Is there a minimum size required for certification?

[blinded1]

Hello,
Sorry if this questions sounds rediculous, but I am a novice when it comes to diamonds. I was wondering if someone could help me out.
I am new to this site, it has been great. I only wished I new of this site before I bought my wife''s 5 year anniversary gifts. Recently a new Robbin''s Bros. store opened up here in Schaumburg, IL, I have never heard of them before. I have been looking around some stores for a diamond pendant and ring and Robbin''s Brothers had this beautiful 1/3 carart pendant necklace, the saleperson stated it was a G in clairty and SI1 after looking at a chart. I asked if it was certified and she said yes. I bought this pendant and a diamond band that had 5 small diamonds on it (totalling 1/3 carats also). After buying both jewelery, I noticed they did not give any certification cards, and when I inquired about it, the manager stated that they do not have their "smaller" diamonds certified in order to keep the costs down, and that no one really certifies diamonds below 1/2 carats. He stated they buy only the top of the line quality diamonds and that only 1 out of 9 diamonds they look at are good enough for their store. This store is new the area- the manager kept bragging how they are the world''s largest engagment ring seller and how big they are in the West Coast. Unfortunately because they are so new to this area, I don''t know how good their quality is and if they were being truthful about the fact why they didn''t certify the 1/3 carat pendant? They said they can get appraised if I want to but it would take about 4 weeks because they have to unmount the diamonds and it would cost about $200. Does this sound right? Thanks for any input.


Blinded1

 

[luckystar112]

Do a search for Robbin's bros....there are tons of threads about them, none of which are good.
I myself had an awful experience there that has pretty much scared me from ever walking in to another chain jewelry store. I mean really, are they selling jewelry or are they selling cars?

With that being said, it probably IS useless for them to get tiny stones in the band graded by a lab...although I'm not sure. Their jewelry is most likely mass-produced in a warehouse somewhere so who knows what you are *really* getting. As for the .30ct pendant, I wouldn't think that that stone is too small to get a certificate for, but I really have no idea.

What is probably MORE alarming is that the lady told you it was a G SI1........says WHO?!?! Her? I'm sure they have "certificates" (heh

) for their bigger diamonds, but what kind of certificate? A (insert vague company who signed on to certify all of Robbin's bros stones here) certificate? I think they probably do have GIA and AGS stones there hiding in the back somewhere, but I didn't stick around to find out.

As for the price of the appraisal, I guess it does sound about right if you want all those diamonds removed...but it's not really worth it.

 

[denverappraiser]

It’s correct that most dealers won’t get lab reports on smaller stones because the cost of the lab services as compared to the value of the stone can get annoyingly high. GIA paperwork for under 1/2ct stones cost about $40/each. For many people it makes some sense at around the half carat range but for, say, a 0.20ct it becomes a pretty big percentage of the final cost and for an item with multiple stones this can add up fairly quickly.

Most professional appraisers are well accustomed to examining stones in the mounting. It’s not necessary to have them removed. There are certain limitations, like weight must be estimated from the dimensions rather than simply using a scale but there is quit a lot that can be learned through a careful inspection by a trained pro. Appraisers set their own rates but most are cheaper than that for single item appraisals. All that I know will be happy to discuss their fees with you and provide a firm estimate before starting any work. Find one in your area with the directory under ''resources'' at the top of the page, call them up and ask. Selling jewelers are not always the best source of information about the services being offered by appraisers.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver