*** HELP ME. I desperately need help!!! ***

[xav2k1]

I am looking to get a , but needed the help of the knowledgeable people on this board.

I have found a princess cut diamond with the following stats:

Carat Weight: 1.52
Color: G
Clarity: VS2
Depth: 74.7%
Table: 64%
Polish: GD
Symmetry: GD
Measurements: 6.22x5.97x4.46
It is not GIA certified, but EGL. I have noticed that is somewhat cheaper than most comparable ones.

What do you all think about this diamond? Is the price difference b/c it is EGL certified and not GIA?

 

[verticalhorizon]

At first, I thought that it might not be too good.

Then I plugged in the numbers using the AGA's DIY grading charts at www.gemappraisers.com and it came out much better that I thought.

You'll need more info to make a better numerical judgement, but as everyone will tell you here, you have to see fancies to believe them.

 

[hoorray]

The issue with EGL is that some of their labs (especially Isreal) are known for lax grading on the subjective issues of color and clarity. Thus what EGL might call a G color, GIA might call H, and the same on the clarity grading. Prices are determined by these gradings, so the bottom line is that you need to know what the actual color and clarity is to determine if the price is fair and the stoen still meets your parameters of what you are looking for. (This is once you've decided that you are interested in the stone for all of it's merits.) EGL labs in NY seem to be more strict in their grading, but the overall impresson of the lax grades tends to cause the stones to be discounted. You can usually tell on the cert which lab graded the stone.

Bottom line is you need to know that what you are buying really is what they say it is, and the price you are paying is fair. An independant appraiser can help you here.

 

[xav2k1]

Are you saying that EGL gradings are consistently below those from GIA or is it possible to get a comparable EGL diamond?

 

[moremoremore]

what's the crown info? It may look a tad small for its carat weight, but sometimes, it just all comes together!

 

[fuffi]

The numbers don't add up. Is the girdle very thick? You're sacrificing a lot of spread. To me it would make more sense to buy 1.30 which is what this looks like, and save the $$ you'd be paying for the 1.50 price jump.

 

[niceice]

----------------
On 5/12/2004 8:58:31 AM xav2k1 wrote:

Are you saying that EGL gradings are consistently below those from GIA or is it possible to get a comparable EGL diamond?----------------

It depends on which EGL graded the diamond... EGL-LA runs a pretty tight ship with results fairly close to the AGS and the GIA, but we can't say the same for EGL Israel or EGL Antwerp. The thing to realize with the EGL is that it is a franchise laboratory and thus the grading practices and the results vary from lab to lab... This is something that probably drives Tom at the EGL-LA absolutely bonkers because the variance in grading combined with the similarity in the name has resulted in widely accepted recognition within the industry that EGL graded diamonds are not accurately graded and as a result EGL graded diamonds trade for less than diamonds purported to be the same clarity and color grade as graded by the GIA and AGS laboratories... So who was the diamond graded by? EGL-LA? EGL-Israel? or EGL Antwerp? Thought: and you're staring at the lab report and thinking "it just says EGL" and therein my friend lies the problem

 

[xav2k1]

Thanks all.

I have another question for the diamond afficiandos. In the comments, what does it mean if it says "Additional extra facet not shown"?

 

[valeria101]

Regardless of what EGL is that, the stone will be discounted for the name, but it would likely not acquire more color or inclusions because of it.

Would it be possible to get an idea of what the inclusion chart looks like and perhaps an Ideal Scope "portrait" of it? Besides, you can always have an appraiser look at it if the price difference is worth the trouble.

You may want to compare this with the price per carat of simmilar GIA stones graded one grade up in color and/or clarity and see wether the discount still makes the stone an acceptable deal. I would not expect the margin to account for a drop in both grades, but one... usually a lab would not guarantee it's own consistency down to that (GIA claims half a grade margin or error, for example, but I do not know what others say).


as I can see, DCD ranks this one "Ideal cut" and who am I to differ ? and the best quote for the stone could well stand for GIA's H-SI1 any day. Good enough for me

Just my 0.2, of course

 

[xav2k1]

Found to be what seems to be a pretty nice diamond. I want to purchase it ASAP but I am wondering what the following comment means:

ADDITIONAL EXTRA FACET NOT SHOWN.

Anybody have an idea of what that means?????

 

[moremoremore]

it's no biggie...!