i know EGL is not as accurate with grading...BUT...

[marchesa6989]

hi everyone! been a bit of a lurker for the last few weeks after the bf and i discussed getting married.

here's something that perplexes me - i know that EGL is around 2 grades off for color, and 1 in clarity. that being said, from my research into prices and different stones it is still cheaper if i take that into consideration.

for example, a GIA round I SI1 0.77 triple ex $3251
EGL round F VS2 0.77 triple ex $2938

why can't you just go for the EGL stone and take into account the differences when considering your specs?

thanks in advance!

 

[Gypsy]

If it is EGL USA, you buy from an honest vendor with a good return policy and you have it appraised by someone good, you can. BUT the way the industry works is if a cutter is cutting ideals and ex/ex they aren't going to send it to EGL...they send it to AGS or GIA cause they can charge more. So it's also harder to find a true "ideal light performance" round with EGL. That said, if you know what you are doing with the numbers and can get an Idealscope/ASET -- you can get a decent EGL stone.

I would suggest working with a vendor that has the right equipment to evaluate a diamond (ASET Idealscope) -- but you will find that most vendors that DO have these tools are very cut focused-- so they don't stock EGL stones as a rule so you may have to pay to have them brought in, and they won't qualify for upgrade policies and such. You can try Mark at ERD and Yekutiel at ID and see what they say, but I suspect both will prefer you stick with GIA stones.

Here are some cheat sheet specifications for round brilliant specs/numbers ( PRINT THIS OUT AND TAKE THIS WITH YOU WHEN SHOPPING IN PERSON):

depth - 60 - 62% - although my personal preference is to allow up to 62.4%
table - 54- 57%
crown angle - 34- 35 degrees
pavilion angle - 40.6- 41 degrees
girdle - avoid extremes, look for thin to slightly thick, thin to medium etc
polish and symmetry - very good and above

note - with crown and pavilion angles at the shallower ends ( CA 34- PA 40.6) and steeper ( CA 35- PA 41) check to make sure these angles complement in that particular diamond - eyeballs, Idealscope, trusted vendor input - check as appropriate!

Also, configurations depend on each other. A little give here can still work with a little take there.

With that said, here''s a "Cliff''s Notes" for staying near Tolkowsky/ideal angles with GIA reports (their numbers are rounded): A crown angle of 34.0, 34.5 or 35.0 is usually safe with a 40.8 pavilion angle. If pavilion angle = 40.6 lean toward a 34.5-35.0 crown. If pavilion angle = 41 lean toward a 34.0-34.5 crown.

GIA "EX" in cut is great at its heart, but it ranges a bit wider than some people prefer, particularly in deep combinations (pavilion > 41 with crown > 35).


ETA; Above copied from Lorelei and John Pollard.

 

[denverappraiser]

If there were a simple conversion chart to turn EGL into GIA it would be easy. The problem is consistency. SOME EGL graded stones are 1 – 2 grades different from what GIA would call them, but some differ by as much as 5 or 6. As an Internet shopper who can’t see the stone, there’s no way to tell the difference until you order it in and you hire expert assistance to do the grading.

It’s worth noting that the stone didn’t come out of the ground with a particular pedigree. It’s just a rock after all. Someone chose that particular lab and paid them good money to write that report. Sure, EGL’s trade at a discount, but they trade at a discount from higher grades. Their objective in this selection was to maximize price, speed of sale or both. It was NOT to give you a discount. Everyone makes mistakes, and there are bargains out there in the grading universe but they aren’t as easy to spot as you’re hoping. You’re betting that this original lab client made a mistake and you’re hoping to spot it and capitalize on it by comparing summary information gleaned from the very reports that you're calling unreliable. Best of luck with that. He/she, along with all of the dealers who have handled it since and who could have submitted it to GIA if they thought it would help are betting against you. I’m not much of a betting man but if I were, in this situation I would side with them. Wouldn’t you?