Appraiser Told Me to Stay Away From Superideal Cut Diamonds

[pyramid]

What do the experts/professionals think. An appraiser who has done this type of work for 15 years has told me to stay away from internet Superideal branded diamonds. I showed him details of the site of some diamonds and he says any diamond with a thin girdle is a disaster waiting to happen even if it is just on a small section. He said Medium to Slightly Thick is what he advises all his clients. He is a very highend appraiser who has some celebrity clients.

 

[eitan]

remember that he is against buying from the net

because he is losing this money ....

in the net its normally better prices

only the cetf important and your taste

tell me what kind of stone you looking for

and il try to find it on the net with better price !!

 

[Richard Sherwood]

-----------
he says any diamond with a thin girdle is a disaster
waiting to happen even if it is just on a small
section.
-----------

His opinion then differs from the GIA, AGS, and every lab/appraisal organization/appraiser I'm familiar with.

Rich, 24 years...

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Most diamonds with thin girdles also have shallow crown angles and there is a big risk of chipping.
Thick girdled stones tend to be steeper deeper.
So your appraiser friend has made his opinion based on experiance, but he has not thought through that the guys cutting these super ideals are working between 34 and 35 crown angle and 40.5 to 41 pavilion angle. He simply does not know what he is talking about.
Ask him to call me +613 9830 5600 or cell +613 412 523 369 for an explanation.

 

[pyramid]

Thank you for your replies. Eitan he is an appraiser and does not sell diamonds. I am in the UK but will tell him to phone you CutNut.

 

[dimonbob]

Everyone is entitled to an opinion, even the uninformed.
There are many many people in the jewelry, diamond & appraisal business that have many years of experience and sometimes generations in the business that have no idea what an Ideal cut diamond is, much less a superideal cut. I worked for a man not long ago that was a 4th generation diamond wholesale dealer. I was helping him with his GIA diamond course and his AGS Way course. When he started learning about how to grade for Ideal cut, he could not believe what was involved. He had no idea.
You have to remember that most people in the jewelry business still do not have computers and have never been on the internet. If you ask most jewelers about a H&A diamond, 8*, A Cut Above brand, superideal cut, Ideal-Scope and the list goes on, they will give you a blank stare. These people are happy with thier 9-5 day and think they know everything about thier end of the business. Do they read and study to keep up...no. They have years of experience, which they think is enough. Sad!

 

[pqcollectibles]

Sooooo true, Diamond Bob!

We have a local, independent jeweler here who belongs to one of those diamond/gemstone buying Coops. He flys to Antwerp at least twice a year to "hand select" diamonds for himself and other jewelers. He chooses what looks good enough to his eye that he knows his customer base will go for and he can get the biggest profit off of.

When you mention Certs, Ideal Cuts, anything like that to him, his eyes just glaze over. He says, "that Phoo Phoo stuff is for people who "have to have" all the fluff. A diamond is a diamond." Which so many of us have learned from you guys, the experts here, just isn't true.

There are diamonds, and then..... THERE ARE DIAMONDS!

 

[Mara]

For what it's worth my stone is a thin-med girdle with a VERY shallow crown (29.9 angle), and my jeweler who has been in the biz for 30+ years in various shapes and forms said that the danger of chipping is pretty rare, depends on the setting obviously, but also the care of the stone.

Also think about it realistically. If a stone is a thin girdle in one or two small areas, cover those areas with a prong. Then what is the danger? There are many GIA graded non-superideal stones that have v.thin-med or thin-med girdles...it's not just the superideal's that have this detail.

Appraisers give you their opinion. Sure it's an educated, 'expert' opinion, but its still an opinion. Take it with a grain of salt. Celebrity clients? Not impressed. They know less about the fine print and details than us average consumers. They have money to waste so they do. I highly doubt they ask about the girdle of a stone when they purchase.

Personally, who cares if it chips? Just get it insured! Then you are covered and you can wear your stone with pride and bang it all over the darn place.

 

[pyramid]

Yeah I have already taken the advice with a grain of salt although I would not buy very thin or very thick etc. Celebrity clients - I don't care about them either, I was just meaning that he had a large business.

 

[eitan]

before the internet came out

most of them had large business

now on web its easy to find what you want

small world

eitan

israel-diamonds

 

[shurikt]

----------------
On 5/13/2003 3:28

8 AM pyramid wrote:

...and he says any diamond with a thin girdle is a disaster waiting to happen...
----------------

Now Pyramid, when I saw your screen name how did I know your post was going to be about thin girdles?

Seriously, you've been posting the same question on these forums for the last six months, over and over and over and over again. Every time you get a similar answer, yet every time you wait a few weeks and post the same question. One would suspect that you're attempting to build a case for some giant class-action lawsuit!

So: Don't buy a diamond with a thin girdle.

The rest of us won't be putting them in vises or smashing them on countertops or running them over with steamrollers.

Girdle question
Another girdle question
Yet another girdle question
Not technically a girdle question, but one of my personal favorites

-Shurikt

(edited like 9 times because I couldn't figure out how to make the html work. sheesh.)

 

[pyramid]

Wow, HTML too. You're such a clever shurikt

 

[RockDoc]

Experience as a barometer of expertise.

I have been at this 22 years... so as far as time I suppose I am average among those who claim to be expert.

However, consumers need to appreciate that years of experience doing it "wrong" is NOT a reliable credential.

Providing as much information as possible is what cnsumers want.... not just from "eye experience" but also from support from the bevy of high tech instruments.

We are at the inception and beginning of advanced technology.... it is this technology that supplies more accurate and reliable information for consumers.

But not all the new technology is properly formulated. Read DISCLAIMERS, as they are very important, so you know the limitations of the testing.

And another good question for consumers of appraisers who claim experience by eye... is to ask whether the appraiser/gemologists eyes were tested for hue discrimination, color blindness etc.

Appraise the appraiser, his education, and lab equipment.

Rockdoc