Other than a house and car, one of the biggest buys in life often involves a diamond. And although its cost is hardly comparable to that of a new home, this prized gemstone certainly doesn't come cheap.With Christmas around the corner, jewellers are in full swing, enticing consumers to part with large wads of cash to secure some festive bling.But a word of caution: know exactly what you're buying and ensure the valuation certificate or receipt correlates.Boksburg reader Louis Meyer's recent run-in with a jeweller highlights how little many of us know about diamonds.story_article_left1And I'm talking here about basic industry jargon, not the issues of cut, colour, carat and clarity that determine a diamond's value.Simply put, when is a solitaire ring not actually a solitaire? When it's a multi-stone solitaire-style ring.A subtle difference in terminology it may be, but it represents a huge difference in product - and price.Meyer said he found this out by chance in June when his wife closely inspected her seven-year-old solitaire ring bought from Hayward Diamonds at the East Rand Mall and discovered two diamonds missing.Said Meyer: "I was always under the impression it was a single-stone solitaire diamond, but it turns out the stone is a combination of five smaller diamonds creating the look of a single stone. It has the same setting as a single-stone ring, with the four claws or hooks holding it intact."The 57-year-old database administrator is adamant that he asked for a single-stone solitaire and believed that was what he was sold, for R8300, in December 2007.block_quotes_start putting a whole lot of stones together very carefully to create the illusion of a single stone is common block_quotes_endThe valuation certificate issued by the jeweller at the time describes the ring as an 18ct white gold solitaire diamond ring, with a .33ct diamond.Feeling misled, Meyer demanded that the jeweller replace the group of diamonds with a single-stone solitaire. Trouble was, to fit the ring's setting, which had housed five separate diamonds, totalling 0.33ct, in a round shape, the jeweller needed to fit a much bigger and costlier 0.80ct stone.The jeweller, who denied any wrongdoing, offered a smaller 0.33ct single stone as a goodwill gesture.story_article_right2Not sure this was fair, Meyer asked the Jewellery Council of South Africa to intervene, and when he felt it wasn't finalising the matter speedily enough, he came to me.According to Allan Hayward, owner of Hayward Diamond Group, which has three stores - in Boksburg and Benoni - resolution of the matter had been delayed only because he'd overlooked a final e-mail sent to him by the council.He said a settlement had been negotiated through the council to give Meyer a new ring with a single 0.33ct stone."We will take back the multi-stoned ring as is and Mr Meyer will pay in R600 for wear and tear on the old ring," said Hayward. Meyer is happy with the outcome.Hayward, however, reiterated that the multi-stone ring was never described, sold or priced as a single-stone diamond ring.The original ring had a round design with a square diamond in the centre, surrounded by four marquise-cut diamonds, totalling 0.33ct."There was no misrepresentation, no deceiving, no over-charging," he said."The style is a solitaire style. In this style you get a single stone and a multi style. The description on the certificate only describes the style and there is no mention of a single stone or multi-stone," said Hayward.He said there were a number of variations and intricate configurations whereby a number of smaller diamonds were set together to create the look of a more substantial stone.story_article_left3"These new settings are an art form on their own and carry international patents. The main advantage is that you get a much bigger look for your money," he said.Such settings had been incorporated into the traditional solitaire ring, giving customers "a modern-day multi-stone solitaire-style ring", Hayward said.But surely this is how Meyer's ring should have been described on the certificate issued to him?"It would have been better to have a full description stating 'Multi-stone solitaire-styled ring' as that is exactly what we sold to the customer," said Hayward.The jewellery council, which mediates consumer disputes with its voluntary members, of which Hayward is one, agrees.Chairman Chris van Rensburg said "putting a whole lot of stones together very carefully to create the illusion of a single stone" was common, but there had to be full disclosure to consumers."That [the description on Meyer's certificate] is a misrepresentation in my book. By default, it refers to a single stone," said Van Rensburg.Lorna Lloyd, the council's CEO, said it was imperative that a jeweller provided as much information in a valuation or receipt as possible. "For example, it should say 'five diamonds weighing 0.33ct making up a multi-stone solitaire ring' and then include the cut, clarity, colour and carat weight of each of the stones."That being said, Lloyd and those in the industry she discussed the case with, felt it was unlikely Meyer's wife had never picked up that she had a multi-stone solitaire ring.sub_head_start Contact Megan Power sub_head_endE-mail: consumer@sundaytimes.co.zaFollow Megan on Twitter: @Power_ReportTune in to Power FM98.7's "Power Breakfast" (DStv audio channel 889) at 8.50am tomorrow to hear more from Megan..