them on their own merits using professional gemological equipment.
Not necessarily. Old mine cuts and old European cuts from the Victorian and Edwardian periods are actively collected. A well-preserved 1ct+ old mine cut in a fine antique setting can command a premium over a comparable modern brilliant. We assess both cut type and period independently.
That is a personal decision we would not presume to make for you. What we can offer is an honest written valuation — what the ring is worth to us, and why. There is no obligation to sell anything after receiving our assessment.
We use professional loupes, a diamond proportion analyser, and colour and clarity reference grading sets under standardised daylight-equivalent lighting. The written valuation records our colour grade, clarity grade, carat weight, and cut assessment using the same criteria as major grading laboratories.
Both. Set diamonds in rings, earrings, necklaces, and brooches are valued with the setting — we assess the diamond independently and the mount separately, then explain what drives the offer.
Within 72 hours of your parcel going live on YouTube — guaranteed. If we miss that window, we add 3% to your total.
Request your free pack today. Every diamond assessed professionally — the four Cs documented, antique cut premium considered, setting separately valued. Open live on YouTube. Paid within 72 hours.