346 THE DIAMOND
profit, but rather than lose business they will raise their prices to any point satisfactory to the buyer.
Of
the public, women, as a rule, have the sharper eye for color, and the
quality of color has a large influence on price. It should be
remembered, however, that there are other things to be considered in
connection, i. e., brilliancy, proportion, cutting, and perfection. If
a stone has all the good qualities, each one has added to its value,
and some of them at first sight may not be fully recognized. Many
times, conscientious dealers lose a sale because they have selected a
stone critically for an uncritical person who thought the price too
high, though it was really very low for one so perfect in good
qualities.
A
sharp trader, or a good judge of diamonds, may sometimes buy to better
advantage than others, but usually the person who selects a dealer of
good reputation, tells him frankly what kind of a stone he wants, what
he is willing to pay, and trusts him to do what is right, will on an
average come out best. The dealer as a rule, however much the buyer
knows about diamonds, knows yet more, and he has the advantage of
knowing what the goods cost. If he has a customer who is willing to pay
a fair profit and shows no inclination to beat down the price, he will
ask only what he feels he ought to get for his jewel. If on the
contrary he finds that he has a contest of wits on hand, he will
prepare himself for concessions, and he has the advantage of knowing
just where he must stop in the whittling of price.
Gem
stones command good prices, for they are rare. Nevertheless they are
not usually as high comparatively as they are better than the lower
grades. If due con-
