diamond with initials?

[kristyej]

My fiance and I have been together 5 years. He recently bought me a 2 ct diamond from Zales. A couple days later I noticed there was initials RSJ in it and next to 14k it has 2.03 ... we went back to the store and they said the initals are from the person who put the band together since it''s a 2 ct. The 2.03 is the ring is 2 ct and whatever. I told my mom about this but we both find it hard to believe. Has anybody heard this before?

 

[peonygirl]

Do you mean RSJ was stamped into the band?

 

[oldminer]

One of my firms does quality control and grading for major chains, not Zales, but we often laser engrave trademarks, weight and karat finess into them instead of stamping them. The RSJ is probably the trademark of the maker who sold the product to Zales. The 2.03 is the total weight or center stone weight, depending on how Zales handles this issue. It should not be any problem for you.

 

[denverappraiser]

That marking is called the ‘hallmark’. This is the brand of the company that made the piece. In both the US and Europe this is actually required although compliance isn’t all that good. If a manufacturer is going to put a fineness mark (the 14k mark), this must be accompanied by the mark of whoever it is that’s attesting to that quality, presumably the manufacturer. Clever makers will put great pride in this because it is effectively an advertisement for them and the quality of their products. The center stone weight was put in there to help the stores with keeping track of their inventory. It can be pretty hard for a store to tell the difference between a 2.01 and a 2.03 solitaire.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver