2 Questions-Thanks in advance

[BuckeyeSal]

New to this etc etc. Any help appreciated.
Is EGL stateside nearly as good as GIA or should I just stick with GIA.

Is having a ball end setting on a princess cut diamond dangerous in terms of the diamond fracturing? Is much better to have a v end setting or is this not a big deal. (I like the ball end look better but have been told that is not safe)

 

[belle]

hey buckeyesal

welcome to ps!
i think it would be fair to say that egl usa is ''nearly'' as good as gia. i would rank the labs: ags>gia>egl
it just depends on what you are comfortable with. keep in mind that cutters know where they will get the best grade for their stone.

the ball end prongs are safe for princess cuts but i do think the v-caps are safer as they protect the corners fully.

 

[Lorelei]

I agree with Belle, I have an EGL USA certed diamond which is incredible, plus Hubby and I enjoyed a nice saving with the EGL USA cert!

As Belle says the cutters choose which lab will give the best grade accordingly so bear that in mind, but a well graded EGL diamond can be a winner, especially if you get an independant appraisal.

 

[oldminer]

The test we did on Pricescope some months ago showed that labs are not all the same, but not that much different. In fact, we found that if a consumer had a fixed amount of money to spend, they might, on occasion, get a better deal from a diamond with an EGL report than a GIA report, because the marketplace discounts the value of diamonds with EGL reports sometimes when it isn''t actually warranted. Its more a matter of dealers taking a fixed view on how labs compare rather than how the stone actually might fairly grade.

We advise people all the time to go with safety and caution. A diamond with no report is far more problematic than one with a GIA, EGL, or AGS report. None of the labs, even my own, is perfect. What you must avoid are labs in the vest pockets of sellers where a bias is very likely to occur. It may be totally innocent, but one just needs to err on the side of caution.

 

[BuckeyeSal]

Thanks guys for the info. The person I''m working with told me that I could get a little more bang for my buck with EGL stateside than GIA and if done right it could be just as good of diamond.

She also said that the ball end could fracture the diamond on the corners. Is this a real fear or something that rarely happens? Thanks in advance.