Is this a fake GIA certificate I got with my stone???

[nightswimming]

I bought a diamond, and the GIA certificate that came with it is much smaller then the usual ones Ive seen. Its about 4 inches tall and folds up. The other ones Ive seen are around 8-10 inches tall. Also, there is no diagram or line drawing picture atthe bottom left half, which shows the marks on the diamond, and says "key to symbols" under it, usually with little colors to show the feathers on the stone, etc. How can I accept this stone, without this picture on the certificate to make sure the stone is never switched on me? How else would an independant appraiser verify the stone is what the company says it is? What should I do???

 

[aljdewey]

What size is this diamond? Under 1 ct? It's my understanding that many places submit diamonds of less than 1 ct to the GIA for "dossier" reports......not a full report.




I think it's less expensive, which in turn should save you money on the stone as well.




The thing you're missing is the plot showing inclusions. What is the purported clarity of the diamond?

 

[nightswimming]

the stone is .90, and its vvs2. But without this plot how can it be verified by an appraiser after it is set?

 

[aljdewey]

Well, two things come to mind (and I'm no expert so if anyone else has something more substantial to add, jump right in).




First, if the stone is really a VVS2......there probably wouldn't be much to see on a plot in the first place.




Any appraiser should be able to identify the stone by other things.....the measurements, the color, and any inscription if there is one. (And if there isn't one, you could have one put on for identify purposes.)




Experts?

 

[Jim-Schultz]

Nightswimming,

Aljdewey is dead-on. What you have is a Dossier report. GIA introduced this format in January of 2000 as the new standard for diamonds under one carat. Since plotting the inclusions was the most time intensive aspect (and therefore the most expensive aspect), GIA figured it could cut costs and speed-up the process by doing away with the plot.

To replace the plot, however, GIA introduced laser inscriptions. If you look at the top of your report beneath the date it'll say "Laser Inscription Registry". The GIA logo and the report number are etched into the girdle of your diamond. While it's nearly impossible to see with a loupe, any standard 30x microscope makes it plain as day. That's how you need to identify your diamond. It's also important to make sure the person setting your diamond knows you've got a laser inscription so it doesn't get covered by a prong.