HOW TO BUY DIAMONDS	343
	perienced buyers. It is impossible to see a diamond at its best in some stores. One must know the light and the surroundings to judge the stone properly. In other stores, the light is so strong that the brilliant reflections hide faults. Oftentimes a strong sunlight will make a false color stone appear so blue that one could hardly believe it to be the same stone when seen under another light. The general character of the dealer's stock has an influence on the buyer's judgment. A fine stone in a stock where all the diamonds are fine, will not appear to as great advantage as one not so good, but better than the average in a stock of very poor grade. Un­consciously, the buyer is influenced more by comparison than actual appreciation of quality. In a small town of the middle west, were two typical stocks of jewelry. One of the jewelers was a very conscientious man, hav­ing a strong disinclination to buy or sell anything but the best of its kind. His jewelry was 14 karat fine and of the best makes. He carried no diamonds under top silver capes, and preferred to sell crystals only. The other carried low grade goods, and advertized bar­gains. A man entered the store of the first and asked to see diamonds. They were shown to him, and prices quoted which included a very moderate profit, so moderate that the net profit after deducting the expense of carrying stock and doing business, would necessarily be very small. The customer thought the prices too high, and expressed his opinion in terms that were more forcible than polite. The dealer had not much to say. He said, " I think I buy judiciously. I pay my bills promptly and deal with very reliable houses. I am asking but a very small profit and the stones are exactly