Collectors1946 - Buyers, do your homework!

[JPie]

Earlier this summer, I shared my OEC tennis bracelet in this thread:

10.6 CTW OEC Tennis Bracelet

I’d been keeping an eye out for an old cut bracelet for over a year when I crossed paths with this. 10.6 ctw, G-I, VS1-SI2. The diamonds range from .3-.39, but they’re all closely matched in length/width and the bezels make it hard to see size differences. Set in platinum over 16K yellow gold...

www.pricescope.com

What I didn't share at the time was my buying experience with Collectors1946. To be honest, I was a bit put off by it, and that's why it took me so long to write about it.

I first came across the bracelet when I searched on eBay. I noticed that the seller had independent brick & mortar stores, so I called them to negotiate a 7% discount from the listing price. I thought this was a good deal based on the 13.86 ctw for the listing: https://www.collectors1946.com/coll...gold-13-86ctw-old-cut-diamond-tennis-bracelet

When I received the bracelet, I took it to an independent appraiser who inspected every diamond under a microscope and took their measurements. As a result, he came up with the 10.6 ctw estimate. As the diamond aficionados on this board know, my appraiser would need to be really off in his measurements to account for the difference from what the seller quoted; frankly the diamonds are beautifully cut and in line with my appraiser's measurements. If he were wrong, they would have to be wonky as hell to add up to Collectors1946's estimate - too shallow or too deep. I can provide the diamond dimensions for every stone as assessed by my appraiser if anyone has doubts.

I called Collectors1946 to let them know of the discrepancy in CTW. They did not believe me and stood behind the EGL report of 13.86 ctw, but to their credit they did tell me I could send it back for a full refund. Arthur was incredibly condescending about the whole situation, refused to acknowledge that their CTW estimate was wrong, and implied that he'd be happier if I returned the bracelet so he could make more money selling it to someone else.

Despite no longer being a bargain for 13.86 ctw, I kept the bracelet because it was still rare for 10.6 ctw of OECs, and I wasn't sure I would find an OEC tennis bracelet at this size again soon. Regardless, I would be extremely hesitant to buy from Collectors1946 again, and never without getting the purchase independently appraised.

 

[Bron357]

Very upsetting for you.
it is however an exquisite bracelet.
my understanding of EGL is that they arent very reliable, I’ve seen other questionable appraisals from them.
I guess with estimates you’d need to know what formula they are using for their calculations. Determining OEC carat weight is more difficult as dimensions vary between each diamond (versus RB where if you have a mm diameter you can estimate).
Perhaps they only measured a random selection of the diamonds and multiplied that out whereas your appraisal took the time and effort to measure each diamond individually.
Nevertheless a 3 carat discrepancy is almost a 30% error.
Thats unacceptable in anyone’s book!
An “error” rate of around 5% would be considered acceptable, getting towards a 10% discrepancy starts to look fishy.
It’s an added disappointment that the vendor was combative with you, though they did offer you a refund if you wished which is good.
im glad you kept the bracelet, it’s a rare unicorn and I just hope that the unsatisfactory purchasing experience can be put behind you and not interfere with your enjoyment of this beautiful piece.