My Experience Buying an Uncertified Diamond from Grace of JbG

[PintoBean]

@PintoBean, Thanks for your recommendation and advice. A vendor told me the reason they have a three-day unconditional guarantee is so customers can have their purchase evaluated by an independent appraiser. Do you know what the turnaround time was for your friend's appraisal? With shipping and other considerations, I'm trying to figure out if a three-day period is realistic for this type of service.

Once you're in the home stretch of a project, The first thing I would do is schedule the appraisal. Then you can sync up shipping from the vendor to the the appraiser. I believe that for insurance purposes vendors have to
Ship next day, so 3 days should work.

My friend was able to get his appraisal done during a lunch break. My past appraisals from other appraisers didn't take longer than an hour either.

 

[MrBlueshift]

Once you're in the home stretch of a project, The first thing I would do is schedule the appraisal. Then you can sync up shipping from the vendor to the the appraiser. I believe that for insurance purposes vendors have to
Ship next day, so 3 days should work.

My friend was able to get his appraisal done during a lunch break. My past appraisals from other appraisers didn't take longer than an hour either.

Before this happened, the idea of getting an appraisal for every jewelry purchase wouldn't have entered my brain. I thought return periods were there just so people could see and try things on irl. Good to know these appraisals can be scheduled in advance to accommodate a short return window.

Thanks!

 

[EvaEvans]

A vendor told me the reason they have a three-day unconditional guarantee is so customers can have their purchase evaluated by an independent appraiser.

3 days are absolutely not enough to send loose gemstone to GIA and to receive it back. Grace are still selling very expensive loose diamonds without certification, wonder why?

I thought return periods were there just so people could see and try things on irl.

I agree with you. The unconditional return policy is to give opportunity to the buyers to see their on-line purchases with their own eyes.
If you return the item AFTER these 3 days, then the return have to be conditional, meaning with reason, or say RECLAMATION.
If the buyer trust the vendor, checking of the jewelry with independent appraiser is not necessary. I had my own (negative) experience with Grace, where she objected and rejected my appraisal document. So, I am not sure that if the buyer's independent appraisal states different numbers, this could work as legitimate document for reclamation. Only GIA certificate could work as a proof.
I-J VS2 is too far away from the GIA N, Very Light Brown, SI1.
In my opinion this is an intentional fraud of the vendor, moreover the stone was loose prior the custom setting and was very easy to be GIA certified.
Grace is very polite when communicating with happy customers, she is easy to work with when you are purchasing, but she could be very difficult, resistant and inflexible when someone is making reclamation. That's my own observation. In my opinion Grace still have to work on improvement how to be a business woman, not just individual, selling diamonds.

 

[MrBlueshift]

If you return the item AFTER these 3 days, then the return have to be conditional, meaning with reason, or say RECLAMATION.
If the buyer trust the vendor, checking of the jewelry with independent appraiser is not necessary. I had my own (negative) experience with Grace, where she objected and rejected my appraisal document. So, I am not sure that if the buyer's independent appraisal states different numbers, this could work as legitimate document for reclamation. Only GIA certificate could work as a proof.

Thank you for posting. I am very sorry you had a negative experience with Grace, and hope you will elaborate on what occurred. Your experience may help others potentially facing the same situation.

 

[twang07]

Sorry about your negative experience. I was very close to going to look at JBG myself on a search for an oec. My first choice stone was found at a local vendor, it was uncerted and estimated to be a I vs1. We argued a bit before I finally said I would take the stone and compare it to stones that JBG has GIA graded. That sentence seemed to work to get him to send it to any lab I wanted to get a certificate for the cut and clarity. So I had him send it to GIA, took 2 weeks, and it came back a J VS2!! Not quite as dramatic as your result, but this did help me because he dropped the price by $500. Perhaps this strategy would help when faced with the decision to buy an uncerted diamond, but I do realize your shape is not as common as OECs. Also the turn around time was quite long in my scenario (I don't know if that's normal). Nevertheless, thanks for sharing your story because a little part of me always wondered if I could have found a better deal with JBG, especially with all the great reviews here. Makes me feel better about not searching more. So thanks again for sharing!

