advice on appraisal

[nette]

So I have a local jeweler that I frequent. I''ve been looking around for diamond earrings for awhile (waiting for the tax return

). She can get a good price on a SI pair, but it wouldn''t have a certificate. It would only come with a stamped appraisal. Sounds too risky huh? But we have been going to her for awhile now, and she would have alot to lose if she was putting out bad stones. HELP!

 

[Giangi]

What's the ct weight?

 

[nette]

Oops! The weight is 1.11. I didn't get to look at it personally. I still have to get alot more details, but with just an appraisal certificate, would it be too much of a risk?

 

[Richard Sherwood]

-----------
would it be too much of a risk?
-----------

Nette, it's no risk at all if you make the sale contingent upon the earrings appraising out to your satisfaction with an independent appraiser.

It's a reasonable request, which most dealers will go along with.

 

[Giangi]

So each stone is about 0.55ct... Well, at that size is common to find uncertified SIs... So don't worry too much about that...
Also, I agree with Rich... Get an indipendent, unbiased appraisal for the peace of your mind!

 

[nette]

Thanks for the advice!

Out of curiousity why wouldn't alot SI's not have certificates?

 

[Giangi]

'Cause certs are fairly expensive (a GIA report for a 0.50 is more then 100$ plus 2 insured shippings), so they do not always warrant the cert expenses... Also keep in mind that while 0.50 is a nice size, it isn't yet that big and expensive, especially if we're talking about SIs... But, should you want a certified stone, it should be easy to find...