Buying diamonds that are already set

[Rye]

Hello all –
I have a few questions regarding buying a ring with the diamonds already set. I have my eye on two rings, one is an antique, one is a new ring. The antique ring has three round diamonds totaling .99 carats. The new ring has eight small round diamonds across weighing a total of .50 carats. Here are my questions:

1. Is it common for an antique diamond ring to be sold without certification? Can I get a detailed independent appraisal without having the stones taken out of the setting?

2. Regarding small diamonds, at what size diamond does certification become a non-issue? What kind of information (color, cut, clarity, etc.) can I expect in light of their small size?

Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.
Kelly

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 6/30/2008 3:02:14 PM
Author:Rye

Hello all –
I have a few questions regarding buying a ring with the diamonds already set. I have my eye on two rings, one is an antique, one is a new ring. The antique ring has three round diamonds totaling .99 carats. The new ring has eight small round diamonds across weighing a total of .50 carats. Here are my questions:

1. Is it common for an antique diamond ring to be sold without certification? Can I get a detailed independent appraisal without having the stones taken out of the setting? Not sure on the 1st part of the question. You can send it to an appraiser and receive information on the stones and mine were not taken out of the setting, Neil Beatty appraised an antique piece for me.

2. Regarding small diamonds, at what size diamond does certification become a non-issue? What kind of information (color, cut, clarity, etc.) can I expect in light of their small size? In my appraisal I was told the color type of cut, and clarity.

Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.
Kelly

Hello Kelly, my answers are in blue, hopefully someone who has bought this type of ring will chime in. If I was considering buying this piece I would send it to an appraiser to give you the value and information on the ring before purchasing.

 

[Rye]

Thank you, Skippy. Your feedback is much appreciated.

Kelly

 

[LGK]

It isn''t surprising that an antique ring is uncertified. Antique cut diamonds often have EGL certs, too, even really nice ones. I''m not sure why that is exactly, but it isn''t uncommon.

Also, you can get a detailed appraisal on a diamond when it''s set. I got one done on an uncertified, set, OEC I bought. I specifically looked for an appraiser that was familiar with antique cuts, which I would recommend doing if you end up with an antique diamond. I asked her if she was able to tell if anything was being hidden beneath a prong, and she said that she could get a very good look under the prongs and that nothing was hidden there. I suspect that might depend on the type of setting/prongs, perhaps- the ones on my ring are very small.

Can''t help you with #2, though.