Help, my diamond looks different after being set

[ShariMichele]

I thought I would post some pics so you can see what I mean. After all my reading on PS, would I seriously buy and walk out with a center stone that looked like this?

 

[ShariMichele]

Another shot under halogen. Although it's blurry, the milky white you see is accurate.

 

[ShariMichele]

Side view:

 

[Dreamer_D]

That is very wierd. I am not wondering again about clarity enhancement or something. Anyways, I await the appraisers conclusions.

 

[Stephan]

My very humble (not professional) opinion: I guess there is something with the cut.
Ideal cut diamonds tend to be dark.
If that is a cloud, it''s probably a I2.
But that''s just me.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 12/18/2009 4:51:37 PM
Author: ShariMichele
Also forgot to mention the original jeweler said today that he thought someone had torched the stone, which is why he thinks it looks so milky.

I was wondering if this was a possibility, if so it could be repolished, but this is only speculation on my part - so sorry about all this Shari....

 

[ShariMichele]

So the results are in, and it was in fact the stone I purchased. Ugh!

The good news is I don''t have to wonder who stole my diamond, the bad news is it looks terrible with my two other stones. I did not have my side stones at the time, and only looked at the center stone alone, so did not notice how milky it was under certain lighting. I still wonder if the jeweler did anything to make it look better when I bought it, but it''s mainly yellow type light that bring out the cloud, and the jewelry store was extremely well lit with natural light from the windows.

The thing that made me feel better at the appraisal was that he said it was a very nice stone, Ideal/AGS0 cut, high H color etc, and I paid about $2000 less than that average retail for such a stone. He also thought I''d have no problem selling it for somewhere around what I paid for it, so I plan to do that in a few months and get a better looking stone to match my two sides. In the meantime, I plan to wear it and finally have a ring again after 1.5 years. Thanks to all for your input and support.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 12/22/2009 12:39:13 AM
Author: ShariMichele
So the results are in, and it was in fact the stone I purchased. Ugh!

The good news is I don''t have to wonder who stole my diamond, the bad news is it looks terrible with my two other stones. I did not have my side stones at the time, and only looked at the center stone alone, so did not notice how milky it was under certain lighting. I still wonder if the jeweler did anything to make it look better when I bought it, but it''s mainly yellow type light that bring out the cloud, and the jewelry store was extremely well lit with natural light from the windows.

The thing that made me feel better at the appraisal was that he said it was a very nice stone, Ideal/AGS0 cut, high H color etc, and I paid about $2000 less than that average retail for such a stone. He also thought I''d have no problem selling it for somewhere around what I paid for it, so I plan to do that in a few months and get a better looking stone to match my two sides. In the meantime, I plan to wear it and finally have a ring again after 1.5 years. Thanks to all for your input and support.

Well this is good news! But did he say what causes the hazy appearance??? Is it clouds?

 

[ShariMichele]

Yes, it''s a cloud off to the side that does all the reflection under yellow lighting. I still can''t believe it''s an SI1, given the fact it can look that way in any light. So, the biggest mistake I made was that I didn''t look at it in a PURE source of mulitple lighting situations. I looked under halogen, but there was too much daylight in the store to bring out the cloud. Live and learn.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Well, Lorelei is always warning people about clouds affecting the stones appearance and now this is a perfect example! I hope you feel better knowing the answer even if it is not what you would want to hear.

 

[ShariMichele]

I do feel so much better. The appraiser seemed to think there would be buyers that would buy it purely by seeing the beautiful GIA cert and glancing at the stone, so that''s my hope. It''s funny the only thing I had read about clouds prior to my purchase was that they are usually nothing to worry about. Boy did I learn the hard way that there are exceptions to that!

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 12/22/2009 2:18:30 AM
Author: ShariMichele
I do feel so much better. The appraiser seemed to think there would be buyers that would buy it purely by seeing the beautiful GIA cert and glancing at the stone, so that''s my hope.

