New Strategy: Buy EGL USA, but 1 Color Better

[cmargosi]

What do some of you pros think of this strategy. In the study posted on this website, it seems to indicate that GIA generally (and I"m saying generally because I know it wasn''t so in all cases) grades 1 color stricter than EGL-USA. However, in many cases, an EGL stone of one color grade better still costs less than GIA certed. stones. What do you guys think about going EGL-USA, but one color grade better as a buying strategy (i.e. look for G-H stones from GIA but compare to F-G stones from EGL)?

 

[diagem]

If you think GIA grades are more reliable then go for GIA
If you think EGL grades are less reliable then GIA (but cheaper in$ terms) go for EGL

DONT FORGET all these labs are offering THEIR OPINIONS ONLY

I dont think its worth the money to pay much more for GIA graded diamonds,

Just an opinion offcourse.

My opinion is that GIA are way too strict with their grades, but they made a good name for themselfs.

Any ways i hope that whatever you buy, you should be secure with your own decision, whatever lab report the diamond comes with....

 

[Giangi]

It can, at times, be a strategy. EGL USA stones are usually considerably cheaper than similarly graded GIA or AGS stones, and this is usually due to both their slightly lax grading and their not-so-highly-regarded reputation. So yes, at times buying a higher grade EGL diamond might be a good idea...but you''d have to make sure that the difference lies only in the color grade... What if you buy G,SI2 and end up getting an I,I1? In this case appraisers come in very handy... it''s a good idea to get the stone professionally checked to be sure you''re getting what you''re paying for. It is also a smart move to require pictures taken under high magnification in order to get a feel of what to expect from the stone.

 

[diagem]

But again I have seen quite a few diamonds that were graded by GIA lower than the grades they received at EGL. (NOT EGL-USA)

I personaly dont know who EGL USA is.

EGL started in EUROPE. (EUROPEAN GEMOLOGICAL LABORATORY)

I know that EGL has quite a few Labs In EUROPE and in some other places, and funny enough they are ALL called EGL (only)

WHO ARE EGL-USA?????


[$$)]

 

[Maxine]

I would say to have an independent appraisor look over the stone regardless of which lab says what.....have someone show you why they think it''s a certain color/clarity....have them show you the inclusions, etc. ....of course even that is somewhat subjective, and you have to make the final choice!!

 

[denverappraiser]

Buy the diamond, not the paper.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA
Independent Appraisals in Denver

 

[diagem]

Neil,

NICELY, and SIMPLY said....

 

[strmrdr]

Well said Neil.
I would buy a large diamond with no cert if it passed inspection by a good independant appraiser like Neil or several others that post here and it had the right discount.

The paper determins the $$ amount needed to take it home but the diamond itself shows if its a good one or a poor one.

On the net we have to rely on the paper, tests, and gadgets a lot more than I like at times but the most telling test is still the eyes of a trusted vendor backed up by the eyes of a trusted appraiser and then confirmed by our own eyes.

 

[pricescope]

I love aphorisms like that. It would be great to have a simple answer, wouldn''t it? (Please don’t take an offence, I’m just feeling a little cynical this morning

)


Since a grading report is just an opinion, which opinion is more reliable: GIA, AGS, EGL, HRD, or appraisal?


Which paper cost more when you want to sell a diamond? An appraisal? GIA? EGL?


Can a consumer buy a diamond without paper at all? Who should she/he trust? Maybe a jeweler who is going to grade both: customers and diamonds? (Still feeling pessimistic, sorry

)


Seriously, I would definitely ask an expert I can rely upon but everyone has to decide for themselves which opinion to respect.

 

[Bagpuss]

I based my decision to buy my old cut diamond on a combination of advice - a grading report by a reputable London lab, advice given to me by Dave Atlas and Art Anderson and various friends and family who went to see the diamond with me, the price and the evidence of my own eyes, which told me it was a beautiful and unique stone.

Get all the adive you can but make your own decisions. I have never regreted my decision.