 

[MollyMalone]

Before this happened, the idea of getting an appraisal for every jewelry purchase wouldn't have entered my brain. * * *

I wouldn't feel the need to pay for an appraisal of every non-trifling jewelry purchase, e.g., would skip it if there's a AGS or GIA lab report on a loose diamond or the primary stone in a completed piece of jewelry. But different people have different comfort levels or wishes, and may not be the same for every purchase a person makes.
P.S. No need to feel embarrassed!!

* * * A vendor told me the reason they have a three-day unconditional guarantee is so customers can have their purchase evaluated by an independent appraiser.* * *

A vendor whose unconditional return-for-full-refund policy is limited to just 3 days has nothing to crow about. Heck, most sellers on eBay (including dealers) give you 15, even 30, days. I understand why a vendor wouldn't want to make my preferred 30-day window their policy as that means the item is out of their inventory during a possibly month-long, noncommittal period when they can't sell it to someone else. (What some vendors do is note Reserved or Pending Sale on the online listing during the return window, so other prospective customers can ask if there's a wait list or check back to see if the item has become available.)

But a skimpy 3-day window is not consumer-friendly. One example: there are stones I'd want to see for myself before having them appraised: no point in spending money on an appraisal if I'm not going to keep it (regardless of color, clarity, or price tag) because I don't like its "personality," the way it performs in different lighting conditions. And it's not necessarily inevitable that you can get an independent appraiser to assess the stone/piece before 3 days expire, especially if as with Grace, the stated policy isn't 3 business days.

 

[pearaffair]

Hi OP
Yes I have since found an excellent piece of jewellery and the customer service I received from Attos Jewelry was AMAZING! (See here: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/finally-my-wide-platinum-diamond-band.233882/) I do believe that the customer service aspect can dramatically affect the way a person feels about a diamond purchase.

 

[pearaffair]

PS - I'm glad you posted this new thread. There can be a bit of fear around naming companies when the review is less than positive, but I do believe that we need all sorts of reviews if consumers are going to make educated decisions.

 

[derbygal]

Thanks to everyone who dares to share their honest experiences on here. I really appreciate it and I'm sure others do too!

 

[msop04]

I wouldn't feel the need to pay for an appraisal of every non-trifling jewelry purchase, e.g., would skip it if there's a AGS or GIA lab report on a loose diamond or the primary stone in a completed piece of jewelry. But different people have different comfort levels or wishes, and may not be the same for every purchase a person makes.

A vendor whose unconditional return-for-full-refund policy is limited to just 3 days has nothing to crow about. Heck, most sellers on eBay (including dealers) give you 15, even 30, days. I understand why a vendor wouldn't want to make my preferred 30-day window their policy as that means the item is out of their inventory during a possibly month-long, noncommittal period when they can't sell it to someone else. (What some vendors do is note Reserved or Pending Sale on the online listing during the return window, so other prospective customers can ask if there's a wait list or check back to see if the item has become available.)

But a skimpy 3-day window is not consumer-friendly. One example: there are stones I'd want to see for myself before having them appraised: no point in spending money on an appraisal if I'm not going to keep it (regardless of color, clarity, or price tag) because I don't like its "personality," the way it performs in different lighting conditions. And it's not necessarily inevitable that you can get an independent appraiser to assess the stone/piece before 3 days expire, especially if as with Grace, the stated policy isn't 3 business days.

Unless you live right by an appraiser, a 3 day return policy is a total joke... plain and simple. That said, even if you could literally walk your stone to an appraiser, they still may not be able to get it appraised for you in enough time to get it back within the 3 day return period. To have a 3 day return policy is basically just for a vendor to say, "...we have a return policy..." knowing they don't really intend to accept many returns. I find it hard to believe any vendor wouldn't have a good idea that the majority of buyers would NOT return within the "return policy" time frame.

