Inquiring minds want to know...David Wolf

[DiamondFix]

Hello Fellow PSers!

Hope everyone is having a fantastic day...

I am considering having a diamond appraised by David Wolf pre purchase to confirm everything on the GIA cert as well as all of the images I received by the seller. I posted the diamond and specs here and several members were kind enough to "bless" the diamond as a strong candidate.

We are purchasing outside of NYC with a recommended PS vendor. It's a big purchase and admittedly, we are being thorough. We would like to get an independent appraisal done on the stone to make sure everything checks out and also confirm there are no transparency issues with this particular diamond which was the one issue in question on my original post.

The only hesitation we have is that David and this vendor know each other as they have both been in the industry for a long time. Would you have any hesitation using David to appraise a diamond in this scenario? I don't feel uncomfortable about it as I know they are both very reputable, but I just wanted to get opinions here before we move forward with an appraisal.

If this doesn't seem to be a great idea, does anyone have any other appraisers in NYC they could recommend?

Thank you in advance

 

[mrs-b]

Most of the stones from PS recommended vendors have already been graded by the GIA or AGS. If it were an ungraded stone, or if it were set in piece of jeweler, or if you were buying from a private seller, I can understand an appraisal. But if you're purchasing from someone like WhiteFlash, Crafted By Infinity, Good Old Gold, August Vintage, Blue Nile, Brian Gavin Diamonds, or a host of others regularly used on these boards, I'm not sure what you're hoping to achieve with an independent appraisal. The GIA number should be inscribed on the girdle, so it's easy to check.

If you want to spend the time and money, tho - why not? Most long term appraisers know most substantial retailers on *some* level, so I don't think this is something you'd be able to avoid anyway. But here's the thing; both retailers and appraisers on this site are recommended because they're trustworthy. A scam perpetuated by a PS recommended retailer and supported by a PS recommended appraiser would be so far outside of anything anyone has ever experienced on PS, it's almost crazy to suggest.

The short answer is - no. Proceed with confidence - if you feel it's necessary.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Put
David Wolf
into the search top right and you will get loads of reviews.
I do not remeber hearing bad things about him. I once asked him to run a scan on a diamond I was considering buying though and he did not have access to a Sarine or any other scanner.

 

[Phoenix]

I've used David Wolf's services and have no hesitation recommending him. He's very professional and has done an amazing job for me.

 

[MollyMalone]

I too am very comfortable recommending David Wolf to facilitate your decision-making.

I first heard of him years ago when my father-in-law -- who was in the diamond trade here in NYC -- suggested him to my father's law firm out in the Midwest which was doing battle with the IRS on behalf of a deceased client. As @mrs-b indicated, it's inevitable that an reputable, well credentialed, independent stone-jewelry appraiser in Manhattan & an established popular Diamond District vendor are going to be known to each other. At the same time, NYC isn't a "two-horse town" where the success of either business might primarily depend on the other.

He appraised some jewelry pieces I inherited. I did not ask him to perform any kind of digital scan because I wanted to keep the pieces intact, had no desire to remove the stones. But PSers have reported, since at least 2010, that David Wolf has been providing scans

New York appraiser needed :)

Hi, I am looking for a very reputable New York appraiser, who specialized in Hearts and Arrows, and who are expert grading GIA and AGS. Thank you ~~

www.pricescope.com

so I was surprised to read Garry H's comment. But of course you can clarify that with David Wolf beforehand.

Will you be coming to NYC to see the diamond and meet with David in person? He's very informative, articulate, and super nice, so if you sit with him, it will be like having your own, personalized diamond "tutorial."

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

I too am very comfortable recommending David Wolf to facilitate your decision-making.

I first heard of him years ago when my father-in-law -- who was in the diamond trade here in NYC -- suggested him to my father's law firm out in the Midwest which was doing battle with the IRS on behalf of a deceased client. As @mrs-b indicated, it's inevitable that an reputable, well credentialed, independent stone-jewelry appraiser in Manhattan & an established popular Diamond District vendor are going to be known to each other. At the same time, NYC isn't a "two-horse town" where the success of either business might primarily depend on the other.

He appraised some jewelry pieces I inherited. I did not ask him to perform any kind of digital scan because I wanted to keep the pieces intact, had no desire to remove the stones. But PSers have reported, since at least 2010, that David Wolf has been providing scans

New York appraiser needed :)

Hi, I am looking for a very reputable New York appraiser, who specialized in Hearts and Arrows, and who are expert grading GIA and AGS. Thank you ~~

www.pricescope.com

so I was surprised to read Garry H's comment. But of course you can clarify that with David Wolf beforehand.

Will you be coming to NYC to see the diamond and meet with David in person? He's very informative, articulate, and super nice, so if you sit with him, it will be like having your own, personalized diamond "tutorial."

Glad to hear Molly, No need for a scan to show H&A's

 

[MollyMalone]

As a general fyi to anyone else 'cause I think it's confusing:
When you cut-and-paste an old link, PS's default is to "unfurl" a preview of the first post in a thread regardless of what post in the thread you've actually linked.

So although it appears that I was referring to the original post in that 2010 thread, if you click on the link, what you'll see is elle_chris's post at #4:

"I always use David Wolf from Just Appraisers.​

He has a Sarin and Idealscope. He''s tough on color but I totally trust him."​

 

[DiamondFix]

Thanks everyone!

Really appreciate the feedback.

I was going to have it appraised under the recommendation of Bryan Boyne the VP of Whiteflash who was kind enough to chime in on my previous posts. (Thanks again, Bryan!) . There are some potential issues with transparency and a few folks suggested I have it looked at by an independent appraiser.

