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egl certified diamonds

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dib

Shiny_Rock
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Aug 28, 2004
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i know this topic has been covered before, but i was wondering, if EGL diamonds are lower in cost than comparable GIA diamonds, wouldn''t it be worth looking at EGL''s and then just spending a few dollars to get it appraised to check the accuracy of the report? Assuming the report is accurate, it seems like a great way to get more bang for your buck.
 
I don''t see why not. You make a great point. If you can purchase the EGL graded diamond and have it locally appraised for less than what the GIA graded diamond will cost than it may be worth your while. Good luck...

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Date: 5/19/2005 12:30:14 PM
Author:bbb
i know this topic has been covered before, but i was wondering, if EGL diamonds are lower in cost than comparable GIA diamonds, wouldn''t it be worth looking at EGL''s and then just spending a few dollars to get it appraised to check the accuracy of the report? Assuming the report is accurate, it seems like a great way to get more bang for your buck.
Click to expand...
That is exactly what we did (unintentionally but weren''t afraid to consider an EGL) and it worked out very well! We had D. Atlas and his team appraise it for us according to an approx. GIA standard and only one C was a grade less-and more importantly, they assured us that it was a nice stone! Now, if I only had it!!! I can''t wait!
 
I am almost thinking it would be silly to look at anything but EGL stones. I''m sure some of them won''t be great and i would pass on those, but it seems like egl may be the way to go to get more for your money, especially with how much prices are rising in the 2-3 carat range. If i look for a color and clarity on step higher than i really want and it appraises a little lower, that would work fine.

When i asked a couple of jewelers in nyc about egl, they turned their noses up and said they wouldn''t even consider carrying a diamond not appraised by gia or ags. Thanks for the responses.
 
''Silly'' is perhaps a bit strong a word to use.

I think you are overestimating the available discount on correctlly graded EGL stones. The dealers who own them are in general well aware of which stones have weak paper and which do not. The pricing usually reflects this pretty well except for stones that are graded way off. These are overpriced. Diamond dealers are generally pretty smart people who are interested in selling their stones for as much as they can. If they think they can command a higher price by attaching EGL paper and giving a discount from a higher grade, that''s what they do. If they could make a profit by sending their EGL graded stones to GIA and raising the price because it now has a better brand lab report, they are perfectly happy to do this as well.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA
Independent Appraisals in Denver
 
denverappraiser - you make some very good points - thanks!
 
I have a 3.01 ct H, SI2 EGL graded stone and I am in love with it (pls see below). It is very true that many EGL Europe graded stones can be soft. I bought from a trusted family jewler who sells EGL, GIA and AGS stones and he was my "line of defense." And I bought the stone--not the paper. I paid a very fair but not ridiculous price and the grading was confirmed by 2 independant appraisals.

A good EGL stone can be a fabulous find. But you do have to do do your homework a bit more earnestly, IMO.
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In ym cas, I used my own eyes and very well earned trust in my jeweler, and they led me to the right stone--EGL or otherwise.

PS I had an H&A stone originally and while my new stone is Ideal cut, it is not true H&A and i like it better but that''s my perosnal opinion and taste also.
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I now have my eye on an EGL stone. It''s actually a branded hearts and arrows cut, but they ran cheaper than non branded, non H&A GIA ex/ex stones of the same specs, and I liked it much more in person than any of the GIA ex/ex ideal cut stones I looked at. You just have it appraised to make sure it''s not off a grade and there you have it! They provide more cut quality info on their certs as well. The second prettiest stone I saw that day was EGL certified and designated as an "ideal plus" cut by them. Also, as others have mentioned, there is a big difference between EGL Europe and Isralel vs EGL Los ANgeles. EGL LA from what I understand is pretty much in line with GIA these days and doesn''t typically grade things way off - one of the appraisers who posts here described it as GIA erring on the side of conservatism and caution if any grade is kind of borderline, whereas EGL LA will tend to fall on the lienent side on grades that are in question.
 
