EGL Diamond

[calichelle]

Hi! Totally new to diamond purchasing. My boyfriend has saved so much to get my engagement ring and pay cash. This is the setting I have chosen.
https://www.allurez.com/index.php?f...ts_id=8069&chgmetal=1&newui=3#prd-more-detail
My boyfriend wants a 1 carat center stone. I found one here
https://www.allurez.com/1.02-carat-...-color-si1-clarity-diamond/gid/842606/gcid/65
That is at top of our budget, can not go above.
I have contacted company to see if we can get photo of actual diamond.
I had been reading that egl rated diamonds are often inflated on clarity, cut, and color. I tried to find a GIA rated diamond using the search. There is a similar setting as well
http://www.b2cjewels.com/1/gsus1051...apered-diamond-engagement-ring-14k-white-gold
But I would have to convince him to go down to .91 carat and in cut and color quality
http://www.b2cjewels.com/dd/8958174/Round-Diamond-I-Color-VS1-Clarity
We live near LA area so I could take the 1 carat ring when received to have appraised. And if diamond grade is not what stated we do have 30 days to return.
I would appreciate thoughts. Neither of us have ever bought any diamonds. And wanted to make sure since such a large purchase we are choosing best for our budget.

 

[WinkHPD]

You are very likely to be spending money on a diamond that is not as you are hoping, and more money on an appraiser. Thus, I have an idea.

In the old days, before I became a vendor for only one branded cut of diamond, I would very often have diamonds with no reports on them. For my in house business, there was simply no need for the reports as I took my clients through an educational process that included looking at the diamonds through a microscope and comparison with my five stone color master set of diamonds.

I did start selling diamonds on the Internet in 1995, and my experience there was that ALL diamonds needed a report or they were unsellable.

On the rare case when an in house client wanted a report, I made a deal with them. I told them that I would get a GIA report for them and that if the diamond was what I said it was, or better, that they would pay for the cost of the report and shipping the diamond back and forth. If the diamond came back lower in color or clarity then I would pay for the report and they could buy the diamond at the lower value of the diamond with the lower report, or walk away with no expense or obligation, ever.

Strange as it might seem to an Internet buyer, often that confidence added to the now cost to the client of getting the report if I was right, often ended the request for the report. Of the ten or so that I did have take me up on it over the years, one came back so many color grades higher (I promised a J or better, it came back a G) that I wrote my disagreement on the invoice and in my document for insurance purposes so that the heirs could never come back on me for selling an obviously misgraded document from GIA.

Since many now properly consider having an EGL report as pretty much the same as having no real report at all, I suggest you suggest to your vendor that you will buy the stone with the proviso that they send it to GIA and get a report. If the report is as the EGL report states, then you will pay for the report and the cost of shipping it to and from GIA. If the report is for a lower color or clarity grade, then you should have the right to the diamond at an appropriately lower cost if you like the appearance of the diamond, and the right to return the diamond after inspection if you do not like it.

If they refuse, you must decide if it is in your best interest to continue with your purchase or to walk away. It is, after all, YOUR money that they are seeking.

Just my thoughts.

Wink

 

[kenny]

EGL diamonds seem like a great bargain and GIA diamonds seem like a rip off, but only before you learn that EGL lies about color and clarity grades.
It astonishes me they get away with what I consider to be fraud.
Imagine if they did this with carat weight.

The same EGL diamond, if sent to GIA or AGS, will almost certainly get grades that are MUCH worse ... reports here are of as many as five color and/or clarity grades worse.
If that's not insulting enough, the exact same diamond sold with the GIA report (and the true color and clarity grades) would likely sell for LESS than it sells for with an EGL report.

Now that you know only consider diamonds graded by AGS or GIA.

 

[kenny]

We live near LA area so I could take the 1 carat ring when received to have appraised. And if diamond grade is not what stated we do have 30 days to return.

But once a diamond is set color and clarity grades cannot be determined to the same degree of certainty.
GIA will only give their standard report on a diamond that is loose.
If grades are uncertain, then so is the value ... and guess who benefits from this ambiguity ... hint, it's not the buyer.

Next, an appraisal does not carry the weight of a grading report from GIA ... you'd find this out if you ever tried to sell or upgrade the EGL diamond with the appraisal.

If a diamond truly was G VS1 per GIA's standards, it would NOT be sold with EGL paper stating G VS1 because nobody believes EGL grades so the price would be suspect.
Sellers know the true grades of their EGL diamonds, but hope you don't and are not well enough informed to consider only reputable lab reports.

 

[Snowdrop13]

Please do not consider the other diamond you posted- it is only "good" on cut and will not be the sparkly stone that I assume you want. If you're working to a strict budget then my advice would be to buy the best cut diamond you possibly can and consider dropping to I colour and eye clean SI1 clarity. A simple white gold setting will set you back about $350 so you could put more into the diamond. If you let us know the budget we can help you with the choice, I know it all seems very confusing when you start out.

A decently cut 1ct diamond with a GIA certificate and I/J colour will cost from around $4000.

 

[heididdl]

If you are okay with buying a stone without certification but want a 3x cut stone. Consider WF ACA or calling Yekutal at ID Jewelry. I trust them both with uncertified stones. Although I agree with What has been said about EGL vs. GIA. I wish participants wouldn't be so negative when stating facts.

 

[arkieb1]

If you are okay with buying a stone without certification but want a 3x cut stone. Consider WF ACA or calling Yekutal at ID Jewelry. I trust them both with uncertified stones. Although I agree with What has been said about EGL vs. GIA. I wish participants wouldn't be so negative when stating facts.

I agree contact Yekutal at IDJ jewellery tell him you are from Pricescope he is a wizard at finding decent stones for people on a budget.

I don't think people are being negative. EGL USA stones ARE usually one to two grades out on colour and around one sometimes two incorrect in clarity and EGL everywhere else, places like Israel and Asia where they want to over inflate the colour and clarity are usually 3 to 4 but up to 5 or 6 out compared to GIA certified stones in colour and around two to three in clarity and don't get me started on what they consider are "excellent" cuts. This isn't negativity it is a well known fact.

The issue with buying one of these stones is that it is cheaper for a reason the certificates mislead the buyer into thinking they got a bargain or have a better stone on paper than they do in reality. If people want to buy an EGL stone that is fine but they should fully understand why they are cheaper and what they are getting in a true apples to apples comparison to GIA and AGL graded stones which are far more accurate and reliable labs.

 

[bmfang]

Totally agree with what others have posted above. Buy the biggest stone with the best cut quality that you can find within your budget. Compromising on cut will deliver you a stone that will not perform well in all lighting environments.

 

[Snowdrop13]

This b2c stone might be worth a look, it falls within the cut parameters that are recommended and scores 1.7 on the HCA. Bear in mind what folks have said about EGL- it is entirely possible that that 1ct H will be at least a GIA J, and the clarity on this one is better.

http://www.b2cjewels.com/dd/8844082...m_medium=referral&utm_campaign=pricescope.com

 

[Dancing Fire]

$2500 will not buy you a nice 1ct stone.

 

[Snowdrop13]

Check this out on Preloved:

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/flash-sale-1-ct-ideal-cut-diamond.229771/

 

[calichelle]

Thanks everyone. I didn't get alerted to these responses, oddly. We have decided to go with a gia certified stone from another vendor, narrowing down now. I just could not let boyfriend spend hard earned money and get ripped off. Making some sacrifices on color a bit. I posted another thread asking for help with the aset and ideal scope