Also, I'm really glad that @EvaEvans shared her experience regarding Grace not accepting her appraisal.

Normally, I would just say that the issue with @MrBlueshift was simply a mistake in grading by Grace, a very bad mistake, but a mistake nonetheless. However, it's been noted by several PS members over the years (and on many different threads) that Grace is known for vastly "upgrading" her non-graded stones for color. Since she's been called out many times on this type thing publically (on PS), there's no telling how many times this has happened and we just don't hear about it. To make matters worse, it seems this practice is still in full swing, with no intention of changing. So... lesson NOT learned.

For these reasons, I have to agree with @EvaEvans when she stated, "In my opinion this is an intentional fraud of the vendor..." when it comes to JbG.

 

[MollyMalone]

A vendor told me the reason they have a three-day unconditional guarantee is so customers can have their purchase evaluated by an independent appraiser. Do you know what the turnaround time was for your friend's appraisal? With shipping and other considerations, I'm trying to figure out if a three-day period is realistic for this type of service.

3 days are absolutely not enough to send loose gemstone to GIA and to receive it back. Grace are still selling very expensive loose diamonds without certification, wonder why?

I do think Grace has "stepped up her game" in this regard. Only 4 of the 263 loose, single stones currently showing (I didn't take the time to review the pairs-suites listings) -- less than 2% -- do not have a lab report from either GIA or AGS: an antique cushion cut and two fancy colored diamonds have no report, the fourth has an EGL-USA report.

* * * it's been noted by several PS members over the years (and on many different threads) that Grace is known for vastly "upgrading" her non-graded stones for color. Since she's been called out many times on this type thing publically (on PS) * * *.

Oh geez, I missed those posts; the only thing along a somewhat similar line I can recall were questions -- when Grace and Erica, now the proprietor of Love Affair Diamonds, were doing business together (up until early-mid 2014) -- about JbEG's primary reliance on EGL-USA reports. E.g., a 2012 thread
https://www.pricescope.com/communit...ading-for-vintage-stones.177154/#post-3225752
Then this late October 2013 update saying JbEG was in the process of completing a transition to using only GIA reports for loose stones:
https://www.pricescope.com/communit...oec-without-a-gia-report.194557/#post-3543635

 

[msop04]

I do think Grace has "stepped up her game" in this regard. Only 4 of the 263 loose, single stones currently showing (I didn't take the time to review the pairs-suites listings) -- less than 2% -- do not have a lab report from either GIA or AGS: an antique cushion cut and two fancy colored diamonds have no report, the fourth has an EGL-USA report.


Oh geez, I missed those posts; the only thing along a somewhat similar line I can recall were questions -- when Grace and Erica, now the proprietor of Love Affair Diamonds, were doing business together (up until early-mid 2014) -- about JbEG's primary reliance on EGL-USA reports. E.g., a 2012 thread
https://www.pricescope.com/communit...ading-for-vintage-stones.177154/#post-3225752
Then this late October 2013 update saying JbEG was in the process of completing a transition to using only GIA reports for loose stones:
https://www.pricescope.com/communit...oec-without-a-gia-report.194557/#post-3543635

I certainly wish I could find those posts, however, if memory serves, the comments were made in another thread... i.e. the threads may have not necessarily been 100% about JbG (or even regarding JbG at all), but simply others coming to comment on their experience with Grace in regards to very large discrepancies in color grading vs GIA/AGS/EGL. All those just stuck with me for some reason... Hope that makes sense.

 

[doberman]

It's Grace's misfortune that you happen to be a good writer and project competence. She's really being penny wise and pound foolish here. She should have apologized and refunded the entire purchase price.

 

[EvaEvans]

Thank you for posting. I am very sorry you had a negative experience with Grace, and hope you will elaborate on what occurred. Your experience may help others potentially facing the same situation.

