Diamond Studs Help

[RosieR]

Hello Pricescopers!
I have found a wonderful pair of diamond studs in a local pawn shop. H colour VS 2 clarity 2.90 carat total. Here’s the catch: no diamond certificate of any sort. The manager has agreed to send the stones to anchor direct for certification. They are happy to adjust the price if it is not as described. My question is has anyone any experience with anchor direct and are they reputable?

Please note I am a uk pricescoper, in the uk. Sending the diamonds to the USA is not an option here.

 

[OoohShiny]

Who are Anchor Direct?!

If he's happy to send them away, he can (should) send them to GIA.

AFAIK they have different grading labs - one of the experts here should be able to confirm.

And why is sending the stones to the USA not an option? Sending them FedEx or similar should be perfectly feasible, the PS-recommended vendors send stones overseas all the time!


If he won't send to GIA or AGS, I would be very hesitant to purchase - or at least do comparisons to two colours and clarities below what they are listed at, to see what those prices are, as they are likely to be what you are buying...

 

[RosieR]

Sorry @OoohShiny I meant anchor cert part of the Birmingham assay office https://anchorcertgemlab.com/

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I have not heard of that lab, and hopefully one of the appraisers or jewelers will comment. But all labs in the US aside from GIA and AGS have the tendency to grade leniently, thus making the grading meaningless. So under no circumstances would I agree to this unless someone who knows this lab can give you the go ahead. HRD in Antwerp is the only reputable grading lab I have heard of in Europe, but I would still want the advice of one of the pros here on the best thing to do.

http://www.hrdantwerp.com/en/certification

 

[JPie]

The Assay Office is responsible for registering hallmarks. I haven't heard of any reason to doubt their integrity.

More on AnchorCert from the Assay Office's own site:

HOW THEY’RE GRADED
The AnchorCert Gem Lab at the Assay Office follows the GIA nomenclature and has invested in GIA stones of varying sizes to grade against for increased accuracy. When an AnchorCert gemmologist is grading for colour they are comparing the diamond in question against a stone certificated by GIA as a master stone at the very top end of the colour grade. So if the diamond that the grader is assessing is a better colour than the GIA ‘G’ colour stone it is automatically graded as ‘F’, because you cannot have ‘G’ stone better than the GIA master stone of that letter. Every stone is independently seen by two AnchorCert graders and if they do not agree a third is asked to adjudicate. This way AnchorCert grading is consistent with the accepted GIA standards and the customer can rely upon it.

It'd be nice to have folks in the industry weigh in, but based on the above info and what I've heard of the Assay Office, I'd place as much confidence in their assessment as I would in an independent appraiser with a good reputation.

 

[RosieR]

To my eye (under x10 magnification) the colour and clarity are good enough for me for a nice pair of earrings. My only issue is I really would like earrings that are good performers and sparkle a lot. I have spoken with the owner who has sent the diamonds to anchor. If the numbers look good, I’ll consider them. Here are the earrings on white paper in a room with yellow walls and a daylight lamp on them.