Independent appraiser claiming that lab grown diamond is not a real diamond and refusing to appraise it!!!

[Natylad]

I ordered a lab grown diamond from a company which is well trusted and suggested here on PS, a company that i personally respect and from which i have bought diamonds before. The stone was uncerted but the price was appealing, so i decided to pull the trigger and have the diamond independently appraised at my country (i live in Europe).
Today i took the diamond to the appraiser, who had it checked and claimed that "this stone is synthetic and not a real diamond". After that, he refused to proceed with the appraisal.
So the stone is obviously synthetic, since it is lab grown, nevertheless it is a real diamond and i am furious that he refused to appraise it. But i didn't insist because i was worried that i will pay a significant amount and i will end up with a report that states that ...my diamond is not a diamond!
I'm so upset. Thoughts?
(Sad...)

 

[dk168]

I believe the experts would chime in soon; however, if it happened to me, I would take it to an independent trusted PS appraiser.

DK

 

[Natylad]

I believe the experts would chime in soon; however, if it happened to me, I would take it to an independent trusted PS appraiser.

DK

Thank you for your thoughts @dk168
Unfortunately i live in Europe and i am pretty certain that there is no trusted PS appraiser in my country... Sigh...

 

[DejaWiz]

denverappraiser do you know if any directories for appraisers that Natylad could utilize and find some appraisers in Europe?
JAW, maybe? I know nothing about JAW.

 

[dk168]

Thank you for your thoughts @dk168
Unfortunately i live in Europe and i am pretty certain that there is no trusted PS appraiser in my country... Sigh...

I have not read the details, just a quick browse, however, I believe HRD would grade LGD:

https://hrdantwerp.com/diamond-grading-reports/

DK

 

[denverappraiser]

This ‘appraiser’ can decline your work if they want, but I’m hard pressed to see why in this case. The excuse makes no sense even if it were true. I appraise things that are not diamonds nearly every day. I can only assume something else is going on here. Are they trying to sell you something and trying to get you to return this one? If so, what in the world does ‘independent’ mean to them?

Real, synthetic, and lab-grown, have all become loaded words in this business. The US FTC made some rulings on this topic back in 2017 that just muddied the issue. I don’t know how the Europeans have handled it. Even ‘natural’ has become problematic. It makes for interesting discussions at conventions and it’s a problem for people advertising, but for appraisal purposes it’s mostly semantic. It is what it is. They obviously DO have value; people buy them all the time. There’s literally a billion dollar market in this. That’s the cornerstone of value.

You need a different appraiser and you were wise to walk away. They aren’t understanding the question and it’s not up to you to teach them. Have you asked your seller for advise in finding someone? Start a new thread here with your location in the header an ask for recommendations. This is a very large community and it just might include a neighbor.

 

[denverappraiser]

denverappraiser do you know if any directories for appraisers that Natylad could utilize and find some appraisers in Europe?
JAW, maybe? I know nothing about JAW.

Ja-world.com, aka JAW, is a UK based venue where a lot of appraisers advertise (it might be against the rules since I’m among them but I’ll risk it). It’s worth a look. There are quite a few European based folks listed there.

 

[DejaWiz]

Ja-world.com, aka JAW, is a UK based venue where a lot of appraisers advertise (it might be against the rules since I’m among them but I’ll risk it). It’s worth a look. There are quite a few European based folks listed there.

Thank you kindly, Neil!

 

[denverappraiser]

I was contemplating this question at the gym this morning. Is he/she saying it’s synthetic and NOT a diamond? I’m thinking glass, plastic, CZ, etc. These are all synthetic materials after all. That’s an important difference that is definitely not just semantics. It’s still an appraisal, and they should put it in writing and sign it, but it’s a very different sort of issue.

 

[Natylad]

Thank you all so much for offering excellent advice and support.
I've got news....
I took my diamond to my jeweler, a man that I've known for 25 years and I trust. I asked him to offer his opinion on the matter after informing him of what happened earlier.
My jeweler checked the stone and he found this on the girdle:

 

[Natylad]

So my diamond was sold to me as uncertified but in reality it is certified by igi.
I've run it through HCA !!!!!
I am delighted....!

 

[RMOO]

Yay, lucky you! Now you just need to get a duplicate of the original cert?

 

[DejaWiz]

Verify Your Report | Verify Your Diamond Online | IGI

IGI's Verify Your Report service permits quick and convenient confirmation that your report matches what is recorded in the IGI database.

report.igi.org

 

[Natylad]

Verify Your Report | Verify Your Diamond Online | IGI

IGI's Verify Your Report service permits quick and convenient confirmation that your report matches what is recorded in the IGI database.

report.igi.org

@DejaWiz , @denverappraiser , I tried to get the electronic copy of the grading report but it seems that... it's not there!

 

[Natylad]

Yay, lucky you! Now you just need to get a duplicate of the original cert?

I will try to contact my seller and ask whether they could get a copy of the original report from IGI.

 

[Inked]

Thats great news!