My case was about consignment of a diamond ring with Grace. I had an appraisal stated that the center diamond is I color VS2 clarity. She made her own appraisal stated J-K color SI1 clarity. This dropped the valuation of the ring with at least $2000. We had disagreement which appraisal is correct, so I preferred to get my ring back. Grace charged me $175 for this consignment return.
After some time, I decided to unset the center diamond and send it to GIA. GIA graded my diamond as I color VS1 clarity!
If I was unwise to leave my ring for consignment with Grace, I would loose $2000 based on the price difference!
I also had to argue with Grace about the refund of my $175 consignment fee which I didn't feel fair to pay her! After email exchanging and arguing, Grace finally refund me this $175.
Grace minimum consignment fee now is $525. I would advice if someone is dealing with her for a consignment to send her only GIA certified diamonds because of a potential undervaluation of the jewelry piece made by Grace.
I'm still questioning why customer's appraisal is less trustful than Grace's appraisal?
Why the appraiser that customer chooses is not recognizable by Grace as allowable? Why should customer rely on Grace's choice of appraiser?

 

[kenny]

... BTW what kind of diamond is your avatar? I like it. ...

Thanks.
It's a branded type of Asscher cut called Octavia.
It was designed a few years back by the beloved Pricescope poster KarlK, and cut by another beloved poster, Diagem.

We have two Octavias now.
Pics start in post #91 of this thread.

https://www.pricescope.com/communit...i-just-bought-the-first-ocatvia.132337/page-4

 

[MollyMalone]

My case was about consignment of a diamond ring with Grace. I had an appraisal stated that the center diamond is I color VS2 clarity. She made her own appraisal stated J-K color SI1 clarity. This dropped the valuation of the ring with at least $2000. We had disagreement which appraisal is correct, so I preferred to get my ring back. Grace charged me $175 for this consignment return.
After some time, I decided to unset the center diamond and send it to GIA. GIA graded my diamond as I color VS1 clarity!
If I was unwise to leave my ring for consignment with Grace, I would loose $2000 based on the price difference!
I also had to argue with Grace about the refund of my $175 consignment fee which I didn't feel fair to pay her! After email exchanging and arguing, Grace finally refund me this $175.
Grace minimum consignment fee now is $525. I would advice if someone is dealing with her for a consignment to send her only GIA certified diamonds because of a potential undervaluation of the jewelry piece made by Grace.
I'm still questioning why customer's appraisal is less trustful than Grace's appraisal?
Why the appraiser that customer chooses is not recognizable by Grace as allowable? Why should customer rely on Grace's choice of appraiser?

That is baffling to me, Eva. So far as I can remember (altho' I've not made a point of regularly checking the Consignments page in the approximately 3 years since JbG launched), Grace's consignment fee was always a sliding scale percentage, after an initial minimum dollar fee. So a higher selling price would have benefitted both you and Grace.

As FYIs for others:
* $525 is -- in addition to the expense of shipping the item back to you -- JbG's cancellation fee if you decide to terminate the arrangement before 18 months have passed. If the item hasn't sold after 18 months and you decide you don't want to continue the listing, the current JbG Agreement
http://www.jewelsbygrace.com/JbyG-2017-Consignment-Agreement.pdf
calls for an "end of contract fee" of $250, a little less than 1/2 of the rock-bottom, $525 consignment fee (the Consignments web page hasn't been updated to reflect the change from $175):
http://www.jewelsbygrace.com/consignment

* Erica (Love Affair Diamonds) didn't start accepting consignments until relatively recently. Her commissions aren't percentage-based, but rather are flat fees.
http://www.loveaffairdiamonds.com/consignment-services/
If you cancel before your item sells (no specified time frame), her "minimum cancellation fee" is $350. Apart from the fact that "minimum cancellation fee" suggests you might be expected (for undisclosed reasons) to pay more than $350, the LAD Agreement is a better written, clearer one. Note that LAD will not accept a ring or other finished piece of jewelry for consignment unless the center stone has a GIA or AGS report.
https://gallery.mailchimp.com/b4402090d58b418bc6f3d0ea0/files/LAD_Consignment_Agreement_REVISED.pdf

 

[MrBlueshift]

Thanks.
It's a branded type of Asscher cut called Octavia.
It was designed a few years back by the beloved Pricescope poster KarlK, and cut by another beloved poster, Diagem.

