If buying from Bluenile, should I get an apprasial?

[Treasure43]

I have a diamond on hold from Bluenile. When it gets here, if I like it should I take it to get it apprasied? It comes with an AGS cert AND an apprasial but buying online, how do I know what I"m getting? Also, do I need to get an apprasial from an independent apprasier? They''re more expensive but is it worth it?

 

[RBsearch]

I think you should get it appraised BECAUSE it''s coming from blue nile. Don''t get me wrong, lots of people get lots of beautiful diamonds from there, but it''s riskier than other vendors because they don''t supply photos to judge what you are purchasing. So since you can''t properly evaluate before you purchase, I definitely would get it professionally evaluated (by an independent appraiser) after you purchase. And do it within the 30 days before your return policy runs out, just to be safe.

 

[beach]

I would get a diamond appraised regardless of where you purchase. All becasue it comes from GIA, AGS, blue nile, whiteflash, good old gold etc... does not mean that an independent appraiser will not have a different opinion. Always confirm what your are getting and do your own diligence. No business or lab is beyond making a mistake. Alot of the grading comes down to some level of subjectivity and there is always room for error. Common issues include differing opinions on color, clarity, and cut grade even from AGS and GIA diamonds. Another is example is when things are in the borderline range of the aformentioned areas. Do you grade up or grade down? Often times things grade up and as the consumer you want to know because it could save you alot of money in the end. Why get a borderline graded diamond when you could get one that grades in the middle range? This is when things vary and opinions are different. When/if it comes time to sell, these things are important. There is some risk in every purchase and EVERY vendor makes mistakes. Of course many vendors minimize the risk by providing other info but because of some inherent subjectivity, various errors still occur. Always get more info if you can from an independent appraiser. I highly recommend Richard Sherwood in Sarasota. Here is his web site http://www.sarasotagemlab.com/
Good luck!!

 

[chrono]

I would get an appraisal anyway to make it easier to insure. If you submit detailed information, then your insurance company must have the replacement stone MATCH what you have/had. Not just a AGS stone, colour, size and clarity. It needs the same optical performance, an Idealscope picture and ASET that is comparable, etc.

That said, if it's a small stone for earrings or something like that, the regular free appraisal is sufficient.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 3/21/2009 9:51:29 PM
Author:Treasure43
I have a diamond on hold from Bluenile. When it gets here, if I like it should I take it to get it apprasied? It comes with an AGS cert AND an apprasial but buying online, how do I know what I''m getting? Also, do I need to get an apprasial from an independent apprasier? They''re more expensive but is it worth it?

I would get an appraisal Treasure in this case- also for insurance an independant appraisal can describe your diamond very accurately which can make getting a similar replacement easier ( should this ever be necessary) - hopefully not.

 

[oldminer]

Within recent months I have had a ring which came in for a final appraisal with an incorrect number of small diamonds on the sides of the ring. It was supposed to be the same on both sides, but strange as it may seem, the number was not the same on both sides. I have hod one where the bottom of the ring was broken and may have been missed by the consumer, but later on, when the ring fell apart no one could have guessed why. There have been cases of diamonds which did not match their reports. They were very similar, but something was wrong. Only a last look examination would have caught it before it was too late to correct it.

Things happen and an expert, independent examination sometimes finds a problem before the problem becomes anything major. I think the final mistakes that independent appraisers tend to find are human error types of problems more so that intentional issues. Sure, we see misgraded diamonds with off the wall lab reports from XXX labs, but everyone, even informed buyers, seems to expect those issues. The devil is found in the details.