Appraiser question - Los Angeles..

[B-Line]

Hey all,

I am about to pull the trigger on an e-ring (the stone anyway,) and part of the condition for purchase is an appraisal.
As the person I am buying the stone from is in the downtown jewelry section, he thinks I should bring it to EGL..
And, have it etched with a # ...
It is already GIA cert but I want to double check the *quality*

Any thoughts, as stated on an above post, I am also worried about a potential switch with the diamond during mounting as well. I will try to map the inclusions.

Or, does anyone have any recommendations of a appraiser in downtown in LA who I can trust to give me a fair assesment of the stone.
-- pref. someone who is not going to also try to sell me a *comparable* stone at a *better* deal..

--and for those of you who remember my post from last week, the stone is the princess I was asking about..

Thanks.
B

 

[JC]

Charles I. Carmona, ASA
Los Angeles, CA 90013
(213) 624-0137
Gems & Jewelry
Good Luck!

 

[AChiOAlumna]

Date: 5/12/2005 3:33:00 PM
Author:B-Line
Hey all,


I am about to pull the trigger on an e-ring (the stone anyway,) and part of the condition for purchase is an appraisal.

As the person I am buying the stone from is in the downtown jewelry section, he thinks I should bring it to EGL..

And, have it etched with a # ...

It is already GIA cert but I want to double check the *quality*

If it''s already GIA certed, why are you bringing it to EGL to be recerted????

 

[hoorray]

Charles Carmona will be able to give you an independent viewing of your stone, verifying that it matches the cert and is the proper stone. He will tell you what he thinks the color and clarity are as well. (GIA is still subjective.) He will not give you major advice on cut. He can give you an appraisal report for insurance pirposes, and was good about putting a reasonable replacement amount on it fo rme -- not the 2+x retail amount. Appraisals like that just raise your premiums to have the same thing replaced if lost or stolen.

 

[B-Line]

The reason I would bring it to EGL is three fold..

1) a second opinion - GIA like all diamond rating is subjective.
2) Appraisal for insurance company
3) To be laser etched ..... btw.. any thoughts on laser etching??

I called Mr. Carmona and made an appointment, only problem is, he doesn''t do etching.
So, I am still thinking about taking it to EGL instead. And it''s too bad he doesn''t evaluate cut..
That''s the one thing no one seems to evaluate on a princess.

thanks..

 

[AChiOAlumna]

Date: 5/12/2005 6:33:18 PM
Author: B-Line
The reason I would bring it to EGL is three fold..


1) a second opinion - GIA like all diamond rating is subjective.

I guess I should clarify...I was under the impression that GIA''s standards for grading were more strict than EGL. Am I incorrect? If correct, then it wouldn''t make sense to get a stone regraded by a company with lower standards...

As for laser inscribing, you can also send the stone to GIA lab and they''ll inscribe it with the number already assigned to it...

 

[dimonbob]

"The reason I would bring it to EGL is three fold..

1) a second opinion - GIA like all diamond rating is subjective.
2) Appraisal for insurance company
3) To be laser etched ..... btw.. any thoughts on laser etching??
I called Mr. Carmona and made an appointment, only problem is, he doesn''t do etching.
So, I am still thinking about taking it to EGL instead. And it''s too bad he doesn''t evaluate cut..
That''s the one thing no one seems to evaluate on a princess."



I would not take a GIA or AGS diamond to EGL for any reason. That would be like me taking my Z3 to a Ford dealer to make repairs. I would get Mr. Carmona to look at it and check it out and if I was happy with what he said, I would send it back to GIA and get them to inscribe it and put it on ther certificate. I would then take it back to Mr. Carmona to make sure it was the same diamond if you need to.

Look at what AGA here on PS has for a good cut on a princess and see if your diamond measures up. Also use your eyes. If it looks like every other princess cut diamond out there...keep looking. To have all the information you need on cut you need the GIA cert and the crown height which requires a Sarin report.

Have fun!

 

[AChiOAlumna]

Date: 5/13/2005 5:40:01 PM
Author: dimonbob
I would not take a GIA or AGS diamond to EGL for any reason. That would be like me taking my Z3 to a Ford dealer to make repairs. I would get Mr. Carmona to look at it and check it out and if I was happy with what he said, I would send it back to GIA and get them to inscribe it and put it on ther certificate. I would then take it back to Mr. Carmona to make sure it was the same diamond if you need to.

Thank you!! I guess this is what I was getting at...I believed GIA (which granted is as subjective as anywhere else) tended to greade at higher and more stringent standards than EGL and didn''t understand why someone would take a diamond fromo a higher classification rating and go to another source with less stringent standards....thanks for clarifying!!!