We have two Octavias now.
Pics start in post #91 of this thread.

https://www.pricescope.com/communit...i-just-bought-the-first-ocatvia.132337/page-4

Wow those are great pics! I love the geometry of that stone.

 

[scarsmum]

Wow those are great pics! I love the geometry of that stone.

There’s two Octavia’s for sale atm at Diamonds by Lauren- pricey though.

 

[MrBlueshift]

I told my wife about my long post, and she asked me to have it removed from the thread. Sorry, I should have cooled off before posting.

I reported it to the moderators.

 

[EvaEvans]

If you cancel before your item sells (no specified time frame), her "minimum cancellation fee" is $350.

Based on my appraisal, Grace suggested selling price of $9800. Based on her appraisal, the suggested selling price dropped to $6200. As we didn't have agreement over the selling price so there was NEVER consignment. Because no consignment process started, I should be able to get my ring back at no consignment fee. I also paid for the shipping cost, I also was on lost of the shipping, right? Why the client has to таке all negatives of the business?
Grace still charge only $175 consignment cancellation fee if your item don't sell within 18 months.
The amount that she charge me is not debatable and not important, I object such fee at all in my case.

 

[EvaEvans]

I told my wife about my long post, and she asked me to have it removed from the thread. Sorry, I should have cooled off before posting.

I reported it to the moderators.

No need to feel guilty, in my opinion. You lost $2000 in the end. Your story help people decide how to make better purchases. People can read what happened and make their own conclusions.

 

[HappyNewLife]

I told my wife about my long post, and she asked me to have it removed from the thread. Sorry, I should have cooled off before posting.

I reported it to the moderators.

I appreciate your honesty. I'm sorry this happened to you and your wife. I hope that this will all soon be an annoying memory that no longer makes you unhappy about what should have been a wonderful experience. Hugs.

 

[Rhea]

I understand that that's how you wish she would have responded, but you're wasting your breath. No business person is ever going to respond like that. We can't know what was in her head regarding colour and clarity grading and perhaps she didn't mean to deceive. I understand why you feel she did but we can't know her thought process and how purposeful any actions were.

I'm not trying to defend her, I've never purchased from her and probably won't in the future. I suppose my wish for this would have been to immediately offer you a full refund of the diamond, setting and GIA paperwork upon receipt of those items. I believe she needed to eat any loss due to her failure to sell a ring accurately. And to let you know that going forward she'd be correcting the problem by getting pieces cert'd before being set. Then do so. It was loose and large, there was no reason no to have that done.

 

[gm89uk]

I agree with the above. Admitting publicly she was deceitful would be catastrophic for business. Ten years down the line this thread will be there with one side of the story; if any buyers were looking and saw open admission of deceit that would be far more consequential long term.

A client promise for confidentiality is not legally binding. I would not cling on to Grace 'owning up' because it'll never happen.

Vendors do usually come here and give their side of the story for 'damage control' and often this does explain things considerably, compared to hearing one side of the story. Take her public silence as your closure that this was one she avoided engaging.

 

[MrBlueshift]

Thank you all for your comments. I do respect other views, so please don't be afraid to share your thoughts here. Sorry again for the pointless comment. Hopefully the moderators will remove it this morning so we can get this thread back on track.

Take her public silence as your closure that this was one she avoided engaging.

Thanks, this helped me a lot!

 

[MrBlueshift]

And to let you know that going forward she'd be correcting the problem by getting pieces cert'd before being set. Then do so.

Had she done this, I would have felt more optimistic. Thanks!

 

[MollyMalone]

If you cancel before your item sells (no specified time frame), her "minimum cancellation fee" is $350.

