GIA fancy grading and Recutting

[davi_el_mejor]

So, I bought a fancy grey (haven't sent to GIA yet for grading) oval. This little sucker is pudgy. My jeweler said it doesn't have a girdle, but a corset. Lots of extra weight at nearly 78% depth.

There is a some skin/indented naturals left on the stone.I plan on sending it to GIA and having it recut.

What order should I do it?

(pictures to follow when I wake up later today)

 

[chrono]

So, I bought a fancy grey (haven't sent to GIA yet for grading) oval. This little sucker is pudgy. My jeweler said it doesn't have a girdle, but a corset. Lots of extra weight at nearly 78% depth. There is a some skin/indented naturals left on the stone.I plan on sending it to GIA and having it recut. What order should I do it?

(pictures to follow when I wake up later today)

Before deciding on the recut, get professional opinions on the following:
1. How will the colour be affected? Will it affect the colour in a positive or negative way?
2. How much carat weight will be lost? Will the face up size be affected?
3. Based on #1 and #2, is there a positive or negative financial impact, meaning will its value increase, decrease or remain the same?

If you plan to recut, I would hold off on the lab memo since you'll need a new one anyway because I am sure many characteristics will no longer be the same (ct weight, measurement, colour, etc).

 

[Rockdiamond]

Hey D!
1) unless you're like the guy in the Geico commercial, ( made of money) have the report drawn after any re-cut.

2) the way you've written it, its unclear who's re-cutting. The answer to your questions ( 1,2 and 3) can only be answered by a cutter who's seen the diamond- and even then they can only guess.
Of course there's "diamonds in the rough"- but in general, stones that have been cut, rarely yield any profit by re-cutting

 

[diamondloveaffair]

fancy colored diamonds are usually deep for a reason. In order to make them retain more color and get a better color grading.

If you insist on a recut, you should send in the stone to GIA after the recut and not before.

 

[denverappraiser]

I'm having a bit of trouble understanding the goals here. Why did you buy it? What are you hoping to improve by recutting?

 

[kenny]

If you send the stone to GIA before and after recutting you'll know whether and how much the cutting changed the GIA color grade.

Whether that's worth the time and cost to you only you can say.

 

[davi_el_mejor]

Sorry bout the delay everyone! I posted while really sleepy and forgot all about this...

Main goal in this endeavor is, I want a very sparkly grey diamond. I want as good as light return as possible while maintaining the best color grade.The oval has a pleasing ratio at 6.5x4.9mm also a good size for my taste.

I don't think I'll lose much face up, as this is a very steep stone, both on top and bottom. I didn't pay that much for a stone of this weight, based on the fact it faces up much smaller than it should.

Chrono's third question is really the heart of it all. Do I risk losing thousands of dollars cutting away precious ct weight if the stone has can achieve a blue or green grading.

I can have a local cutter do it or I was thinking of contacting BGD.

I have one picture here at work thanks to one of the most beautiful PS'ers ever! this was open shade

And two more thanks to ERL's most lovely inspiration to figure out how to use my phone to get them from FB

second one is direct sunshine

the one face down was my attempt to show how pudgy the stone is... I don't know if you can really get a handle on just how pudgy it is .

 

[chrono]

Is it only blue in the sun? It doesn't seem blue except in only that one picture. When does it appear blue, green and gray separately?

 

[davi_el_mejor]

I've never experienced blue in a diamond before, so I don't know what the threshold would be for GIA. The stone does have yellow fluor. I sense that the fluor mixing with the grey body color is giving the olivey green color, but there is also a blue component that I can perceive. Now, whether or not it's enough to warrant adding blue to the grading is beyond me. The body is definitely grey, probably verging on dark grey. I wouldn't mind losing some concentration in color so it's overall tone is lighter.

This is the typical color in full sun



and to get sense of the cutting

 

[kenny]

When it comes to color photography is usually about as dependable as gossiping high school girls ... or boys.
The hue of the caucasian flesh looks true as does the white background in the first pic, even though the hue of the diamond looks totally different.

I'm very curious how GIA grades the color.
I'm crossing fingers that you get a green or blue grade from them.

I believe recutting can change the color's saturation but not change the hue.

Cool diamond, and price!!

 

[Rockdiamond]

Cool looking stone D- especially in the photo 893267_511422314765_1801204193_o.jpg
I see some blue/grey in that photo ( for what it's worth)
You mention yellow fl- are you sure it's not blue? It's very difficult to really pin down the hue of fl.

In general, grey diamonds are never all that bright- it's part of the nature of the color- and also the way it manifests itself in diamonds.

No matter what, a recut is risky.
It's risky due to potential damage to the stone- and also because it's really not possible to precisely say what will happen to the color.
What you're identifying as "pudgy" may be material on the pavilion that's crucial in the projection of color.

In general, if I'm acting as a "diamond detective" I'd want to know where a diamond came from.
I've heard of many cases of dealers who claim a diamond has no GIA when in fact, it does.
With a less than stellar grade.

OTOH, a stone from a consumer may have been cut a long time ago, and not have been looked at by cutters or dealers lately who might spot the chance for improvement. But I think this is a more rare category......

 

[chrono]

If you don't know the current grading of the stone, I would consider sending it off prior to any recut because the result will sway me one way or the other. A recut can also potentially risk dropping the saturation, thereby devaluing the FCD. The final decision can only be made with the advice of a professional who has the stone in hand.

 

[ricodoc]

I'd appreciate a response from both someone in the industry, and a non-schooled consumer like myself: Can there be a bottom-line answer to the "Should it be cut?" question regarding the following stone: (2 different appraisals, neither of them official GIA or AGS, but both respected jewelers, in Boston and NYC): #1: 5.51 carats, K color, SI1 clarity, A4/A2 quality....#2: 5.54 carats, J-K color, SI2 clarity, A4/A2 quality. One appraiser gave "AGS color"=3.75-4.00, and both noted yellow tint. Having done my research, I know that a stone has to be seen, or at the very least have a GIA cert. to be correctly evaluated. I'm not interested in value estimation (although if anyone's interested in buying, I'd be glad to hear from you), just the aforementioned question, "Should it be cut?" One retailer said "Never", another retailer said "Absolutely do it", and a wholesaler in NY said "better for the value if you cut it." Knowing it's a hard question to give a bottom-line answer to, I'd welcome any feedback. Thanks very much.

 

[Rockdiamond]

Hi Ricodoc,
Any answer about value of a recut given sight unseen is completely and utterly worthless.
In many cases a re-cut is a sure bet, other times maybe yes maybe no, other cases no way its a good idea.
Those are large, and potentially valuable diamonds.
My advice: You need to find a dealer, or appraiser you trust, and do a sit down, diamonds in hand to get a better idea.