Is Verification of a stone Always neccessary?

[dancingmelimel]

Hi all,

In this instance, I''ve purchased a stone from Whiteflash, and unfortunately the timing seems to be working out very badly since several appraisers I''ve spoken to are going on vacation, and I''m also going to be out of town for part of the 10 day full refund period. The stone is A Cut Above H & A, it''s laser inscribed with its AGS cert. #, and it''s an si1, so with a loupe I should be able to see the inclusions, and should be able to tell whether they match the diagram.

All that being the case, do I need the stone verified by an appraiser, or can I verify it myself? Naturally, if I try and verify it myself and anything seems funny, I''ll find some way to get someone to check it immediately. But if I check it myself and it seems to match completely, can I wait until the appraiser I''d like to use returns from his vacation?

-Melissa

 

[hoorray]

Whiteflash has a good reputation in these forums as a quality vendor, so you might be safer without an appraisal than with some others. However, I would first try discussing the problem with Whiteflash and seeing if they can work with you on the return timeline. Your problem seems legit, so maybe they'll be able to have some flexibility with you if you discuss options with them.

I know that after a significant purchase like this, I didn't want to be left with any lingering doubts or worries, or feel as if I hadn't done everything appropriate in the purchase process. The appraisal/3rd party evaluation helped give me the comfort factor I wanted with my purchase.

good luck,

 

[Richard Sherwood]

Hi Melissa. There's a good chance that you could verify that the diamond matches the cert by examining it with a 10x loupe. No problem there.

If you're happy with the stone, and already "sold" on it, then I see nothing wrong with your scenario.

If you're looking for additional information to complete your decision making process though, you might want to have it checked out. An appraiser will tell you how the stone "ranks", and whether the price being asked is a fair one.

 

[elmo]

Grading can be such a subjective thing, and the labs can even make a rare mistake. Color and clarity aren't discrete; each grade is really a range. You as a consumer most often aren't qualified to make these judgment calls...for a several thousand dollar purchase, don't you want a second opinion? Whiteflash will provide some additional info, but do you really expect them to tell you that they expected an SI-1 to be an SI-2, that it's close to a split color grade, and that the feather on the report breaks the surface of the stone?

If you go ahead and pay for the stone, I expect they'll extend the approval period or at least hold it until your schedule is free.

p.s. Rich, I've had a difficult time getting an appraiser to tell me how a stone "ranks", they've usually wanted to confirm lab reports...good for consumer, good for business. It's good you'll provide more info.