Diamond Magically Improved Upon Re-appraisal ??

[phoenixgirl]

I just had my diamond engagement ring appraised for insurance purposes. The center stone had formerly been appraised as part of a diamond dinner ring that was my grandmother's. The original ring was platinum with diamonds encircling the stone. My engagement ring is an 18K yellow gold Vatche x prong. Show Me the Ring Thread

The first appraisal said that the center stone was J/K color, SI1 clarity, and 1.10 carats.

The appraisal today says that the stone is G/H color, VS2 clarity, and 1.14 carats.

Now, obviously I would like to have a larger stone with better color and clarity, so I'm not complaining, I'd just like to have an accurate description of my stone for the insurance. Should I take it somewhere else and see what they say? Does the stone need to be taken out of the setting to tell for certain?

My only real question is the color. The clarity and weight are close enough. I think the weight would be easier to estimate this time around because the diamond was more obscured in the first setting, and bigger seems to make more sense since my diamond seemed considerably larger than the 1 carat sized cz the ring came set with (not real scientific fact or anything). But how do you go from J/K to G/H? Can the color of the metal make that much of a difference?

Could it be possible that the appraiser was estimating up to be nice to me and make me think I had a winner? I met him on a train ride where we talked for several hours, and he is kind of grandfatherly. Hmmm.

I'd just get another appraisal, but I'm moving and getting married and don't really want to plunk down another $60.

 

[phoenixgirl]

P.S. I didn't tell him about the first appraisal ahead of time so he wouldn't just regurgitate those gradings, and then afterwards it seemed odd to bring it up like I had been withholding it.

P.P.S. It also turns out that my stone has three extra facets off of the girdle, one of which has a trigon (little triangle) in it. I can see two of them with my naked eye now that I know where they are. The jeweler presented these as my stone's "footprints" and "the work of nature," but I assume these are just the fault of the cutter way back when.

 

[victorianblue]

I am sure that one of the specialist will come in on this post.
I am also intersted in the color grading that you are discribing--I am hoping one of the specialist that sees your post will answer this one for me--when a color is determined/provided on a grading report, is it common practice to use to two color listings ie like what phonexgirl has provided on her post? ie: J/K or G/H ?

 

[DiamondExpert]

For the most accurate grading, the stone would have to be dismounted - you might want to consider this...probably why you got the split grades and slight difference in ct. wt.

An extra facet would not have a trigon, and would be called a natural (remnant of the surface of the rough crystal). The presence of naturals in the girdle area are thought to represent the cutter's skill in retaining the maximum amount of the original rough.

Extra facets are facets added by the cutter for a variety of reasons, and would have a polished surface like any other facet.

 

[phoenixgirl]

Yes, the jeweler did mention that weight retention is a factor in cutting a stone.

The trigon did appear to be enclosed in the facet. It's too small to see with the naked eye.

I remember the original appraiser saying that the stone "faced up whiter" than J or K, but I don't know if this has anything to do with the color grading today. It just seems like an awfully big range . . .

 

[phoenixgirl]

Well, I just went with the new flattering appraisal for insurance, but I can't help but feel that the original appraisal was more accurate. I'm guessing my stone's color is truly I-J, partly just to pick a middle ground between the two, and partly because I can detect a small amount of color, but not a "K" amount. Not that I'm an expert in any way . . .

I actually had already lined up another appraisal for next week which I was planning to cancel, but maybe I'll go out of curiosity. I do agree that the only way to tell for sure is to remove the stone and send it to the GIA, but I'd rather not do that. I'm afraid the prongs would be weakened in that case.