IGI certifications?

[Shoopy]

I don''t know much about IGI and a coworker is asking if I''m familiar with them before he makes a purchase.

The bigger issue IMO is that he wants to buy the ring at Macy''s. It''s a 1 carat diamond with an 18K band for $3,500. I don''t have the heart to tell him that sounds a little too good to be true without also offending him. But I do want to pass along the info on IGI. I told him I''d ask the smartest diamond nuts I knew so here I am LOL

 

[Noahsmom]

I talked to a GIA appraiser, because the stone I was looking at was approved by IGI. They told me that IGI has the tendency to inflate the values. The measurments have the tendency to be accurate, but they inflate the value. If he is serious about buying the ring, make sure he knows the return policy and get an independent appraisal.

 

[Winks_Elf]

Send him to PS to do his homework first!

Did he say what the clarity and color were on the stone?

 

[Baloney]

absolutely send him here to do research first!

I''d personally go with buying the ring online. It''s usually a much better value and theyre at least GIA certified.

I was very skeptical on buying a ring online, but i recently made a purchase through BlueNile.com and things couldnt have went smoother. You might want to suggest that to him.

 

[Rockdiamond]

HI All!
Fiery- your instinct was a good one.
Any ring in a store like Macy''s for $3500 with a one carat diamond is going to have a relatively inexpensive one carat- which might be really bad looking ( I t could also be nice, but there''s a risk)

In terms of the trade, IGI is thought of on the same level as EGL- which means that the trade does not take the grades issued by these secondary labs seriously.

 

[Judah Gutwein]

Fieryred,

Re: IGI:

The good news is that they are independent. The bad news is that they are of the "mom and pop" variety when you compare them with the likes of GIA/AGS.

They are simply not as competent, strict or stringent with their grading criterion. The reason this is important, is simply because there are indeed certain subjective variables determined by the grader who evaluates the diamond. There is no way to "fudge" the data when it comes to carat size. You put the stone on a (properly calibrated) scale and you get a result. However, when it comes to color/clarity we rely on the grader who views the stone...and they are not all created equal.

If a grader misgrades color/clarity with a better grade than what the diamond truly deserves according to a morer stringent and tighter standard metric, that means that you are paying ''more'' for ''less''.

Some of the graders who work for the lesser labs., would never make ''the cut'' (pardon the pun

) with GIA/AGS.

Best,