Certified vs. non-Certified

[SeekingAdvice]

Please help educate me about GIA certification. I am planning on buying (0.5 - 0.75 ct) diamond earrings from a wholesale dealer I know and comlpetely trust. He sells both GIA certified and non-certified diamonds. He explained to me that smaller diamonds do not always carry the GIA certificate (I assume this is because it it isn''t worth the cost to the wholesaler). If I get the stones appriased by an independent appraiser, should I be concerned about not having the GIA certificate--or should I insist on only buying GIA certified stones even if they cost more?

 

[strmrdr]

The GIA Dossier Cert is designed with small stones in mind and doesnt cost as much as a full cert.
Its cheap insurance in my book.

Also if you ever have to get an insurance replacement its one more peice of paperwork to throw at the insurance company to make sure you get a fair replacement.

 

[denverappraiser]

SeekingAdvise,

Welcome to pricescope!

The purpose of the GIA examination is to get independent verification on some of the important grading parameters for the individual stones. As you point out, GIA is paid for this service and, in the case of smaller stones, their fee can be a significant portion of the final value. It’s common for dealers to decide that the additional value gained from having one of these reports is less than the required increase in cost. Obviously different opinions on this topic and it has a lot to do with your opinions of the dealer you’ve selected.

As long as the appraiser you choose is independent, meaning that they aren’t buying or selling and that they aren’t connected to the seller in some way, you should be ok.

Neil Beaty, GG ISA
Independent Appraisals in Denver