Appraisal question for Fancy color diamond

[canary44]

Hello, I had a Light Green diamond and I took it to a jeweler to be set. I told the jeweler “I want you to make this Light Green diamond look as green as possible by using a green reflective coating on the cup”. They did so. They told me verbally they used a “green nano ceramic coating”. Then they gave me a one sheet appraisal along with it. On the appraisal, there is nothing that says there is a coating on the cup. Does that have to be written in any appraisal??
Thank you in advance for your help.

 

[denverappraiser]

Appraising is a completely unregulated business. That’s why there are so many charlatans. He CAN write almost anything he wants. It results in an inaccurate description of the piece, probably an inaccurate value conclusion, and it becomes fraudulent for YOU to use it for purposes like insurance or sales (because you know). Why would you want this?

 

[oldminer]

The color enhancing coating below the stone ought to have been mentioned on the report. If the report was inflated because of a false color appearance with mention of "why", then the report is fraudulent and may result in you having real problems with making a claim settlement in case of an insured loss.
You didn't mention if the color was natural or induced by treatment. Did the diamond have a formal and fully credible report, such as one from GIA? Or, was the color origin never officially disclosed? That may also be of high importance at some point.

 

[OoohShiny]

I don't think I'm alone in thinking this thread is worthless without pics

 

[oldminer]

I think the thread can serve to reveal good reasons to seek some level of expertise and independent opinion when you want to buy something a bit exotic or out of the norm. There are so many added ways to miss important details and facts on the way to buying something more than the run of the mill and vastly less familiar. The regular Prosumers here give a lot of solid advice and support on hot topics, but very would be qualified for the potential problems in this sort of rare color and enhancement issue. No harm in photos, but we likely can't see the green in this diamond or know how it was altered by the colored cup if it is now set. Are there any before AND after shots? Light green is very difficult to capture effectively.

 

[AV_]

Who would want the ring or the diamond and not want to know!

It is fun to put colours inside the bezel under a diamond; there exist astonishing examples of 1800s jewels done this way, disclosed in collection records - else how'd I know.

2c

 

[denverappraiser]

^^^What @oldminer said. An appraisal is only as good as the appraiser who signs it. This one started out with known false information. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s more. Maybe they forgot, but they made the piece. They obviously know.

What is this appraisal report supposed to be good for?

Insurance? There’s a definite possibility of problems at claims time because the insured (that’s you) is omitting known and important facts at underwriting. This gives them the opportunity to disallow any claim of any kind. Read the fine print. By the way, this is one of the reasons that insurance companies want you to secure an appraisal and supply it to them rather than just doing it themselves.

Evidence of a bargain? How so? You’ve got a receipt from that very guy on that very same date. You KNOW what it cost. Maybe it was a bargain and maybe not, but report from the seller titled ‘appraisal’ doesn’t change that one bit.

Advertising for sale? It’s a legal problem if you knowingly omit or misrepresent important information in a sale. A report titled ‘appraisal’ doesn’t change a thing. If you sell it to someone else, YOU are making quality representations, not just the appraiser.

 

[Demon]

I don't think I'm alone in thinking this thread is worthless without pics

I know I'd like to see it.

 

[WinkHPD]

I imagine the posters asking for pictures just want to see the diamond, they are not trying to ‘distance appraise’ it.

But since we’re on the topic of appraisal, years ago I thought technology would only raise the bar for accurate documentation in this business. Instead it seems the perceived need for outside verification has waned and that has softened standards. If I’m reading the OP’s description correctly it’s inconceivable to me that such a detail would not be front and center. I know Dave and Neil feel the same way.

It makes me wonder if the internet age is having the opposite effect than I presumed it would. The idea that “everything” about a diamond or gemstone can be verified online used to be debunked pretty fast. There are many details beyond a report which can only be determined in the hands of an expert. But I see affiliate sites trying to make long-distance sales contradicting this, and there are e-sellers (all drop shippers) agreeing with them. So you have a growing number of shoppers told that no in-person verification is needed. It makes an honest resource like Pricescope all the more important to have for new shoppers.

I’m glad the OP decided to come here to ask. I hope the advice given helps. Oh, and pictures would be enjoyable.

Wink

 

[Texas Leaguer]

You've got some foremost experts in here on the appraisal side so I have nothing to add to their comments. However, I am intrigued by the jeweler's claim that they applied a 'nano ceramic coating' to the underside of the mounting to accentuate the color of the stone. That sounds pretty sophisticated and if true would be an important thing to document for posterity. In the event that you did have a claim you would want to be able to get the ring replaced with an equivalent coating, rather than a green magic marker.

 

[Rockdiamond]

Interesting question.
In general, most of the manufacturers who use such techniques try to hide the fact they're enhancing color using such methods.
Another point that comes to mind is that certain settings are truly specific to the bench that made them- ie- just knowing that a “green nano ceramic coating” was used does not mean that a replacement, made by a different bench, would look the same.
So IMO, if the appraisal's purpose is to insure the ring, the question might be for the insurance company/agent to make sure you can replace the ring as opposed to the insurance company, in the event of a loss.

The second question regards the color- Green is a very rare color in diamonds- pure green especially so.
GIA's identification as "Natural"- as opposed to "Undetermined" makes a massive difference in value.
Since Green in diamonds is caused by radiation- it's far more difficult to prove it's natural, as man-made radiation can cause the color.
Nowadays, cutters will generally submit the green rough prior to cutting to allow GIA to ascertain the nature of the radiation.
We had a really pretty green diamond a while back that GIA had called "Undetermined"
It was about $15k ( if memory serves me) - if GIA had called it natural it would have been $150k+

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

maybe it was a ceramic texta green pen?