- Joined
- Sep 3, 2000
- Messages
- 6,696
I was back in the mid 1980's that a scandal of misrepresented diamonds brought Philadelphia's Jeweler's Row into the national news. A scammer had cheated 15,000 customers in a 3 year period. He didn't overcharge them for what he actually delivered, but he had lied about the quality and weight of the diamonds he sold to them. I was the one chosen to testify for the prosecuting DA and we graded over 600 of these client's stones in my lab. Other good guys, also fellow AGS members at the time, helped substantially, too.
In addition to this project, I had always been intrigued by the objections diamond dealers made to various diamonds my father or I had bought second hand from the public or from dealers. It seemed that no matter how much we knew, we failed to appreciate the many nuances that diamond dealers or cutters saw whenever we showed them what we had for sale.
Raising an objection is not simply a bargaining trick, but it is an insight into the areas that the buyers consider of importance to them. It may be a ploy, but usually it is a good indicator of something that is of importance.
So, in the year 1986 I began to put into charts what details counted as pluses or minuses with round and fancy shaped diamonds. I produced a "Diamond Report Card" that integrated color, clarity UV fluorescence, and CUT grade into a single, weighted numeric result. It was original, not a copy of anyone else's work. It just happened to catch on in my area because of the huge notaoriety of the diamond scandal mentioned above. Consumers wanted assurance and more facts. I provided exactly what they needed and Jeweler's Row had a new tool with which to make honest sales. The Report Card looked just like your old elementary school report card. It was a lot of fun and something entirely new in diamond grading. In time, it developed into the AGA-CERT, which we still produce today. I think we now make about 10,000 AGA-CERTs a year. It is very much regional, but has done no harm to either the consumer or the diamond trade. While I'd love to expand the reach of AGA and the "Cert", the Internet opened up a wonderful new resource for us and we have also pursued that clientele without losing sight of what the AGA-CERT and Cut Class grading is all about.
Just a little history appreciation for you to ponder. We will soon be offering the very latest in technology to consumers and the trade for making even better judgments of cut quality and light performance combined. We will certainly tell you more when this is ready.
In addition to this project, I had always been intrigued by the objections diamond dealers made to various diamonds my father or I had bought second hand from the public or from dealers. It seemed that no matter how much we knew, we failed to appreciate the many nuances that diamond dealers or cutters saw whenever we showed them what we had for sale.
Raising an objection is not simply a bargaining trick, but it is an insight into the areas that the buyers consider of importance to them. It may be a ploy, but usually it is a good indicator of something that is of importance.
So, in the year 1986 I began to put into charts what details counted as pluses or minuses with round and fancy shaped diamonds. I produced a "Diamond Report Card" that integrated color, clarity UV fluorescence, and CUT grade into a single, weighted numeric result. It was original, not a copy of anyone else's work. It just happened to catch on in my area because of the huge notaoriety of the diamond scandal mentioned above. Consumers wanted assurance and more facts. I provided exactly what they needed and Jeweler's Row had a new tool with which to make honest sales. The Report Card looked just like your old elementary school report card. It was a lot of fun and something entirely new in diamond grading. In time, it developed into the AGA-CERT, which we still produce today. I think we now make about 10,000 AGA-CERTs a year. It is very much regional, but has done no harm to either the consumer or the diamond trade. While I'd love to expand the reach of AGA and the "Cert", the Internet opened up a wonderful new resource for us and we have also pursued that clientele without losing sight of what the AGA-CERT and Cut Class grading is all about.
Just a little history appreciation for you to ponder. We will soon be offering the very latest in technology to consumers and the trade for making even better judgments of cut quality and light performance combined. We will certainly tell you more when this is ready.
300x240.png)