GIA Certification

[i2ic3]

So I recently purchased a un-certified diamond and ring from a local diamond dealer. I would like to have the diamond certified after I receive the ring, so my question is what is the process for certifying a diamond that has already been set on a ring through GIA? has anyone done this? My major concern is that I would have to take out the diamond from the setting and then possibly shipping it... Would appreciate any advice.

 

[kenny]

So I recently purchased a un-certified diamond and ring from a local diamond dealer. I would like to have the diamond certified after I receive the ring, so my question is what is the process for certifying a diamond that has already been set on a ring through GIA? has anyone done this? My major concern is that I would have to take out the diamond from the setting and then possibly shipping it... Would appreciate any advice.

Oye, where do I start?
First, don't buy a diamond without a grading report from a respectable lab, like GIA or AGS.

Second, GIA does not grade set diamonds.
You must have a jeweler remove the stone.

Third, gem labs do not "certify" diamonds, they grade them.
There is an important legal distinction; read all the fine print.
Unfortunately sellers are all about reducing buyers' fears to lubricate transactions, so they like to use the word 'certify'.
Unfortunately it has caught on.
Use the term grading and you'll appear less naive.

Lastly, you can submit a loose diamond to GIA yourself.
You do not have to go through a dealer, or pay them a fee.
Just call GIA's 800 number.
Grading takes weeks, but for double the fee they can grade your diamond quickly.
You can ship it but insuring is problematitc with no report.
You can drop it off in person at one of GIA's two US locations, in NY or Carlsbad, California.

I hate to say this, but be prepared to learn the color and clarity grades are likely worse than the seller claimed, perhaps much worse.
That's why you should never buy a diamond without a grading report from a legit lab.
They are independent!
The idea is that an independent gem lab has no conflict of interest and will tell the truth.
They get paid the same regardless of the grades they issue ....... not true if a jeweler 'grades' the diamonds (s)he sells.

Good luck.

Oh, can you return the ring/diamond for a full refund?
That would be best.

 

[i2ic3]

So I recently purchased a un-certified diamond and ring from a local diamond dealer. I would like to have the diamond certified after I receive the ring, so my question is what is the process for certifying a diamond that has already been set on a ring through GIA? has anyone done this? My major concern is that I would have to take out the diamond from the setting and then possibly shipping it... Would appreciate any advice.

Oye, where do I start?
First, don't buy a diamond without a grading report from a respectable lab, like GIA or AGS.

Second, GIA does not grade set diamonds.
You must have a jeweler remove the stone.

Third, gem labs do not "certify" diamonds, they grade them.
There is an important legal distinction; read all the fine print.
Unfortunately sellers are all about reducing buyers' fears to lubricate transactions, so they like to use the word 'certify'.
Unfortunately it has caught on.
Use the term grading and you'll appear less naive.

Lastly, you can submit a loose diamond to GIA yourself.
You do not have to go through a dealer, or pay them a fee.
Just call GIA's 800 number.
Grading takes weeks, but for double the fee they can grade your diamond quickly.
You can ship it but insuring is problematitc with no report.
You can drop it off in person at one of GIA's two US locations, in NY or Carlsbad, California.

I hate to say this, but be prepared to learn the color and clarity grades are likely worse than the seller claimed, perhaps much worse.
That's why you should never buy a diamond without a grading report from a legit lab.
They are independent!
The idea is that an independent gem lab has no conflict of interest and will tell the truth.
They get paid the same regardless of the grades they issue ....... not true if a jeweler 'grades' the diamonds (s)he sells.

Good luck.

Oh, can you return the ring/diamond for a full refund?
That would be best.

I understand and accepted the risks. Although I'm not a professional jeweler by any means or a certified diamond grader, I can, however, visually see that the grade that the diamond dealer gave is close to what I expect in comparison to many diamonds I have encountered through my search. But and this is a big But, when the grading report comes back from GIA and is significantly different from what the dealer suggested, as you stated, I would definitely raise the issue with the dealer. For now, I just like to know what the process is for my current situation to get it graded. Thank you for your concerns though and appreciate the advice.

 

[Texas Leaguer]

Can you tell us a little more about the size, shape and quality as stated by the merchant you bought the diamond from? Was there a reason given why the diamond had not been sent to the lab already? Nowadays it's pretty much an expectation for diamonds of reasonable size and quality. There could be legit reasons, such as coming from the second hand market, but it would be interesting to know what they are. Hopefully you do have return privileges if the representations made about the stone differ significantly from the report you get from the lab.

Keep us posted as these scenarios are educational for the forum community.

 

[denverappraiser]

You can get it insured based on an appraisal done as it is now. That is to say, mounted. Most insurers will insure jewelry but not components, meaning unmounted diamonds. As mentioned above, this can be problematic at claims time and it's going to come down to a fight over your appraiser's credentials. Most insurers will give you the benefit of the doubt here. Most competent appraisers have a fair amount of experience grading stones mounted and this may be sufficient for your needs but this is NOT the same thing as the GIA documents you're asking about.

