Appraising a mounted diamond

[ILIKETOLEARN]

Is it worth it to have a set diamond appraised? How much information can really be determined accurately?Can any light performance evaluation be done with a set stone?
Thanks !

 

[neatfreak]

Sure it's worth it if you really want the info. They can do a lot with a mounted stone. Obviously not as much as if it were unmounted, but they can evaluate the cut to an extent, plot it, make sure the color/clarity is what it is supposed to be, look at it under an idealscope, etc.

Especially if you send it to someone with experience in examining cut quality with diamond calc like Richard Sherwood, he could give you a lot of info without dismounting it.

What would be the purpose of the appraisal?

 

[ILIKETOLEARN]

It would be for piece of mind I suppose.Just to have a second opinion,to verify that it is what it is what it is claimed to be.It would be fun to see the process,and to listen to someone who is an expert in their field.

Thanks.

 

[oldminer]

Most appraising is performed on mounted gemstones. Diamonds have a very narrow set of parameters which are best graded unset, but good appraisers can go a long way into the value of a diamond which is mounted. Obviously, it is a less of a perfect grading situation, but usually is adequate for most purposes. ImaGem equipment for light behavior grading is workable with mounted solitaire diamonds. From the measurements alone appraisers can utilize DiamCalc to predict light behavior quality, too. Mountings conceal a bit of the color and clarity information more than alter the light performance.

 

[ILIKETOLEARN]

oldminer,

Thank you very much for your advice! It is light performance that I am especially interested in.I live in Rhode Island. Are there any specific appraisers in this area that would be best for my needs? I have looked at the list from the above link,and I am sure they are all highly qualified.But is there one, or more that may have more resources to appraise mounted diamonds? The diamond I wish to have appraised does have a GIA,and a GCAL cert with it.

Thank you for your response!!