capetown diamond

[atjj]

Hello,

I''m preparing to spend about $3500 on a tennis bracelet for my wife''s 40th birthday and I''d like to know if anyone has information on these two companies in Atlanta, GA: Solomon Brothers and Capetown Diamond.

If you have suggestions on other places to go in Atlanta, I''d appreciate them.

Also, I''ve seen IGI appraisals with the word Gemmological spelled with two m''s and on IGI''s website, they do not spell it with two m''s. Does this difference mean anything?

Thanks for your help,
Anthony

 

[yowahking]

Calling Neal, want to define IGI "appraisals". Not familiar with either company, but there are no shortage of places to find a tennis bracelet for $3500. More important is whether you want quality, or size or combination. Stay away from the S link where there is only one prong on either side of the diamond. The style is pretty out of date, and diamonds don't stay in very well.

 

[valeria101]

----------------
On 9/9/2004 11:10:46 AM atjj wrote:



Also, I've seen IGI appraisals with the word Gemmological spelled with two m's and on IGI's website, they do not spell it with two m's. Does this difference mean anything?

----------------

Could be a scam... one of many.

But maybe it is not. You can check the IGI's website www.igiworldwide.com for locations and document samples. The lab does indeed issue "appraisals" for insurance purposes as well as reports - which are the usual document offered with a loose gem.

Hope this helps.

 

[Hest88]

If you're in Atlanta, also visit Mednikow Jewelers. The owner is a really nice guy, though the store is rather high-end. So...I don't know if they'll have what you're looking for, but I also don't think you have to worry about getting something of a poor quality.

 

[denverappraiser]

Anthony,

Gemmological is the spelling used in the UK and other countries that prefer to speak English instead of American. It's sort of like their spelling of colour. I wouldn't hold it against them.

IGI is a large, and very high volume grading lab. They have offices all over the world, including the US. They don’t enjoy the same reputation as GIA and AGS for consistency or standards of grading but many dealers sell stones with their reports. Many people find that stones graded by other labs have importantly different results. It is common to sell their stones at t substantial discount vs. comparably graded stones from other labs. They are discussed in quite a few threads here. Use the search feature on the front page of pricescope and look for IGI.

An appraisal is a statement of the facts surrounding an item and some related market. An item can be worth substantially different amounts depending on whether we are talking about selling it used to a pawn shop or buying it new on Rodeo drive. A document that does not include a discussion of this can not be properly called an appraisal. Most IGI reports do not include this information and I would not suggest you put much weight on their value conclusions as part of your shopping process although their descriptions may be helpful for things like stone weights and karatage. I would also not recommend using these documents for your insurance policy, you are likely to pay far more in premiums than is necessary. There may be other cases where these 'appraisal' are helpful but I can' think of one at the moment.

Neil Beaty, GG ISA
Independent Appraisals in Denver

 

[denverappraiser]

Ok, I was hoping someone else would step forward and say this but I guess it falls on me.

Those IGI 'appraisals', and similar documents from other suppliers, are worse than they useless, they're distructive. They are used to encourage customers to believe things that are simply not true. The market they are describing is one that enormously different from the one where the vast majority of the customers who recieve one are inclined to shop. The entire purpose of the document is to allow sales people to make statements that are contrary to known facts and then to disclaim responsibility by quoting a report issued by a carefuly insulated lab. Read the disclaimer on the back of the report and decide for youself what they mean by the value given. It's almost certain that what IGI means by value is not the same as what the sales people are saying.

Neil Beaty, GG ISA
Independent Appraisals in Denver

 

[atjj]

I greatly appreciate this info. Capetown diamond posts images of their IGI appraisals and offers product pricing at 40-50% "discount" based on the difference between their sales price and the IGI appraisal amount.
http://www.capetownstore.com/new_jewelry.html and click on the bracelet category on the left.

Is this the type of scenario you're describing?

 

[atjj]

Thanks for the info about the S link.

Quality is the priority. Are tennis bracelets subject to laser treatment?

 

[denverappraiser]

alg,

Here is the first item on their inventory list list. It's center stone is a 5 carat SI1-SI2 clarity, H-I color Round brilliant. No useful cut information supplied. It's supposedly worth $77,790.