Wouldn''t that then be on-selling the stone under the same false pretenses it was sold to you?
I am sorry for your predicament, and you have a right to do whatever you wish with your diamond - but I don''t think that hiding the facts about the stone when trying to re-sell is really fair to the next person..

 

[swingirl]

Where are you going to find someone to buy your stone at close to retail price? You sure you can''t get a refund before the stores closes it''s door?

 

[Laila619]

Shari, I''m sorry. I''m confused...just to clarify, did your diamond''s cert say ''clarity grade is based on clouds not shown''?

 

[ShariMichele]

Yes, the cert says "clarity grade based on clouds not shown". The store never pointed out the cloud to me, and I don't remember this exactly, but I thought I asked about the comment and she said it was usually just minor (like sometimes "additional clouds not shown" can mean.) Could I get a refund even thought it's been a 13 months since I purchased it?

In response to arjunajane's questions, the stone has a cert from GIA, and matches the cert. Do you think it's my responsibilty to point out every flaw in the diamond to the seller?

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 12/22/2009 11:58:40 AM
Author: ShariMichele
Yes, the cert says 'clarity grade based on clouds not shown'. The store never pointed out the cloud to me, and I don't remember this exactly, but I thought I asked about the comment and she said it was usually just minor (like sometimes 'additional clouds not shown' can mean.) Could I get a refund even thought it's been a 13 months since I purchased it?

If clouds are grade makers in SI clarities then they can sometimes pose a problem. "Clouds which are not shown" is generally not of concern and is just mentioned for completeness, however in your case as it says "clarity grade is based on clouds which are not shown", then that can cause this effect you are seeing regrettably.

I don't know if you could get a refund but you could ask if they would let you trade the diamond in against another one.

 

[denverappraiser]

I’m sorry to hear these results. 13 months is beyond nearly everyone’s return period but they may be willing to take it as a trade-in for something else based on what you paid. Definitely talk to your jeweler about it. It's a shame you didn't have the opportunity to have it inspected sooner.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver

 

[Dreamer_D]

If you had it for 13 months, did you wear it in a solitaire ring and not see the milky effect? If so, then I would just wear it as a solitaire and enjoy it. If you liked it as a solitaire then it can''t have been that bad.

Go try for a trade in and see what happens. If you spend a little more and get a bigger stone they may be more likely to do it.

 

[ShariMichele]

Neil, the appraiser didn''t even notice the cloud (it is really small) or the effect it had until I pointed it out to him. He has flourecent lighting. So, I feel even if I took it to him after I purchased he would have given me the thumbs up.

I didn''t wear it all this time..it''s been sitting in a drawer until now. Had I worn it I would have noticed.

The store is liquidating and closing in a matter of days. Do you think they''d give me store credit?

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 12/22/2009 12:40:05 PM
Author: ShariMichele
Neil, the appraiser didn''t even notice the cloud (it is really small) or the effect it had until I pointed it out to him. He has flourecent lighting. So, I feel even if I took it to him after I purchased he would have given me the thumbs up.

I didn''t wear it all this time..it''s been sitting in a drawer until now. Had I worn it I would have noticed.

The store is liquidating and closing in a matter of days. Do you think they''d give me store credit?

Go talk to them now! How would we know?

 

[bstraszheim]

Date: 12/22/2009 11:58:40 AM
Author: ShariMichele
Yes, the cert says ''clarity grade based on clouds not shown''. The store never pointed out the cloud to me, and I don''t remember this exactly, but I thought I asked about the comment and she said it was usually just minor (like sometimes ''additional clouds not shown'' can mean.) Could I get a refund even thought it''s been a 13 months since I purchased it?


In response to arjunajane''s questions, the stone has a cert from GIA, and matches the cert. Do you think it''s my responsibilty to point out every flaw in the diamond to the seller?

