Mark and Doreen Whitman were both in agreement, typical of a couple married for over 25 years. The well off couple had some extra money saved up and had decided to invest it in diamonds. Doreen already had a collection of diamond jewelry glitzy enough to make any woman envious. Now the couple wanted to purchase a diamond at a wholesale price, store it in a safe place, and wait for the price to appreciate.

Buying diamonds at wholesale prices is not as easy as it sounds. When Mark and Doreen approached their trusted neighborhood jeweler with their desire to buy loose diamonds at wholesale prices, he was more than reluctant. "Our local jeweler kept on offering us diamonds which were already set in rings and necklaces." Doreen continues, "And when he finally showed us a loose diamond with a GIA certificate, the price was not low and obviously not wholesale." To make matters worse, the jeweler which they had known for years started to get nervous and defensive when Mark pulled out his copy of the rapaport list, the diamond industries price guide, and started to haggle over the price. "Our trusted jeweler obviously didn