EGL SI-1 2ct diamond

[omar72787]

Is it safe to purchase an EGL SI-1?

Looking at a diamond:

2.01 ct round cut
SI-1
J
Excellent
Depth: 61%; Table: 59%
8.06x8.03x4.94
$9123

I feel like thats a great price but I am not very familiar with EGL. How can I tell if it is EGL USA or EGL Europe? The report # is EGL1501225016 from Nov 2014.

Just wanted to throw this out there... I'm not a big diamond nut in the sense where if I see a tiny scratch, its a deal breaker. If I can't see it from my eyes, thats fine with me. Also I have looked at diamonds inside and outside from colors ranging from D-K and the difference isn't large enough for me to disregard the diamond.

How does SI-1 compare to GIA? I am going to visit the store tomorrow.

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

EGL is not generally recommended here at all due to the grading discrepancies vs. GIA. Most of the examples I have seen are more about the color. If you are serious about the diamond see if the seller will send it to GIA for an accurate grading.

 

[omar72787]

I just read this from pricescope:

EGL certificates are not worth the paper they are printed on" – Myth. Although in 12 cases out of 17 EGL graded color softer, EGL clarity grading was as strict or stricter as GIA.

You can get ripped off buying an EGL USA graded diamond" - Myth. Even if you buy a one higher color EGL graded diamond than you require, GIA-GTL may grade it a color grade lower and the same clarity, but you will probably pay less.

From: https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamond-grading/conclusion

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

And did you not READ the quote you posted? In 12 out of 17 cases color grading was SOFTER, that's exactly what I said in my post. If you want to think you're getting a "J" when you're getting an "M" that's fine. Just trying to make sure you know about it.

 

[telephone89]

You'll have to see it to decide. The J rating could be much lower from GIA standards, you'd have to decide if it bothers you.

 

[16ocean]

aaaaw omar72787,
I think it is very decent of you how you want to honor your future wife's wishes of a 2 ct diamond . . . and if that is what is in your heart of hearts you know what you need to do.

For ME, I would not want to purchase a stone that is not GIA or AGS certified.

Why- bz stones graded by other labs may be graded with less stringent guidelines "If you want to think you're getting a "J" when you're getting an "M" that's fine." for me and other members of this forum we like knowing.

and yes personally when I walk around wearing my diamond pendent I have a peace of mind.

So to answer your question "no", I would not feel safe at all purchasing a stone w/ an EGL certificate.

do a google search of "GIA vs EGL certified diamonds" and see what others off pricecope say abt EGL diamonds . . . many say "beware"

 

[Rockinruby]

I would avoid an EGL and stick to AGS or GIA if I were buying. However, you have to decide what you are comfortable with.

 

[Rockdiamond]

Unless you're a trained diamond grader, or the seller explains that EGL grading is totally unreliable and grades the stone for you, buying a stone with an EGL report is a guarantee of buying something which is misrepresented.

Is buying something which is misrepresented by a seller OK? Or does it also say something about the seller and their integrity?

 

[denverappraiser]

I just read this from pricescope:

You can get ripped off buying an EGL USA graded diamond" - Myth. Even if you buy a one higher color EGL graded diamond than you require, GIA-GTL may grade it a color grade lower and the same clarity, but you will probably pay less.

From: https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamond-grading/conclusion

Hi Omar,
There is an implied assumption in the above statement that, if EGL and GIA disagree, it will be exactly one grade different and that this difference will be reflected in the price. Indeed GIA MAY grade it one grade lower, but they also may be 2, 3, or 4 grades different. They might even be the same. So what have you learned? Mind you, I understand that you're just quoting from the Pricescope tutorial and, just to be clear, I'm disagreeing with what that tutorial says. It would be a myth to say that you WILL be ripped off buying an EGL USA graded diamond, as would the statement that you are guaranteed happiness by buying GIA or AGS graded goods, but to call it a myth to suggest that it's even possible is clearly wrong.

 

[MollyMalone]

Think it's worth underlining the fact that the 2004 PS article you read, omar, involved stones graded by EGL USA , which -- at the time of the PS survey -- had broken away from the worldwide EGL franchise about 8 years earlier, wanted to step up its game. EGL USA fared well in a similar, 2014 study conducted by the Rapaport Diamond Trading Network, barely nosed out by GIA who took first place in what RapNet called a Laboratory Quality Index; as I think everyone would have predicted, EGL Israel came in dead last:
http://www.diamonds.net/News/NewsItem.aspx?ArticleID=43417

Am clueless as to whether EGL Israel graded the diamond you're asking about or if it was another of the foreign EGL International labs (I wasn't able to retrieve the report). But if it had been assessed by EGL USA, you would know that because USA is an equally prominent part of the name-logo emblazoned on any of its reports. I myself would not dismiss an EGL USA-graded diamond out of hand, but would be exceedingly skeptical of a stone graded by any EGL International lab. Does the local merchant you've been dealing with have an unconditional, "no questions asked" refund policy, so that you could return the stone without penalty after having an ndependent appraisal done?

Wondering if you are 100% confident that size matters more to your SO than anything else, that she will be happy with, e.g., a true J or lower color, not great cut; not sure if you two have already discussed the prices of 2-carat stones & the realistic budget for the e-ring.

As part of your next chat with her on the topic, you might raise the possibility of a clarity-enhanced diamond. Am clueless on the pricing of those, what kind of bang you could get for your bucks & I wouldn't ordinarily be floating the idea, but maybe you two would decide that's an option that makes sense for you as a couple. Here's a Good Old Gold page about 'em:
http://www.goodoldgold.com/clarityenhanceddiamonds.html
Don't think GOG currently shows any enhanced diamonds on its web site, but if you're interested, Jonathan would be a good person to speak with.