Based on my appraisal, Grace suggested selling price of $9800. Based on her appraisal, the suggested selling price dropped to $6200. As we didn't have agreement over the selling price so there was NEVER consignment. Because no consignment process started, I should be able to get my ring back at no consignment fee. I also paid for the shipping cost, I also was on lost of the shipping, right? Why the client has to таке all negatives of the business?
Grace still charge only $175 consignment cancellation fee if your item don't sell within 18 months.
The amount that she charge me is not debatable and not important, I object such fee at all in my case.

Hi, Eva -- I wasn't seeking to challenge your figures, your report of your dealings with Grace; I certainly appreciate that you had questions about that. I posted the current information re consigning with Grace-Jewels by Grace and with Erica-Love Affair Diamonds (the excerpt from my previous post you quote pertains to LAD-Erica) & included links to the web pages and current Agreements to make it easy for people to compare all the stated policies and terms of the 2 vendors as they are right now.

Did you use another consignor to sell the diamond that GIA graded as I - VS1 and were you happy with your experience with them?

 

[EvaEvans]

Did you use another consignor to sell the diamond that GIA graded as I - VS1 and were you happy with your experience with them?

I didn't use other consignor. I sold that diamond by myself trough ebay. I got decent price for it. It was easy to sell it with GIA certificate.
I would not recommend buying uncertified diamond and I mostly trust GIA. I would buy uncertified diamond only if it's valuable antique piece of jewelry that cannot be destroyed.

 

[MrBlueshift]

Sorry if anyone tried to access this thread while it was down today. I thought I'd asked the moderators to remove a single post but there was a slight misunderstanding and they removed the whole thread.

Sorry about your negative experience. I was very close to going to look at JBG myself on a search for an oec. My first choice stone was found at a local vendor, it was uncerted and estimated to be a I vs1. We argued a bit before I finally said I would take the stone and compare it to stones that JBG has GIA graded. That sentence seemed to work to get him to send it to any lab I wanted to get a certificate for the cut and clarity. So I had him send it to GIA, took 2 weeks, and it came back a J VS2!! Not quite as dramatic as your result, but this did help me because he dropped the price by $500. Perhaps this strategy would help when faced with the decision to buy an uncerted diamond, but I do realize your shape is not as common as OECs. Also the turn around time was quite long in my scenario (I don't know if that's normal). Nevertheless, thanks for sharing your story because a little part of me always wondered if I could have found a better deal with JBG, especially with all the great reviews here. Makes me feel better about not searching more. So thanks again for sharing!

Thanks. I'm glad the stone from your local vendor turned out to not be worse than a J VS2, and that he dropped the price by $500. Another great example of why we should make sure a stone is graded from GIA or AGS before purchasing.

I wouldn't feel the need to pay for an appraisal of every non-trifling jewelry purchase, e.g., would skip it if there's a AGS or GIA lab report on a loose diamond or the primary stone in a completed piece of jewelry. But different people have different comfort levels or wishes, and may not be the same for every purchase a person makes.
P.S. No need to feel embarrassed!!

Sorry, I should have specified that I wouldn't necessarily get appraisals for stones that are already graded. And thanks for understanding.

Hi OP
Yes I have since found an excellent piece of jewellery and the customer service I received from Attos Jewelry was AMAZING! (See here: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/finally-my-wide-platinum-diamond-band.233882/) I do believe that the customer service aspect can dramatically affect the way a person feels about a diamond purchase.

I'm glad you found a beautiful new diamond band with a vendor who had amazing customer service! It definitely sets the tone of the whole experience.

PS - I'm glad you posted this new thread. There can be a bit of fear around naming companies when the review is less than positive, but I do believe that we need all sorts of reviews if consumers are going to make educated decisions.

Thanks. At first I just wanted a general post for people to be aware of issues that could come up when they buy uncerted stones, but you all seemed to figure out the vendor pretty quickly, so there was no reason to mask it after that.