 

[denverappraiser]

Pretty much every diamond of substance comes accompanied by a report. Often they have a selection of different reports to choose from that give different grading opinions, differing value conclusions and will measure different attributes of the stone. The one thing that is constant across all of these is the stone itself. I certainly understand that shopping for diamonds and jeweler can be a complicated and difficult process that leaves customers feeling very exposed to risk and the intention of the lab reports is to make it easier. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work out that way. The root of the question here is a grading of the grader, not a grading of a diamond. For those of us in the grading business, this is an important issue but for most consumers it’s not. Most customers are trying to get a beautiful ring for a fair price. Concentrating on the lab reports and the relative merits of the issuing labs is missing the point and can lead to a monstrous distraction.

I basically agree with Charles that diamonds accompanied by non-GIA credentials can represent good values as long as the shopping is done carefully and as long as the objective is kept in mind. Exactly how to do that careful shopping is a difficult question and is the subject of many many threads.

I’ll defer on the Leonid’s question because I’m hardly an unbiased observer. I, after all, sell paper and not diamonds.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA
Independent Appraisals in Denver

 

[Brian Knox]

Date: 1/30/2005 8:37:39 AM
Author:cmargosi
What do some of you pros think of this strategy. In the study posted on this website, it seems to indicate that GIA generally (and I''m saying generally because I know it wasn''t so in all cases) grades 1 color stricter than EGL-USA. However, in many cases, an EGL stone of one color grade better still costs less than GIA certed. stones. What do you guys think about going EGL-USA, but one color grade better as a buying strategy (i.e. look for G-H stones from GIA but compare to F-G stones from EGL)?

If I may play the devils advocate for a second...

What about clarity ?

Would not the use of SI-3 be evidence that they do not share the same definitions of the clarity grades ? ..

 

[valeria101]

Why not... but by the time you hedged all bets on color and clarity, any cost advantage gets wiped out

I do not know what stones you are considering - if one with particularly desirable proportions, looks and price turns out with non-GIA cert (or with none at all for that matter), you can always enlist an appraiser to help. There''s a price for everything

 

[JohnQuixote]

Date: 1/30/2005 11:44:58 AM
Author: denverappraiser

I, after all, sell paper and not diamonds.

Too funny.

 

[cmargosi]

Thanks for all the replies. As far as the clarity question goes, I''ve seen stones graded SI 1 and SI 2 by GIA and EGL-USA that wouldn''t make me happy, and I"ve seen stones graded SI 2 by both labs that did make me happy (but that were not right for some other reason, mainly that they were at B&Ms and way overpriced). In any case, this was more of a rhetorical question. I had been searching the internet and excluding EGL''s up until now. I began to think, why not include some better color and clarity grades and check the EGL box, as well. If nothing else, it will give me more choices (even if there is no cost savings, I may get a diamond I like with EGL cert.).

Unfortunately, we need to rely on the paper when shopping the net more than I''d like, but that''s life!

 

[Paul-Antwerp]

Unlike our appearance, we, cutters and wholesalers, are not stupid.

If we can make less money by sending a stone to EGL (even with a higher colour), then we will not do it. There is always a hidden reason, why the stone has a specific report.

That is one point, that the paper on the labs did not cover. We are not sending stones to any lab, based on pure luck. It is a strategic decision.

And of course, some of us sometimes make mistakes with that decision on the lab. Personally, I make a lot of those mistakes, since we send all our stones to AGS now, while we could get better results from GIA. But for you, as a consumer, it is an impossible task to find those mistakes, in which you get a better value than what you pay for.

Live long,

 

[Brian Knox]

Date: 1/31/2005 10:39:35 AM
Author: Paul-Antwerp



...

But for you, as a consumer, it is an impossible task to find those mistakes, in which you get a better value than what you pay for.
...

Agree with Paul, big time.

To think that somehow a mistake is going to make it past all of the diamond experts only to be found by a consumer is pretty far fetched.

If you are looking for a quality stone that has the highest likleyhood of being as described, than go with GIA or AGS.

There are no free lunches in the diamond business.

That said, there are many beautiful diamonds that are within a grade or two from an actual GIA F/VS-1

Which is what this is all about. IMO