Retailer observations
We may record where a listing carrying the same laboratory report number was offered for sale, as a note such as “Observed at retailer on date for price.” Readings do not currently display these notes. Where one is shown, it is a dated record, not live inventory: prices and availability change, and we do not track listings in real time.
- Any retailer link we show is an ordinary link marked
rel="nofollow", with no affiliate or tracking codes. - No retailer pays to appear, to be listed first, or to be linked at all.
- A listing is never used as a source of report data. It contributes only the retailer, the link, the listed price, and the date observed. Every characteristic we read comes from the issuing laboratory’s official record.
Independence of scores and rankings
The Carat Standard Score is calculated only from the grading report. Price, retailer, availability, and any commercial relationship are never inputs to the score, the order of The Collection, or the assessment in a reading. If you ask The Loupe about a stone, it may repeat a dated retailer observation, but it does not recommend a retailer.
If affiliate links are added later
We may one day add affiliate links, which pay us a commission when a purchase is made through them. If we do:
- Each affiliate link will be clearly labelled as an affiliate link where it appears.
- This page will be updated to name the relationship before any affiliate link goes live.
- Affiliate links will never affect scores, the order of The Collection, or the language we use to describe a stone, and a retailer without an affiliate relationship will not be removed or demoted.
- Your price will not change because you used an affiliate link.
Questions
If something on the site looks like a paid placement, or you would like to know more about how links are chosen, email hello@thecaratstandard.com. Our Editorial Standards describe how readings are prepared and what the Score does and does not consider.