You are certainly upset that the diamonds every flaw was not pointed out to you as the buyer!

 

[bgray]

It doesnt seem the buyer did anything wrong quite frankly. So I dont really think you have any recourse.

 

[ShariMichele]

Actually, I am not as upset about that.... I am most upset with myself for not examining it more thoroughly, but I don't have a diamond inspection lab at my disposal, and the apprasier didn't even notice it, so how am I supposed to? I was merely stating it wasn't pointed out to me by a professional diamond company as possibly a means of getting my money back from them. (I had wondered if this is why the jewler was trying to convince me it wasn't the stone he sold me). But buyer beware right?

Also, because of my circumstances of not having a setting to wear the diamond in, it just sat in a drawer and I didn't use the 30 day inspection period to my advantage. Had I worn it for 30 days, I would have noticed.

I decided I won't try to trade it in...they have no loose diamonds left, and I would end up getting something I don't even want and having to resell that, so for now at least I have a ring.

 

[Trigon]

I''m still curious as to how an independent appraiser can tell you that you should be able to sell this stone for close to what you paid for it. And you did mention that you bought it $2,000 less than "retail", am I right? I believe most appraisers, especially in some cities, are required to state that the client shouldn''t expect to obtain the appraised value if the item was to be resold. Sure, it may happen that a person may stumble upon someone who doesn''t know any better, but would any knowledgeable person on this site buy a GIA stone for a couple thousand less than "retail"?
Maybe I missed a few details?

 

[pretty_carbon]

Not sure this has been mentioned in this thread so apologies if it has - is the center stone fluorescent?

 

[ShariMichele]

It has no flourescence.

Ok, I think I may know what happened with his retail estimate. For some reason he got in his head that this was an F color stone. I corrected him that it was H when we were looking at the retail market, but when I looked at the appraisal more closely after I got home, he graded it as an F color. He said average retail is $7700 for a stone (I assume there is tax on top of this?), I paid $6000, including tax.

He also mentioned that he's seen many other diamond markets recently, and thinks our city is extremely well insulated to the recession. He's also seen buyers that barely give a glance at a diamond, are more concerned about the cert. I think that's why he thinks I could possibly find a buyer if I take my time and maybe wait until the market returns a little.

 

[MissGotRocks]

This is just a set of very unfortunate circumstances. I know the store is closing but I would still take that ring in to them to see the difference between the center and side stones. You never know what they might offer - and if it's nothing that would interest you then you say no thanks and walk out. Once they close those doors, you'll never know what you might have had.

I am so terribly sorry that this happened to you and hope against hope that they will do something for you.

 

[WinkHPD]

Sorry you had all this trouble.

Wink

 

[ShariMichele]

Thank you Wink and Missgotrocks. I contacted the jeweler tonight and spoke with a women who is representing the bank that has taken over the company. They are in liquidation mode for 7 more days before shutting completely. She is sending me some forms to make a claim on the stone. The "adjuster" will review my claim after all previous debts have been settled, and let me know. I am seriously not holding out hope for anything, since there will probably be no money left to pay such claims, but I guess at least I feel like I''m doing something.

Incidentally, one of the reasons I bought from this company was because they had a great trade up policy...your stone''s value would appreciate up to 20% in 5 years, and could be traded in for another purchase, with no upgrade purchase minimum. I guess this is the reason they went out of business in these tough times as diamond prices have dropped. Nothing is ever a sure thing.

 

[MissGotRocks]

I''m glad you contacted them. Nothing may come of it but at least you know you tried. If the stone wasn''t in a three stone mounting, you might not notice the cloud as much. It''s just such a shame that you wanted the three stone mounting and there is a distinct difference in the look of the stones.

Please let us know the outcome and best of luck to you in whatever you decide to do with the stone. I think we''ve all learned from this experience; I''m just sorry that you now have to figure out the next step for yourself. Just believe that it will work out one way or another. Most things usually do!