The procedure to submit a stone is on GIA's website at www.gia.edu...

Secure shipping from a US address is available through the US post office as their registered mail service. Some/most jewelers have 3rd party insurance and they'll ship by FedEx or other overnight carrier if you're submitting through them, which can speed things up a bit, but as Kenny points out, there usually is a fee to hire people to do work for you.

As mentioned above, if you want GIA grading, it needs to be taken out of the setting first. They won't do it for you. For that reason, it's usually good to do this sort of thing before you have it set at all. I"m sure you knew that but I mention it for the benefit of other readers. That said, I strongly recommend that you have the original setter be the one to pull it and reset it when it comes back. Discuss in advance what fees are associated with this.

 

[i2ic3]

Can you tell us a little more about the size, shape and quality as stated by the merchant you bought the diamond from? Was there a reason given why the diamond had not been sent to the lab already? Nowadays it's pretty much an expectation for diamonds of reasonable size and quality. There could be legit reasons, such as coming from the second hand market, but it would be interesting to know what they are. Hopefully you do have return privileges if the representations made about the stone differ significantly from the report you get from the lab.

Keep us posted as these scenarios are educational for the forum community.

The merchant told me that the diamond was a 2.15 ct, VG cut, M color, VS1 clarity. I posted a picture of the diamond on my other post. I have trust in the merchant as they are reputable in the community. Unfortunately, I did not ask for the reason why it was not graded. I will keep you guys posted on this...

 

[i2ic3]

You can get it insured based on an appraisal done as it is now. That is to say, mounted. Most insurers will insure jewelry but not components, meaning unmounted diamonds. As mentioned above, this can be problematic at claims time and it's going to come down to a fight over your appraiser's credentials. Most insurers will give you the benefit of the doubt here. Most competent appraisers have a fair amount of experience grading stones mounted and this may be sufficient for your needs but this is NOT the same thing as the GIA documents you're asking about.

The procedure to submit a stone is on GIA's website at www.gia.edu....

Secure shipping from a US address is available through the US post office as their registered mail service. Some/most jewelers have 3rd party insurance and they'll ship by FedEx or other overnight carrier if you're submitting through them, which can speed things up a bit, but as Kenny points out, there usually is a fee to hire people to do work for you.

As mentioned above, if you want GIA grading, it needs to be taken out of the setting first. They won't do it for you. For that reason, it's usually good to do this sort of thing before you have it set at all. I"m sure you knew that but I mention it for the benefit of other readers. That said, I strongly recommend that you have the original setter be the one to pull it and reset it when it comes back. Discuss in advance what fees are associated with this.

Thank you for the advice!

 

[Texas Leaguer]

Can you tell us a little more about the size, shape and quality as stated by the merchant you bought the diamond from? Was there a reason given why the diamond had not been sent to the lab already? Nowadays it's pretty much an expectation for diamonds of reasonable size and quality. There could be legit reasons, such as coming from the second hand market, but it would be interesting to know what they are. Hopefully you do have return privileges if the representations made about the stone differ significantly from the report you get from the lab.

Keep us posted as these scenarios are educational for the forum community.

The merchant told me that the diamond was a 2.15 ct, VG cut, M color, VS1 clarity. I posted a picture of the diamond on my other post. I have trust in the merchant as they are reputable in the community. Unfortunately, I did not ask for the reason why it was not graded. I will keep you guys posted on this...

Do you know if it has fluorescence? Not a big deal value wise in a lower color, but something you might want to know about the stone.

 

[gm89uk]

If the merchant is a reputable and well established businessman/woman, and they had faith in the stone, then surely they'd realise that sending the stone to GIA would probably allow them to sell it for a higher profit. The unanswered question if why they haven't certified it I believe is critical and should be clarified before completing the purchase. It is all well raising it with the dealer after you find a problem but it's much better avoiding the problem in the first place.

Colour is difficult to assess in jewellery store lights where sparkle distracts from body colour, and as such it is much more noticeable in a diffuse lighting environment.

I have no doubt the stone is a great price for the carat but there is definitely a reason for that. Rarely are diamonds a bargains just because. Even if the dealer is accurate in their assessment of the stone, I am most weary by "very good" cut. Cut grading vary significantly between various certificates. There is no standard to which you can understand what the dealer meant by "very good" cut by the dealer to compare it to, unlike colour and clarity.

Most people wouldn't take a 'very good' cut quality from GIA, and a lot of people here wouldn't take certain excellent cuts by GIA, nevermind a non referenced, non standardised subjective assessment of cut by the dealer, which is an arbitrary and imho useless assessment.

If you have the stone in hand and you are very happy with it then congratulations but I would at least want to understand why I got a bargain and that is most likely a compromise rather than a great deal.

 

[kb1gra]

A diamond of that size carrying no lab paperwork would give me pretty great cause for concern.

You're taking about thousands of dollars more for the sale even if it comes back exactly as it was stated to be, solely because it is verified to be so. At that size, it matters.

If it's a new stone, there would have to be something going on for the cutter to not get paperwork on it.