 

[Natylad]

In the mean time, my jeweler informed me that the so-called "independent appraiser", who - by the way - is very well known in my country and who is considered reputable, is also trading natural diamonds...on the side of his regular appraising business...
I guess that explains a lot of things....

 

[DejaWiz]

@DejaWiz , @denverappraiser , I tried to get the electronic copy of the grading report but it seems that... it's not there!

Here you go:

Loupe360

loupe360.com

https://www.brilliance.com/lab-grown-diamonds/round/2-43-carat-i-color-super-ideal-make-vs2-clarity-igi-certified-SKU-LG19228762

 

[Natylad]

Here you go:

Loupe360

loupe360.com

https://www.brilliance.com/lab-grown-diamonds/round/2-43-carat-i-color-super-ideal-make-vs2-clarity-igi-certified-SKU-LG19228762

Ohhh.... @DejaWiz! I am grateful! Thank you so much!!!

 

[dk168]

In the mean time, my jeweler informed me that the so-called "independent appraiser", who - by the way - is very well known in my country and who is considered reputable, is also trading natural diamonds...on the side of his regular appraising business...
I guess that explains a lot of things....

Why am I not at all surprised to hear that? Good outcome.

DK

 

[Rockdiamond]

In the mean time, my jeweler informed me that the so-called "independent appraiser", who - by the way - is very well known in my country and who is considered reputable, is also trading natural diamonds...on the side of his regular appraising business...
I guess that explains a lot of things....

Unfortunately, Neil and David Atlas are truly expceptional in their field.
Another way of saying that many places that claim to be "Appraisers" are just hacks.
Sad.....

 

[DejaWiz]

Ohhh.... @DejaWiz! I am grateful! Thank you so much!!!

You are very welcome!

 

[Natylad]

Unfortunately, Neil and David Atlas are truly expceptional in their field.
Another way of saying that many places that claim to be "Appraisers" are just hacks.
Sad.....

Very, very, sad @Rockdiamond...
I just can't explain how disheartened I felt today, when I realized that I can't trust the "appraiser".
Appraisers are there in order to offer their valuable services and to be trusted by people who want to get reliable information on their precious stones.
It is a terrible feeling when you come to the conclusion that the person who is supposed to be by your side in this, is - in fact - trying to scam you, take advantage of you or push other products (which they are not supposed to be selling in the first place).
I'm so happy that my jeweler saw the laser inscription and that @DejaWiz helped me find the electronic copy of my diamond's grading report.
Thank you all for your advice, help and moral support...

 

[denverappraiser]

I"m glad to hear it worked out well. I'm pretty sure IGI will sell you a printed copy for a reasonable price if you ask and if you want one.

 

[Natylad]

I"m glad to hear it worked out well. I'm pretty sure IGI will sell you a printed copy for a reasonable price if you ask and if you want one.

I will certainly ask for it @denverappraiser. Thank you again for your help!

 

[Ibrakeforpossums]

What a great story, fun to read! We can all stand to hear something nice on a Tuesday.

 

[ariel144]

Here you go:

Loupe360

loupe360.com

https://www.brilliance.com/lab-grown-diamonds/round/2-43-carat-i-color-super-ideal-make-vs2-clarity-igi-certified-SKU-LG19228762

DejaWiz...the sleuth! How do you do that?

 

[DejaWiz]

DejaWiz...the sleuth! How do you do that?

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

I ordered a lab grown diamond from a company which is well trusted and suggested here on PS, a company that i personally respect and from which i have bought diamonds before. The stone was uncerted but the price was appealing, so i decided to pull the trigger and have the diamond independently appraised at my country (i live in Europe).
Today i took the diamond to the appraiser, who had it checked and claimed that "this stone is synthetic and not a real diamond". After that, he refused to proceed with the appraisal.
So the stone is obviously synthetic, since it is lab grown, nevertheless it is a real diamond and i am furious that he refused to appraise it. But i didn't insist because i was worried that i will pay a significant amount and i will end up with a report that states that ...my diamond is not a diamond!
I'm so upset. Thoughts?
(Sad...)

dinosaurs die out sooner or latter

 

[Wink]

Unfortunately, Neil and David Atlas are truly expceptional in their field.
Another way of saying that many places that claim to be "Appraisers" are just hacks.
Sad.....

In my early years, I did a lot of appraisals, including being an expert witness for the Feds in the trial of one of the investment diamond firms in Arizona. The Feds won that case, as they should have.

After I joined Pricescope and became aware of people like David Atlas and Neil Beaty, I decided I did not want to spend more years in school to learn what they already knew and I no longer appraise anything I did not sell. The reason I do appraise things I sell, even though many think it a conflict of interest, is so my clients can receive an appraisal based on my knowledge of what it cost me to make the item and what it would cost to replace it.

The mistake many appraisers make is not really knowing what it costs to make something. Only a very select few have the ability to look at a piece of jewelry and be able to dissect the pieces and parts of the item and what it would cost to acquire the pieces and parts and estimate the cost to make the item again. I am in complete accord with @Rockdiamond about the skill and integrity of both Neil Beaty and David Atlas.