Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding resource!
Review: The Diamond Ring Buying Guide proved to be a valuable resource and the color photos were very helpful (much more detailed than anything on the Internet). Reading the book and learning about the process of evaluating and buying a diamond made us feel more confident and actually made it a fun experience to look at different diamonds and discuss them with the jeweler. Overall, well worth the money and highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent resource
Review: The Diamond Ring Buying Guide proved to be a valuable resource and the color photos were very helpful (much more detailed than anything on the Internet). Reading the book and learning about the process of evaluating and buying a diamond made us feel more confident and actually made it a fun experience to look at different diamonds and discuss them with the jeweler. Overall, well worth the money and highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Helped me ick out the perfect ring
Review: The Diamond Ring Guide was a great place to set groundwork for buying the engagement ring. I had done a ton of research on the web but once I got this book it truly made things clear.
It very easily lays out questions you want to ask and things to look for in a diamond. Most importantly it helps you decide what is important to you (and her!).
I especially liked the section about watching out for shadey characters trying to take you- gave some great tips on dealing with sales people.
I brought this book along with me to 7 different jewelers, as all the book reading in the world can only prepare you so much - you have to go see the real thing. Had a few sales people see I meant business when the saw I had the book and cut down on the "BS" factor. More often than not was reffered to the owner or manager.
I feel I got a great deal and a great ring. I know my fiancee loves it and her friends envy the ring and diamond on it. Much credit goes to this book. If you aren't 100% sure what to ask, this will help you out big time!
Rating: 
Summary: The pictures show what others try and explain
Review: This book is definitely a great resource to have when you're buying a diamond. I picked this up near the end of my search, so I had come to know most of the basic diamond information like acceptable table ranges, clarity and color ranges. The photos were extremely helpful because no other source I have come across provides you with full color close ups and defections of inclusions. What's a knot, feather, facet? What do they look like? Are they bad? *Princess Cut*
I was looking for a princess cut diamond (the square one) and unfortunately this book mostly focuses on rounds. That's important insofar as the acceptable table and depth proportions are slightly different for princess cuts (FYI-get below 80%, around 70% is even better). Don't disregard the dimensions! At first I only judged size by carat weight, but a lot of that weight can sit below the diamond-hence you want a lower depth percentage. For example, a 2.0 carat princess cut that's 7.11 x 7.14 will look bigger than a 2.30 carat that's 6.69 x 7.30. With princess cuts, you also want to be as square as possible-anything with a length to width ratio bigger than 1.04 starts looking rectangular. Another thing to keep in mind is the difference in Gemological Certificates. I found out early that an EGL G SI1 is just not the same as a GIA G SI1. Make sure you're comparing apples to apples here. There should never be a $1000 difference in price for the same cut, color and clarity. I found GIA much more consistent and rigid than EGL and eventually just ruled out the EGL certified diamonds. Try it yourself: ask to see the same size, color and clarity in GIA and EGL, 9 times out of 10 the GIA is more colorless and has fewer inclusions. ...
Rating:
Summary: Diamond Ring Buying Guide
Review: This book is routinely loaned to my clientel to review the facts I have given them prior to purchasing a diamond. It is informative, concise and correct. If you need a book that lays out all the facts without the hype, this is it. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Awesome pictures
Review: This book was recommeded by some online diamond buying guide. We studied this book and took it with us to the jewelry store. Even the top diamond salesmen were impressed with this book. It was very helpful and answered many of our questions about the 4 Cs. We wound up getting a gorgeous ring made and at a very fair price.
Rating: 
Summary: Decent book for the cautious buyer.
Review: This is a great book if you really know nothing about buying a diamond. It is also a very good resource if you plan on buying a non-round-brilliant diamond, such as a marquise, princess, or other non-traditional cut. If you want a traditional clear (white), round cut, you can probably dispense with the book since there is so much free information available. All the important concepts were explained in clear english, and the large tables and color photos really let you see what Ms. Newman is talking about. However, she makes it sound like every jeweler out there is some kind of shark who is out to cheat you. I did not find this to be true when I went shopping. I found that several local jewelers were more than willing to sit down with me and talk about diamonds, and let me look at diamonds under microscropes all afternoon! Shopping for a diamond was such an educational experience in itself, that I would not have spent my money on this book if I knew then what I know now. Basically, between the free information you can find from diamond-buying internet websites and conversations with (honest) jewelers, you should be able to figure out everything you need. ... This book suffered from three problems: 1) All the photos, while helpful, are of very high-end / fancy / super-pricey / (I would never buy this stuff) type of jewelry. I thought Ms. Newman should show some pictures of normal engagement rings that normal guys like me would go out and buy. 2) The essential point of the book can be summed up in one sentence: Quality of the cut is the most important factor in buying a good-looking diamond. Ms. Newman repeatedly shows how cut quality can be traded for various other properties. For instance, the dimensions of the cut can be chosen to make your diamond look bigger than it actually is (bigger diameter), but it will not reflect light as well as an "ideal cut". These sorts of discussions are pretty much academic, since there is such an abundant selection of "ideal cut" diamonds out there. 3) There is so much information available over the internet for free. Ms. Newman does not even point her readers toward it. The websites I mentioned above are great starting points. Learn what you can to get a basic understanding of the 4 C's (and why 4 C's really are not enough to characterize a diamond), and once you find an honest jeweler, you can ask them lots of questions to fill in the gaps in your knowledge. ... In summary, this is a decent book for the cautious buyer. You will certainly find it helpful if you haven't already looked elsewhere for info first, but there is not much here that you can't find online for free IF YOU ARE BUYING A CLEAR ROUND BRILLIANT. For fancy colors and other styles of cuts, the book would definitely be more useful.
Rating:
Summary: Better Diamond Info Than Anything On The Internet...
Review: Unlike diamond websites, this book isn't trying to sell you diamonds. It just lays down the facts about what to look for when buying diamonds and rings. Newman's book is loaded with color pictures and info that you won't find on the Internet. For example:
1. Lots of close-up photos of diamonds with different clarity grades to help you learn to judge clarity yourself
2. Microscope photos of diamond inclusions.
3. Close-up photos of diamonds with a variety of cutting defects as well as examples of well-cut round and non-round diamonds. These pictures are far more helpful than diagrams I've seen on the Internet.
4. Diamonds of different colors and color-grades
5. Pictures showing how to detect diamond imitations along with tests for spotting fakes
6. Close-up photos of fracture-filled and laser-drilled diamonds and good info about diamond treatments
7. A wide variety of settings and ring styles from basic solitaire rings to unusual designer styles
Thanks to Newman's book, I was able to understand what I was looking at when jewelers showed me diamonds through their microscopes. And contrary to what one reader wrote, Newman doesn't make it sound like every jeweler is out to cheat you. She just helps you know when you've found a good jeweler and a good diamond. This book is worth far more than it costs. Don't go diamond shopping without it.
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