On a side note, I'm really curious about clarification on the 10x a great vendor cautioned me on. She said that magnification issues go unreported beyond 10x as well as brown and green tint are also not reported - especially in the lower color clarity ranges such as this stone which is a K and SI1. How far beyond 10x should we be concerned about? I guess this is news to me, although I am a LONG time PS lurker) . I'm nervous about the brown and green tint now and I'm wondering if I could get a better explanation.

I really hope this stone is a strong contender, but I'm also looking at a few Whiteflash ACA's as I was also cautioned that this current stone is not hearts and arrows and close to super ideal proportions are important to me without forgetting that a diamond can "sing" outside of these ranges. My brain is starting to hurt, but I love the education process of this decision. I do know my boyfriend wants to make a decision very soon as his love for the "process" may be a bit different than mine.

I've attached original posts in case anyone wants to read the mini- saga so far.

So...I'm considering ACA and CBI (LOVE WINK), but getting anything close to 3.0 without sacrificing a combination of color cut clarity and especially size has been a challenge. We would like to stay as much under the 30k mark as possible (been saving a very long time) and get the best diamond for the money close to the 3 ct (give or take) range. Please feel free to link any diamonds you feel would be strong contenders if you find them. I love seeing what you all pick as they are always AMAZING!

Thank you so much and I can't wait to find "THE ONE"

Hi All,

Still on the quest for 'the one" and after looking over the GIA report on this 3.5 carat with my limited knowledge, it looks good - but I thought I'd ask the experts to weigh in. How do you think this would perform compared to ACA? Any comments or concerns? Overall thoughts on this diamond?

I hope to have this narrowed down soon, and I appreciate the help in the meantime. It's been invaluable!

Thanks in advance for any and all feedback.

RB
SI 1
Measurements 9.73 -9.76 x 5.96
Cut grade Excellent
Polish Excellent
Symmetry Excellent
Fluorescence Faint

Eye clean

Hi friends,
I just wanted to follow up from my previous post regarding a 3.5 RB we are interested in.
We have to make a decision by this Friday, so I'm hoping to get some expert advice on this one if it's a keeper. Sorry for the extra post and for the huge images...

Stats are as follows

RB
SI 1
Measurements 9.73 -9.76 x 5.96
Cut grade Excellent
Polish Excellent
Symmetry Excellent
Fluorescence Faint

Eye clean

Can't wait to hear the good and the not so good about this stone.
THANKS SO MUCH

 

[DiamondFix]

I too am very comfortable recommending David Wolf to facilitate your decision-making.

I first heard of him years ago when my father-in-law -- who was in the diamond trade here in NYC -- suggested him to my father's law firm out in the Midwest which was doing battle with the IRS on behalf of a deceased client. As @mrs-b indicated, it's inevitable that an reputable, well credentialed, independent stone-jewelry appraiser in Manhattan & an established popular Diamond District vendor are going to be known to each other. At the same time, NYC isn't a "two-horse town" where the success of either business might primarily depend on the other.

He appraised some jewelry pieces I inherited. I did not ask him to perform any kind of digital scan because I wanted to keep the pieces intact, had no desire to remove the stones. But PSers have reported, since at least 2010, that David Wolf has been providing scans

New York appraiser needed :)

Hi, I am looking for a very reputable New York appraiser, who specialized in Hearts and Arrows, and who are expert grading GIA and AGS. Thank you ~~

www.pricescope.com

so I was surprised to read Garry H's comment. But of course you can clarify that with David Wolf beforehand.

Will you be coming to NYC to see the diamond and meet with David in person? He's very informative, articulate, and super nice, so if you sit with him, it will be like having your own, personalized diamond "tutorial."

Thanks Molly!
Great to know and thank you for posting as this was very helpful

 

[DiamondFix]

Most of the stones from PS recommended vendors have already been graded by the GIA or AGS. If it were an ungraded stone, or if it were set in piece of jeweler, or if you were buying from a private seller, I can understand an appraisal. But if you're purchasing from someone like WhiteFlash, Crafted By Infinity, Good Old Gold, August Vintage, Blue Nile, Brian Gavin Diamonds, or a host of others regularly used on these boards, I'm not sure what you're hoping to achieve with an independent appraisal. The GIA number should be inscribed on the girdle, so it's easy to check.

If you want to spend the time and money, tho - why not? Most long term appraisers know most substantial retailers on *some* level, so I don't think this is something you'd be able to avoid anyway. But here's the thing; both retailers and appraisers on this site are recommended because they're trustworthy. A scam perpetuated by a PS recommended retailer and supported by a PS recommended appraiser would be so far outside of anything anyone has ever experienced on PS, it's almost crazy to suggest.

The short answer is - no. Proceed with confidence - if you feel it's necessary.

Thank you for your feedback... There could be some potential issues with transparency based on the GIA report and Bryan Boyne the VP of Whiteflash suggested I have it independently appraised to make sure there are no issues with this stone prior to purchase. I would have missed this, so I am very grateful he suggested it in one of my previous posts.

 

[Texas Leaguer]

@DiamondFix ,
Looking at David Wolf's credentials listed on his website, he is very well qualified to give you the level of consultation you are looking for. From About Us on his website:

David Wolf

President, ASA MGA®, GIA GG

A Graduate Gemologist (GIA) since 1985, David holds a Senior Membership and Master Gemologist Appraiser® designation from the American Society of Appraisers. David served on their Board of Governors for ASA International representing the Gems and Jewelry Discipline.