When buying diamond rings, an educated consumer always gets the best deal. Too many people shop for new cars and diamond rings alike without doing any research at all, and the salesperson often takes advantage of them.

Once the jewelers see you're an informed diamond ring buyer, they cannot scam you into buying overpriced diamonds which are worth far less than the salesperson claims. When buying engagement ring diamonds and wedding rings, you should go into battle educated and prepared. You should use The Folder with your research of diamond pricing and sample printouts of similar competing diamonds in your size range from online sites. You should also have a good diamond buying book with lots of color photos to help you spot fakes, and worthless diamonds.

You should be as educated as the salespeople to play on a level playing field as you shop. You should always ask to view the diamond through a 10x viewing loupe. If the jeweler gives you any bogus excuse why you can't, then leave immediately. Any legitimate jeweler would supply a loupe for you to inspect a diamond, which you the consumer have a right to do.

You should also ask to see the GIA certificate or AGS certificate for your diamond. If they make up excuses or cannot produce this important diamond grading document, then you should assume the worst and leave, as they probably have something to hide.

Avoid synthetic Moissanite diamonds unless that is specifically what you want. Some jewelers will try to rip you off by claiming they are real diamonds. To head this off, look through a 10x loupe and if you see double facets or a doubled diamond table reflection, then you most likely have a Moissanite synthetic diamond.

A good way to spot Cubic Zirconia fake diamonds is to view a newspaper placed behind the diamond. If you can read the print, then it's a fake Cubic Zirconia diamond. A real diamond scatters the light so you should not be able to see the news print through the diamond.

Another trick jewelers can pull on you is to show you a yellow diamond and claim it's a nice white diamond because they show it to you in front of a black background so you cannot easily see the color. You should also view your diamond in front of a white background to better detect any yellow coloring in the stone, and verify it against a color chart.

You also need to avoid jewelry store scams such as pricing codes. Some jewelers don't post a price on their diamond rings, they post a cryptic code which they must decode for you. This opens up the doorway to deceit and lies. If you look dumb, they might quote you a much higher price than a buyer who they know is informed. You should walk out of any jewelry store that does not post the exact price on the tag.

To get the full story on buying diamond rings and avoiding scams, read the entire guide on BridalTips.com. The guide reviews online diamond jewelry sites, diamond buying books, how to shop local stores, all about diamond construction and viewing, and all the jeweler scams you are likely to encounter.

Jeff Ostroff is President & CEO of ConsumerNet, Inc., which operates consumer advocate web sites such as http://www.BridalTips.com and http://www.CarBuyingTips.com, whose goal is to educate consumers and protect them from fraud. Read the entire Diamond Engagement Ring Buying Guide for a full listing of all the buying tips and scams to avoid.