Chipped Diamond

[Dblum]

Attached is a picture of an old European cut diamond weighing approx. 2.87 ct. that has a very large chip. I've graded it as an I1 due to the chip and other inclusions. Another appraiser has grading it as an SI1. I'd like to see what other professionals have to say.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/darrenblum/14849076937/

Thanks,

D. Blum, G.G.

 

[denverappraiser]

I2. Seriously affects the durability of the stone.

 

[Dblum]

Denverappraiser, I've been on the cusp of calling it an I2 and am in disbelief over the other appraiser calling it an SI1.

Thank you for your reply!

 

[WinkHPD]

Denverappraiser, I've been on the cusp of calling it an I2 and am in disbelief over the other appraiser calling it an SI1.

Thank you for your reply!

Why? There are lots of charlatans out there.

Is your client going to recut it? It looks like it will be incredible when recut.

Wink

 

[John P]

There must be a misunderstanding (?) I could understand SI1 prior to the chip, but never after the chip. The characteristic is more than obvious (the key word for I-level), intrusive and affects durability - as Neil indicated.

RE repair/recut: Do you know the spread measurements 12:00-6:00, depth in mm (or best guess) and estimate of crown height? I'd like to hope 2ct can be saved while preserving the beauty.

 

[Karl_K]

I2. Seriously affects the durability of the stone.

ditto
Do you have a picture of the stone from the side? How far down the pavilion does it extend? How does it look under the prong as far as you can tell?
It looks like a another big chunk could come out as soon as the prong is moved off the side.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Appears to be mostly crown side.
Looks like roughly 20% weight loss which can = 1/2 the value after recutting costs

 

[Dblum]

Denverappraiser, I've been on the cusp of calling it an I2 and am in disbelief over the other appraiser calling it an SI1.

Thank you for your reply!

Why? There are lots of charlatans out there.

Is your client going to recut it? It looks like it will be incredible when recut.

Wink

Recutting has been discussed with her and she has chosen not to have it recut.

 

[Dblum]

This diamond is perfect for recutting, however that's not going to happen. Or at least not right away. There are enough inclusions that would grade the stone VS2 at best, if not SI1 without the damage. I couldn't believe my eyes when I seen the previous appraisal, after I finished mine, with it stating the clarity grade was SI1 with the chip being disclosed in the document. It was a well performed appraisal from a gemologist/appraiser with good credentials. I've always been a little critical against large chips. I thank you all for commenting.

 

[denverappraiser]

Everybody screws up occasionally and I've never seen the stone so I’m not going to comment on the other appraiser but this sort of stone is actually an interesting weakness in the GIA diamond grading system. A key concept is that you generally grade stones for what they are, not what they might become. Normally that’s not a big issue, but when you get into I2s and I3s, it can become the whole of the question. Some are just dogs, and some have great potential. Potential is a value characteristic and, assuming the context has to do with assigning a value, this difference is terribly important even though it's completely outside of the GIA scales (or the rap sheet by the way).

Kudos to you for grading it as you see it. These are hard. It’s certainly appropriate to discuss with the client the differences between your grading and someone else’s’ but, in the end, your grading is your grading. That other appraiser and us get no vote.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Appears to be mostly crown side.
Looks like roughly 20% weight loss which can = 1/2 the value after recutting costs

Garry
On the other hand what's the stone worth with a big chunk missing?..

 

[Modified Brilliant]

I would go with "I" 2 (durability issue, as previously mentioned). I've seen much worse re-cut with excellent results.

Thanks for the photo.

 

[Karl_K]

Appears to be mostly crown side.
Looks like roughly 20% weight loss which can = 1/2 the value after recutting costs

Garry
On the other hand what's the stone worth with a big chunk missing?..

A pro would buy based on projected specs after a recut minus a large amount for the risk involved.