EGL certification/appraisal of antique ring?

[BrightSpot]

Hi all!

I''m looking at an antique engagement ring & am wondering if I should ask the seller to get the ring certified by EGL. I''ve seen the ring in person & it looks lovely to me, but I feel like I might be a bad PS-er if I bought an uncertified stone. Is it ok to just trust my eyes & get an appraisal? I''ve shopped around for a while & it seems like a good price for this ring.

The stone is in its original mounting circa 1925, so I wouldn''t want it removed, but I''m told that the EGL will certify the ring "as mounting permits." EGL also offers an appraisal, right?

Is it a reasonable request to make to the seller that he has EGL certify the ring? Do you know the cost & timeframe for such a procedure? Also, would I expect to make a deposit prior to certification and should I pay the cost of the certification or should the seller pay? Could the EGL''s grade/appraisal alter the selling cost? (either more or less expensive) Is the EGL''s appraisal amount sufficient for insurance purposes?

Thanks for your help!

 

[Sunni79]

I bought an uncerted ring. I will be getting it appraised soon. GIA''s price was around $200-250 and told me it would take about 4 weeks to grade my stone. EGL would have done it sooner and for a little less cash. If I were you, I would have the stone graded loose(not in mounting) for the most accurate grade. It is very reasonable to ask the vendor to send ring to GIA/EGL. The vendor will likely charge you more for the service than if you had just done it yourself. This is why I didn''t have my vendor certify my stone. EGL should take 1-2 weeks to cert your ring. You would work out price with vendor(deposit/total cost of cert) Certified diamonds sell for more money bottom line. I think EGL is fine for insurance purposes. I will be getting my diamond graded/appraised with AGA (Dave Atlas) soon and I plan to use it when I insure my ring.

Good Luck!

 

[BrightSpot]

Thanks for the helpful information, Christine.

Do you have pics of your new ring?

I couldn''t find any on PS...

 

[mrssalvo]

is there any way the jeweler would send it to and appraiser before you buy it. I would be hesitate to spend a lot of money w/out know exactly what i''m getting. i would think and appraiser could tell you what it is and if the price is fair and then you could proceed from there.

 

[BrightSpot]

That''s a good idea to have it appraised first.

Could anyone recommend good questions to ask the seller?