How much does it cost and how long does it take to have GIA certify a stone?
 
It takes about 8 weeks, give or take a month or two. The price will vary with the size of the stone but it ranges from $100 to about $400 plus shipping in the reasonable sizes.

EGL-USA takes 2 days and it usually costs about half the price.


Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA
Independent Appraisals in Denver
 
As most appraisers will note, EGL is noted for high grading. But then again, GIA is much looser in its grading standards on clarity now then it was 5-10 years ago. Your eyes will never deceive you. If a diamond sparkles like you want it to then consider it, regardless of the accompanying paper. If it doesn''t, the paper really shouldn''t matter, as you will never be happy with it. In my humble opinion, the toughest and most accurate lab on the market now is AGS. Who was it that said, accept but verify. Obtaining the opinion of 1 or 2 independant appraisers isn''t expensive, it''s wise.

Regards,

John
 
beware of generalities regarding labs. if you are not a trade member buying diamonds more or less regularly, it doesn't much matter which lab is USUALLY "correct". what matters is whether or not YOUR diamond has been graded "correctly". the EGL is sometimes "wrong", and so is the GIA. you cannot at all assume that because your diamond has a report from such and such a lab that it is "correctly" graded. the fact that a particualr lab is "correct" more often does not at all mean it has been "correct" in the grading of YOUR diamond.....and after all, this is what is most important to YOU.


also, the generalities may not actually be particularly accurate...and definitely do not convey the complete truth......very few people in the trade actually have the skills and knowledge needed to judge one lab vs another, and so they usually simply repeat the generalities provided by others.
 
A few points:

1) That''s trust, and verify

2) Garry, where you say:


Date: 5/21/2005 2:28:02 AM
Author: Garry H (Cut Nut)
have you read the lab grading article?
http://grading.pricescope.com/
Click to expand...
Clearly, that''s relevant...but the thrust of this inquiry seems to be on EGL, without qualifier. Your research intended to pick out EGL USA. Isn''t that difference telling? Also, unfortunately, doesn''t that difference make it challenging to benefit the user, in most circumstances. I understand that, when using the quick search here, you get most any kind of EGL. Still, when you know the cert is from EGL USA, the application of this knowledge, would, it seems, be helpful.

3) As previous posts have reviewed, in consideration of the mind of the diamond holder who submits the diamond to EGL, when I do searches, I deselect EGL. Not because it defines a problem, but a) in you want to compare apples to apples, you can anticipate a problem and b) as the author here is clearly aware, more time is involved. Certainly, if you want to factor into your possible cost advantage the additional costs bore in reviewing your options with a trust independent appraiser...well...that could be included in the math. And, it''s hard to budget in how many visits that may take.

Best wishes,
 
I agree with what John said. As a consumer shopping Pricescope's online database, I have 3 frustrations with EGL graded diamonds and online shopping:

1. As the grading article addresses, EGL grading hasn't been as strict as GIA and AGS. I don't want to waste time/money sending diamonds to appraisers just to see how far off the grading might be, so I'd be highly likely to rule out all EGLs right off the bat when buying online.

2. Most EGL certs are not available online. There may be a lot of information on an EGL cert, but if I have to pester some online vendor each time I want to casually browse one, forget it. I also don't want to ask vendors "what's this one look like?" for a multitude of supposed "ideal cut" diamonds that I can't see. I'll do a "driveby" of a cert and / or vendor's comments and pictures. THEN if a stone looks promising I'll contact the vendor about it. Do online vendors get as frustrated by this lack of online EGL certs as I do?? I realize I am adding difficulty by looking for a SI2 or I1 stone rather than just going for the VVS. ;-)

3. At local B&M jewelers, far and away the best looking stones are always the ones with AGS certs. Empirically, it seems that the best-cut go to AGS and the lesser cuts to GIA. I haven't even seen EGLs in local stores. There might be some good EGLs but in my burg the good jewelers don't seem to be buying them. I'm becoming more inclined to only consider AGS online diamonds now, as well.
 
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