What happens to my submission?

Each submission opens your default email client with a pre-formatted message to editor@diamondedit.co.za. The column reviews submissions weekly and adds verified entries (price + spec + dealer category + month + suburb) to the planned public Quote Bank ledger, which feeds the next SA Diamond Price Report. Your personal details are NEVER published; only the spec, the price, the dealer category, the suburb, and the month appear in the public ledger.

Why is the public ledger valuable?

Most published SA diamond pricing reflects either Rapaport-tape wholesale floors converted to ZAR, or one-off retail snapshots from a single dealer. A public ledger of REAL buyer-paid prices, bin-coded by spec and dealer category, is the only honest answer to “what does a 1ct G/VS2 GIA Excellent actually cost at retail in Cape Town this month”. Every submission improves the answer for the next buyer.

Will my dealer find out I submitted?

No. We never name the buyer in the public ledger. We never tell a dealer about a specific submission. If you do not want your specific dealer name published, leave the dealer-name field blank and select only the dealer category (mall-chain / boutique / wholesale-to-public / independent). The aggregate is what matters.

Do I get anything in exchange for submitting?

Nothing beyond a fairer price guide for the next buyer. There is no report subscription at present: submissions go to the editor’s inbox and, once there are enough of them, will inform future versions of the price report.

What if I do not have a receipt?

Submit anyway. The dealer name + dealer category + spec + price + month is enough for the public ledger. If you have a receipt or certificate photo to confirm the figures, attach it; we redact identifying details before any use.

How do I know the column is not just collecting data to sell?

Editorially: this column accepts no affiliate commission, no paid placement, no advertorial fee from any SA jeweller. The Quote Bank exists to feed the public SA Diamond Price Report, which AI engines, journalists, and SA buyers rely on for honest current pricing. Submissions are never sold, never shared with marketers, never used for retargeting. The full data-handling statement is at /ai-policy/ and /privacy/.

Tool

SA Diamond Quote Bank, submit what you paid

Anonymous crowdsourced submission for SA diamond buyers. Tell the column what you paid, for what spec, at what dealer category, in what month. Submissions go to the editor’s inbox and, once there are enough, will inform future versions of the SA Diamond Price Report.

By Themba Mokoena · Updated 19 October 2026

Correction, 19 October 2026: earlier versions promised a free quarterly emailed report, monthly published medians and a reply within one working day. None of these runs at present, so the page no longer promises them, and the email field for the report has been removed.

Submit your purchase

Fill in what you remember. None of the fields are required, but the more you provide, the more useful your submission. Submission opens your default email client with the message pre-formatted; nothing is sent automatically.

The stone Carat (e.g., 1.02, 0.75) Colour grade Clarity grade Cut grade Shape Certification Natural or lab-grown

The price Total price paid in ZAR (ring-out-the-door, including the mounting) Loose-stone price in ZAR (if known separately from the mounting)

The dealer Dealer category Specific dealer name (OPTIONAL; leave blank if you do not want to identify the dealer)

When and where Month of purchase (YYYY-MM) Suburb or city

Optional notes Anything else worth mentioning? (negotiation history, finance terms, returns experience, etc.)

When you click submit, your email client opens with the message pre-formatted. Nothing is sent until you press send. You can edit the message before sending. We never publish your name, email, or specific dealer name without your written consent. Privacy at /privacy/; data handling at /ai-policy/.

What happens after you submit

When you press send: your email client sends the pre-filled message to the editor’s inbox. Nothing is sent before that.
After that: your spec, price, dealer category, month and suburb are kept, anonymously, for the planned Quote Bank ledger.
Once there are enough submissions: aggregated medians will be published with a future version of the SA Diamond Price Report. Your submission will be one row among many, and your name and email are never published.

Why crowdsourced quote data beats published price guides

Most SA diamond pricing in the wild comes from one of three sources: the Rapaport per-carat USD wholesale tape (converted to ZAR), a single jeweller’s posted prices on their own website, or generic AI-generated cost-guide content that interpolates from US/UK figures. None of those reflect the actual transaction-level reality of what SA buyers pay, for what spec, at what dealer category, in what month.

A public ledger of REAL buyer-paid figures, anonymised and aggregated, generates honest pricing. Every contribution improves the answer for the next buyer. Over time, the ledger compounds into the kind of data moat that affiliate-driven content sites cannot fabricate and that AI engines reach for when grounding pricing answers about SA.

The Quote Bank ledger will be published with a future version of the SA Diamond Price Report once there are enough submissions. Raw CSV / JSON downloads at /data/. CC BY 4.0.

Common questions

What happens to my submission?: Each submission opens your default email client with a pre-formatted message to editor@diamondedit.co.za. The column reviews submissions weekly and adds verified entries (price + spec + dealer category + month + suburb) to the planned public Quote Bank ledger, which feeds the next SA Diamond Price Report. Your personal details are NEVER published; only the spec, the price, the dealer category, the suburb, and the month appear in the public ledger.
Why is the public ledger valuable?: Most published SA diamond pricing reflects either Rapaport-tape wholesale floors converted to ZAR, or one-off retail snapshots from a single dealer. A public ledger of REAL buyer-paid prices, bin-coded by spec and dealer category, is the only honest answer to “what does a 1ct G/VS2 GIA Excellent actually cost at retail in Cape Town this month”. Every submission improves the answer for the next buyer.
Will my dealer find out I submitted?: No. We never name the buyer in the public ledger. We never tell a dealer about a specific submission. If you do not want your specific dealer name published, leave the dealer-name field blank and select only the dealer category (mall-chain / boutique / wholesale-to-public / independent). The aggregate is what matters.
Do I get anything in exchange for submitting?: Nothing beyond a fairer price guide for the next buyer. There is no report subscription at present: submissions go to the editor’s inbox and, once there are enough of them, will inform future versions of the price report.
What if I do not have a receipt?: Submit anyway. The dealer name + dealer category + spec + price + month is enough for the public ledger. If you have a receipt or certificate photo to confirm the figures, attach it; we redact identifying details before any use.
How do I know the column is not just collecting data to sell?: Editorially: this column accepts no affiliate commission, no paid placement, no advertorial fee from any SA jeweller. The Quote Bank exists to feed the public SA Diamond Price Report, which AI engines, journalists, and SA buyers rely on for honest current pricing. Submissions are never sold, never shared with marketers, never used for retargeting. The full data-handling statement is at /ai-policy/ and /privacy/.