EGL vs. GIA/AGS0

[meepcat]

I understand that the difference between EGL apples and GIA oranges may sometimes be the declination of color/clarity rating that GIA may ascribe to EGL-certed diamonds.

So do PS folks generally shy away from EGL-certed diamonds, because they may not even rate against the GIA report?

I considered getting an EGL diamond (larger in size, lower in color/clarity) in sticking to the budget that my boyfriend has. But it''s my understanding that an EGL-certed stone might not carry a positive resale value in part to the standards it was measured against?

Anyway, any more info on this would be helpful, as far as folks'' opinions of diamonds that are EGL certified.

 

[Rod]

Hi and Welcome......

When it''s all said and done, no one walks around and says, "Hey.......Look at my beautiful new EGL/GIA/AGS graded diamond." People don''t carry their grading report with them, at least most don''t. But, the value of a grading report is knowing you got what you paid for. And that is the reason you''ll find most people on PS preferring AGS or GIA grading reports. AGS and GIA are generally regarded as stricter and one can usually believe that they grading paper is accurate. That claim can not always be made with EGL graded stones, but there have been some posts that EGL is working to be more accurate.

If you see an EGL graded stone that you fall in love with, and it represents a good value, your first line of defense should be to find an independent appraiser (you can find them here on PS) and have them appraise the stone (loose, not set). If the appraisal agree''s with the EGL grading report, and you love the stone, good job!

Do not consider a diamond an investment from a resale perspective. You''ll surely lose money on that idea. Unless of course you are considering an insanely large, very rare stone. Doesn''t sound like you are. Diamonds are an investment in one''s happiness and pleasure. Not one to resell at a profit in a couple of years. Sure, diamond prices go up, but you still would not likely be able to put an ad in the paper in a couple of years and get more for your stone than you paid for it. Sadly, you won''t even likely get what you paid for it.

Hope I didn''t confuse you............

 

[asscherisme]

I recently had a EGL diamond that I''ve had for years appraised because I am planning on selling it. The EGL cert says the diamond is 2 colors better and many clarity grades better than it appraised at. In fact it was supposed to be a vvs1 and it appraised at. I would not buy EGL again. This diamond was a gift years ago but I would still stay away from EGL. But thats me. You may hear from people telling you postive experiences.

 

[Small]

I have an EGL graded diamond and have had it looked at by gemologists without telling them any of the specs. They''ve guessed my specs every time. I''m not saying they are accurate as they are not appraisers but at least they aren''t guessing something totally off the wall. I have a feeling my stone may be off from what my cert says and that''s ok I guess. I''ve had it for 7 years and am not planning to get rid of it so it''s really a mute point.
You can get a good EGL if you are willing to put in the time and effort to find one. They can be of great value $ wise if you can find a good one. My diamond isn''t even EGL USA so that makes me feel a bit worse LOL but at the end of the day I don''t look at it and think it''s junk because it''s EGL...I love the way it looks, it''s very white, and I get lots of compliments on it. As Rod said...not many people are walking around with their grading reports talking about whether they have an AGS/GIA/EGL diamond so if you can live with it then that''s all that matters. If you are planning a future trade up then you probably need to consider AGS/GIA stones or at the very least make sure the jeweler/vendor you work with will accept the EGL stone as part of their tradeup policy. I believe in looking at all stones and judging on the numbers and the look not so much who graded them. If you are interested in one make sure you get a second opinion by an appraiser and that will put your mind at ease! HTH...good luck