Unless you live right by an appraiser, a 3 day return policy is a total joke... plain and simple. That said, even if you could literally walk your stone to an appraiser, they still may not be able to get it appraised for you in enough time to get it back within the 3 day return period. To have a 3 day return policy is basically just for a vendor to say, "...we have a return policy..." knowing they don't really intend to accept many returns. I find it hard to believe any vendor wouldn't have a good idea that the majority of buyers would NOT return within the "return policy" time frame.

Also, I'm really glad that @EvaEvans shared her experience regarding Grace not accepting her appraisal.

Normally, I would just say that the issue with @MrBlueshift was simply a mistake in grading by Grace, a very bad mistake, but a mistake nonetheless. However, it's been noted by several PS members over the years (and on many different threads) that Grace is known for vastly "upgrading" her non-graded stones for color. Since she's been called out many times on this type thing publically (on PS), there's no telling how many times this has happened and we just don't hear about it. To make matters worse, it seems this practice is still in full swing, with no intention of changing. So... lesson NOT learned.

For these reasons, I have to agree with @EvaEvans when she stated, "In my opinion this is an intentional fraud of the vendor..." when it comes to JbG.

Reading your comment is what made me so upset yesterday, because I realized how many people this might have happened to. I'd never come on Pricescope before but it would have been nice to know about the other incidents before I made my vendor choice.

My case was about consignment of a diamond ring with Grace. I had an appraisal stated that the center diamond is I color VS2 clarity. She made her own appraisal stated J-K color SI1 clarity. This dropped the valuation of the ring with at least $2000. We had disagreement which appraisal is correct, so I preferred to get my ring back. Grace charged me $175 for this consignment return.
After some time, I decided to unset the center diamond and send it to GIA. GIA graded my diamond as I color VS1 clarity!
If I was unwise to leave my ring for consignment with Grace, I would loose $2000 based on the price difference!
I also had to argue with Grace about the refund of my $175 consignment fee which I didn't feel fair to pay her! After email exchanging and arguing, Grace finally refund me this $175.
Grace minimum consignment fee now is $525. I would advice if someone is dealing with her for a consignment to send her only GIA certified diamonds because of a potential undervaluation of the jewelry piece made by Grace.
I'm still questioning why customer's appraisal is less trustful than Grace's appraisal?
Why the appraiser that customer chooses is not recognizable by Grace as allowable? Why should customer rely on Grace's choice of appraiser?

I'm sorry you went through that, but I'm glad you decided to get the stone back and later have it GIA graded, saving you thousands of dollars. I agree with your questions; if a vendor won't accept just any appraiser we choose, nor should we just accept a vendor's chosen appraiser. I think it would be better if a vendor stated in advance which appraisers / reports they accept.

There’s two Octavia’s for sale atm at Diamonds by Lauren- pricey though.

Hey thanks for the tip. I took a look, but I think I want to wait for higher-colored stones.

No need to feel guilty, in my opinion. You lost $2000 in the end. Your story help people decide how to make better purchases. People can read what happened and make their own conclusions.

Thank you, I appreciate that.

I appreciate your honesty. I'm sorry this happened to you and your wife. I hope that this will all soon be an annoying memory that no longer makes you unhappy about what should have been a wonderful experience. Hugs.

Thanks for your support. BTW how's your upgrade going?

 

[MrBlueshift]

My wife spoke on the phone with Lynn Wolf at Just Appraisers and we would like to provide appraisals to four people on PS who have purchased diamond jewelry that was neither appraised nor graded. People like you, @metall!

Lynn explained that the appraisal fee is based on how long it takes for them to evaluate the jewelry piece, so I'd pay up to $250 per appraisal (1 hour), but you'd have to cover shipping fees and anything over the $250.

We hope this will offer a few people some peace of mind, regardless of the outcome.

So if anyone's interested, touch base here and we'll figure out the details.

Thanks @MollyMalone and @PintoBean for your appraiser recommendation. My wife said Lynn couldn't have been any nicer.