I won't get into whether it's correctly graded or not because I haven't seen the stone. Whiteflash has this stone for $31,900, which I chose randomly from a list of 15 directly comparable stones listed on PS. Play with the search index on the front page and see what you come up with if you don't like my chosen examples and find one that's closer to what you want.

That $77k number seems inflated. I think it would be extremely difficult to find a store anywhere on the planet that is actually getting that kind of money for that kind of goods. It's even difficult to imagine a store that would ask such prices but this is a different question. If this number doesn't even relate to a theoretical transaction, what good is it as a comparable value for shopping purposes? On the other hand, the stone in the above paragraph is, I'm sure, available for immediate purchase and whoever ends up selling it will probably realize approximately this price although it may take a while because he probably doesn't get a lot of calls for a stone of this description.

I'm sure he will be tickled to hear from you if you are interested.

Neil Beaty, GG ISA
Independent Appraisals in Denver

 

[wanderlost]

I'm not absolutely positive with this, but I believe IGI may be a partner or puppet of the ShopatHome or Home Shopping Network.... their stones are constantly being sold (just as there are similar grading organizations with coins, sports collectibles, etc) that would cease to exist were it not for the volume of submissions sent in by these tv networks.... (especially with these companies' reputation for grading so inconsistantly and generously).

just my .02c

 

[denverappraiser]

----------------
On 9/10/2004 1:39:52 PM atjj wrote:

Thanks for the info about the S link.

Quality is the priority. Are tennis bracelets subject to laser treatment?----------------

Yes. Any diamond can be lasered but it is required for them to tell you about it. Almost everyone sells tennis bracelets. If you give people some idea what sort of thing you're looking for, there are lots of dealers that can help you out.

Neil Beaty, GG ISA
Independent Appraisals in Denver

 

[atjj]

Thanks again.

This is my second diamond purchase in 10 years so I don't have a lot of specs for a purchase. I'm just starting with a budget of $3500 and a tennis bracelet - now with no s-link

. Also, I would prefer to go to a brick and mortar and have my wife pick out what she wants in the $3500 range. I did some pricescope searches on the solomons brothers store (solomonbrothers.com) and most seem to have had a good experience. That is where we purchased our wedding rings from 9 years ago. I thought we had the greatest deal on earth, but a little while after our purchase, we were at a mall store and the guy said that the stone was probably laser treated in order to get such a great price. My heart sunk, but hopefully it was all just sales competition.
At any rate, I think I'll head to solomon brothers and do some scouting in my price range for tennis bracelets. If there are any other suggestions beside no s-link, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Thanks!!!

 

[denverappraiser]

Don't believe everything you hear. The store is required by law to tell you if they are lasered. Sometimes people will lie, of course, but Solomon Brothers is a large and successful company. They would not make such a mistake. All you have to do is ask them and read whatever paperwork they give you.

Neil Beaty, GG ISA
Independent Appraisals in Denver

 

[yowahking]

alg,
The store you went to should have a book of hundreds of styles of tennis bracelets. Two styles that are hot in our area are the 1/2 bezels with the bezel at 12 and 6 o'clock in white gold, and the other that has a straight bar to channel either a round or princess cut in each link. Both are very clean lines and look good when a "good" setter does them. Both look goofy when a bad setter does them. If the store does not have these items in a catalog to view, I would be shocked. Sometimes there are 2 versions that differ about 5 grams, get the heavier one. Another $100 will be worth it down the road.
Regarding the brain surgeon that told you that the good deal must be laser drilled, reminds me of taking someone to a Diamondbacks baseball game from out of the country. They had never seen a game, never tried the famous American Hot Dog. His first experience of hot dogs were that they cost $7. Some jewelry employees have a very narrow view of the jewelry business, both local and internet.

 

[atjj]

Neil,

If you wouldn't mind looking at my top choice and tell me what you think about it and its IGI appraisal, I'd greatly appreciate it. I went to see it in person and to my untrained eye, it was beautiful. I'm just concerned about getting my money's worth. Even if it is not really worth what the appraisal says, as long as it is truly worth the asking price, I'm satisfied.

Thanks for your help