Hey all,
I just had my girlfriend's future ring appraised at International Gemological Libraries in Calgary (http://www.intergemlabs.com/) and thought I'd share some notes on the experience and professionalism I encountered. I wasn't sure what to expect because the appraisal was performed in the jewelry store Ron owns, but I'm happy to report a very professional experience with absolutely no attempt to sell me any merchandise or services.
Ron Hanania, G.G. (GIA) appraised the ring for $65 +tax.
Ron said a few things throughout that confirmed his knowledge. In particular, he noted that he prefers the AGS ideal grading to anything that GIA offers. He noted that GIA tends to have a wide spread at the Excellent grading and he believes an ideal diamond should have a 53%-57% table, which is a lot tighter than GIA. He also had an Idealscope on hand, which was nice to see.
He sat me down right across from him while he appraised the ring, so there was absolutely no concern about the diamonds being switched. The total appraisal took about 35 minutes, and that included appraising 3 ideal cut stones in a Platinum setting. He checked the weight of the set ring, all of the measurements, clarity, color, weight of each diamond, and fluorescence, and confirmed the engravings. He even glanced at the stones through an Idealscope.
He referred to the AGS grading reports after coming up with his measurements and opinions and his gradings and measurements were virtually identical. When he was appraising the 0.885ct center, set in the ring, he asked "is it a 0.88 ct or 0.89 ct?". With the 0.313ct sides, the same thing happened - "0.31 or 0.32?". The final appraisal says 0.88ct for the center and 0.31ct for the sides.
Ron appraised the ring at $12,800.00 CAD and estimated that I had paid around $8,000.00 for it. His estimate on what I actually paid was bang-on; including shipping, insurance, and wire transfer fees, I paid a few dollars over $8,000.00 CAD +tax. As a result, it doesn't seem grossly over-appraised to me.
He also noted that, because I don't have a Calgary jeweler, they're happy to inspect and clean the ring a couple times a year for free.
As a testament to Brian Gavin's skill, I'd like to note a few things. For reference, here are my diamonds:
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.885-h-vs2-round-diamond-ags-bl-104071920010
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.313-h-vs2-round-diamond-ags-c-104070177078
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.313-h-vs2-round-diamond-ags-c-104070177077
1. As soon as Ron saw the box, he commented "I expect an ideal cut diamond. Brian is an exceptional cutter.". Brian's reputation obviously extends to Calgary.
2. When grading the center stone, Ron's opinion was that the clarity was VS2 but only because the cloud is right under the table.
3. When grading the side stones he couldn't even see the feathers so he thinks they're under prongs. Because of this, he graded the clarity of the stones to what the AGS certificate said because he couldn't actually see the inclusion on the one and without the feather on the second he would have graded it a VS1.
4. In his opinion, the color of the center is on the fringe of H and G. It's a very white H but some may interpret it as a G.
5. Ron's measurements were a few fractions of a mm more generous than Brian's.
In the end, Ron thinks I did very well by purchasing from Brian. He thinks the stones are beautiful and exceptional.
I just had my girlfriend's future ring appraised at International Gemological Libraries in Calgary (http://www.intergemlabs.com/) and thought I'd share some notes on the experience and professionalism I encountered. I wasn't sure what to expect because the appraisal was performed in the jewelry store Ron owns, but I'm happy to report a very professional experience with absolutely no attempt to sell me any merchandise or services.
Ron Hanania, G.G. (GIA) appraised the ring for $65 +tax.
Ron said a few things throughout that confirmed his knowledge. In particular, he noted that he prefers the AGS ideal grading to anything that GIA offers. He noted that GIA tends to have a wide spread at the Excellent grading and he believes an ideal diamond should have a 53%-57% table, which is a lot tighter than GIA. He also had an Idealscope on hand, which was nice to see.
He sat me down right across from him while he appraised the ring, so there was absolutely no concern about the diamonds being switched. The total appraisal took about 35 minutes, and that included appraising 3 ideal cut stones in a Platinum setting. He checked the weight of the set ring, all of the measurements, clarity, color, weight of each diamond, and fluorescence, and confirmed the engravings. He even glanced at the stones through an Idealscope.
He referred to the AGS grading reports after coming up with his measurements and opinions and his gradings and measurements were virtually identical. When he was appraising the 0.885ct center, set in the ring, he asked "is it a 0.88 ct or 0.89 ct?". With the 0.313ct sides, the same thing happened - "0.31 or 0.32?". The final appraisal says 0.88ct for the center and 0.31ct for the sides.
Ron appraised the ring at $12,800.00 CAD and estimated that I had paid around $8,000.00 for it. His estimate on what I actually paid was bang-on; including shipping, insurance, and wire transfer fees, I paid a few dollars over $8,000.00 CAD +tax. As a result, it doesn't seem grossly over-appraised to me.
He also noted that, because I don't have a Calgary jeweler, they're happy to inspect and clean the ring a couple times a year for free.
As a testament to Brian Gavin's skill, I'd like to note a few things. For reference, here are my diamonds:
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.885-h-vs2-round-diamond-ags-bl-104071920010
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.313-h-vs2-round-diamond-ags-c-104070177078
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.313-h-vs2-round-diamond-ags-c-104070177077
1. As soon as Ron saw the box, he commented "I expect an ideal cut diamond. Brian is an exceptional cutter.". Brian's reputation obviously extends to Calgary.
2. When grading the center stone, Ron's opinion was that the clarity was VS2 but only because the cloud is right under the table.
3. When grading the side stones he couldn't even see the feathers so he thinks they're under prongs. Because of this, he graded the clarity of the stones to what the AGS certificate said because he couldn't actually see the inclusion on the one and without the feather on the second he would have graded it a VS1.
4. In his opinion, the color of the center is on the fringe of H and G. It's a very white H but some may interpret it as a G.
5. Ron's measurements were a few fractions of a mm more generous than Brian's.
In the end, Ron thinks I did very well by purchasing from Brian. He thinks the stones are beautiful and exceptional.
300x240.png)