Advice needed on uncertified diamond...

[curiousgeorge1]

Hi,

I just stumbled onto this website and i hope someone can offer me some advice.

My friends recently introduced me to a diamond dealer who has offered me an uncertified diamond but has been described by the factory (where he sources diamonds from) as 1.01ct, SI1 clarity, M colour, V.good cut, V.good polish, V.good and V.good symmetry.

He is offering it for £1750.00GBP (which is approx $2600USD)

I am just a little wary about the lack of certification but it seems pretty good for the money... And is there any way to have it certified within the UK?

Thanks in advance.

 

[yssie]

Unfortunately you can never know exactly what you are getting without an official lab report. Trusting the word of a gemologist, wholesaler, etc., even a friend of a friend more often than not unfortunately results in overpaying for overvalued goods. Ask exactly what the metrics for the cut grade are, or better yet if your jeweller can get you a sarin scan, if you cannot see it in-person.. if you can be sure to compare to certified well-cut stones (GIA, AGS, HRD) of the same size and colour grade, and see what you think.

In the US you definitely have more reliable options that are cheaper - on the BGD website I am seeing GIA VG & EX M SIs for a few hundred less than your quote. I don't know about taxes and import duties, but I suspect with the additional charge for a report, if you had to do it yourself, they would equal out... www.briangavindiamonds.com

 

[denverappraiser]

The only UK grading lab that I know of closed in 2008 but if you contact an independent appraiser there, they may be able to help you either by offering a grading/appraisal service or by directing you to a lab that I don't know of.

Here's a fellow in Scottland that I know to be well qualified and I'll bet he knows someone closer to you if he's not able to do the work himself.

http://www.adrian-smith.co.uk/

 

[curiousgeorge1]

Hi,

thanks for the advice... I have almost decided to go for the uncertified stone for financial reasons. when i suggested to the dealer to have it sent off to have it certified by GIA, he had no issues with it which sounded like he was confident in his product.

However, is it worth it to have it sent off for GIA certification? Or would i save money just to have it simply independently appraised in the UK?

Is it the same sort of thing? Sorry to sound clueless about this!!!

 

[antelope1]

It will cost about the same, I think (depending on your appraiser). If I were you, I would go with the cert because then you have 3-5 (I forget how many) gemologists looking at the diamond and grading it, rather than just one person.

Btw, if I were the merchant, I'd sound confident whether I thought I was a dud or I thought I was right simply because if a dud, I'm going to sound confident to bluff you into thinking that you do NOT need the cert. I'd call his bluff and ask for the cert. If it comes back as he says, then offer to pay for the cert.

 

[Siamese Kitty]

If you haven't seen this stone in person, have you seen other M's? They will be an obvious tint. Is this for a surprise engagement ring?

 

[curiousgeorge1]

If you haven't seen this stone in person, have you seen other M's? They will be an obvious tint. Is this for a surprise engagement ring?

It is supposed to be an engagement ring... The problem i have is that the timing of the engagement has left me with a tighter budget than usual. but with the money i have, i would of looked for a smaller carat and better colour/clarity stone but she seems to be more concerned about the size (women, eh? :p) so this is the compromise.

I was thinking that i should have a certificate but then i would still need to have it appraised for insurance purposes (who will grade it themselves) so possibly end up with 2 sets of gradings?

ps: next time, i will be going to the states to buy diamonds... the difference between UK and USA prices is tremendous!

 

[Siamese Kitty]

If you haven't seen this stone in person, have you seen other M's? They will be an obvious tint. Is this for a surprise engagement ring?

It is supposed to be an engagement ring... The problem i have is that the timing of the engagement has left me with a tighter budget than usual. but with the money i have, i would of looked for a smaller carat and better colour/clarity stone but she seems to be more concerned about the size (women, eh? :p) so this is the compromise.

I was thinking that i should have a certificate but then i would still need to have it appraised for insurance purposes (who will grade it themselves) so possibly end up with 2 sets of gradings?

ps: next time, i will be going to the states to buy diamonds... the difference between UK and USA prices is tremendous!

This is only MY opinion, and you know your intended best, but I think an M is a really big compromise. If she really doesn't care much about the stats, could you look slightly under a carat for an eye clean I-J-K, SI1-SI2 maybe? Also, cut is so crucial to how big a diamond looks. If it sparkles like crazy, it's going to look bigger. A well-cut .85 is going to have much more presence than a poorly cut 1ct.

How much time do you have? $2600 is a lot of money and plenty to get a beautiful ring. I think you can do better than the stone you posted, personally. Could you have this gentleman pull a few stones and post the stats here and we could help advise you? Or at least let you see them in person? Like Yssie said, it would be really great if you had a few to compare.

I know you will likely need to buy locally, but just to show you how close an under a carat stone can be to a carat:
http://search.virtcert.com/cgi/u/10...012&_p=sdf348gd743&_c=&_fs=1&prestock=&_ln=ps
A 1ct would be ~6.4ish