Why was the color on my GIA cert way off?

[bp]

I just got my ring appraised and the color of the setter stone I purchased online got appraised as an H, instead of an E as was stated on the GIA dert. How can this happen?

The stone has a laser inscription so I figured it would be around an E, since I verified the laser inscription at my local jewler. The appraiser even told me she was deciding between a H and an I! She said I can get is appraised somewhere else if I want but this most likely won''t change a thing. She said all the other specs on the diamond matched the GIA cert, and the color of the side stones adverstised on the setting matched what she was getting.

I am wondering how can this be and what some options are. Unfortunately I''ve surpassed the return period at the online vendor.

 

[belle]

having a laser inscription doesn''t guarantee anything. did the appraiser verify that the stone matched the report? grading of diamonds is quite subjective in the first place and grading diamonds that are mounted adds another level of difficulty. most appraisers will only verify a mounted stone grade to be within 2 colors. considering that diamond may have been a very low ''e'' or high ''f'' in the first place, a mounted grade of ''h'' is not entirely unreasonable.
you could always get a second opinion if that''s what you need.

 

[bp]

Everything else on the stone matched the GIA report.

 

[AndyRosse]

I would definitely get a second opinion. Something is off here.

But like Belle said, with a mounted stone, the best an appraiser can do is guess within a couple grades. Of course, I wouldn''t want to hear H when I bought a diamond at the price of an E!

What were the first appraiser''s qualifications BTW?

 

[klavigne]

Belle nailed yet another one.
If the stone was loose then I''d question it. But mounted........ It''s really hard to get a good look at the bottom of a mounted stone, which is how the labs grade color. In a setting the color can vary as much as two or even three grades. Just like it''s impossible to get the carat weight of a mounted stone, they take measurements then make an educated guess.
If your worried about insurance just send them the appraisal and the lab report and be sure it''s insured as the higher of the two colors. Most insurance companies require an appraisal just to ensure that the stone is what you are saying it is. You''re not experiencing anything abnormal.

 

[bp]

Rascal49, I''ll get back to you with the appraisers qualifications. I don''t have it in front of me right this minute. As far as the cost of the stone it actually costed $4300. (princess cut, labeled "ideal" by vendor, 1.03ct. E, SI1, pol-ex, sym-vg). When I started shopping I was initially looking for an f/g color stone, but then stumbled upon this e for about the same price as the F/G color SI1s, so went with it. Wonder if it was the same price as the f/g''s for a reason....

 

[bp]

The appraiser was part of NAJA.

 

[lmurden]

Are you happy with diamond?
If not call the vendor and explain the situation and see what can be done.
Good Luck.

 

[bp]

I was pretty happy with the diamond before. It looked pretty good when I got it and I figured I was getting an E SI1 at a great price, and the real reason I purchased my stone from this vendor was because they seemed to be the only ones who had this stone. Now it''s just bugging me that I might have gotten an H when there were a lot of H color stones for a lot cheaper. Also, with the matching laser inscription I just figured there shouldn''t be any discreancies. I talked to a rep at the online vendor and she stated that the appraiser was just probably having an off day and if I am really that worried I can get a 2nd opinion, which I might. But seems like the bottom line is there is not a whole lot I can do. Kind of regretting not buying from somewhere with a trade up policy.

 

[Richard Sherwood]

The GIA had the advantage of color grading the diamond while it was loose, a much easier and more precise color grading scenario than when done while mounted.

I would tend to trust the loose color grading rather than the mounted color grading.

I can't imagine the GIA being more than one color grade off, and usually not even that. Three color grades off just doesn't sound right to me.

Was the appraiser using diamond or cz master stones to color grade with?

 

[bp]

Thanks for your feedback Richard. To be honest, she was using master stones but I don''t know if they were cz''s or diamonds. Is it strange that the color grade she gave to the side stones on my setting was an exact match (of what I was told when I purchased the setting) where as the center stone was 3 shades off?