need urgent appraisal help fo newbie! (1.73c round)

[catpassion99]

hello! total newbie here but on a very tight time frame for a number of reasons. I have the chance to get an EGL USA certified (I know, not the best) stone with the following traits:

1.74c
Round Brilliant
Clarity: SI2
Color: I
Fluorescence: Medium Blue
7.69x7.64x4.8
Depth: 62.7%
Table: 60%
Crown: 14.1%
Pavillion: 44.4%
Girdle: SL Thick to Thick Faceted
Cutlet: None
Polish: Good
Symmetry: Good

With the EGL certification and the various metrics, online calculators are giving me a value range between $4,500 and $7,500. What would a reasonable price be for this stone, on a very secondary market (NOT retail)? Thank you!!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I would not recommend buying that stone at any price. It is not cut well at all. It is likely 2-3 color grades lower than it says and maybe a clarity grade lower. It is too deep, table too large, and polish and symmetry should be very good at minimum. It gets an HCA cut score of 6.1 fair, which honestly is about the worst score of any stone I have ever seen posted here. A stone worth pursuing would have a score of under 2.0, or some at 2.5 or lower.

A good deal is nice, but this is not a stone anyone here would recommend. Please use this screening tool to help you get a well cut diamond. Only look at GIA graded stones because EGL is just not reliable.

https://www.pricescope.com/tools/hca

 

[catpassion99]

I appreciate the input. I know this is a forum of diamondophiles/experts. In the real world though, does this look like a shi*y diamond? are the proportions really that bad? how important is a "good" vs "very good" polish? to my untrained, naked eye, I think it looks really nice!

I think a lot of people go overboard with what they are looking for in terms of perfection and I am ok looking for "value".....though at the same time I don't want to buy something obviously flawed.

Again, appreciate it.

 

[solgen]

Even untrained eyes can tell the difference between a well cut diamond and one that isn't even if they cannot specifically point out why. It also depends on the lighting conditions. I find in lower lighting environments that well cut diamonds reflect light significantly better.

Of course it comes down to personal preference. I know plenty of women who care only about size. They'll have some uncerted 2ct stone that's filled with inclusions and then they'll rave at how white it is. No fire or scintillation but it's huge and white!

You need to find what properties appeal to you but this can be quite difficult. Jewelry stores are lighted in ways that can make the differences appear minute. But take them into normal conditions and the differences are stark.

 

[D_]

You may probably some people here who can still think this is an OK stone if it were Very Good in terms of polish & symmetry, but Good... that grade is quite a misnomer.

Price-wise: use the diamond finder on this website. Diamonds easily lose 30% of its value when it enters secondary market. Deduct a few more percentage for fluorescence because it's not everyone's cup of tea. Deduct it further if you have no recourse should you want to trade it/upgrade, service etc. So all in all you may the highest you may want to pay is ~50% of the prices you found here.

Everyone has different understanding of "value".
Yes, some people can get "overboard" and want perfect H&A etc. which may have limited impact to the eye of an average Jane/Joe, yet to some people (whether they can truly appreciate it or not, eye vs mind) it has value.
Excellent cut etc. vs good is something you may not be able to appreciate until you see it (it's an assumption - since you ask about how important/how different is good cut vs very good, plus you said you are in tight time, so I assume you haven't got the chance to compare diamonds in real life away from store lights to see how different it is).
Let's put it this way: if you don't know much about diamond, you significant either doesn't either, and neither do people in both of your circle of friends/work AND you think it looks really nice at the given price, then go ahead and buy it.

Realize that time crunch some times also make some diamonds look better than they actually are since in our mind we just want it to be the one and be done with it.
Buying a diamond (at least for the first time) is not a 2-hour process (average is more like 2-3 months).

You've seen it with your own eyes, we haven't.
Diamondseeker has made an educated comment based on her vast experience and the info you presented.
You may be able to deduce that she thinks the diamond you are considering is obviously flawed, again, based on the info you presented.
So I am not sure what you are trying to achieve here by asking the same question again.
But again, all things considered (size, price, time frame, diamond knowledge, SO's preference etc.) while this may not be a very good diamond, you may have your own reasons to go ahead with this one. Good luck.

 

[Diamond_Hawk]

hello! total newbie here but on a very tight time frame for a number of reasons. I have the chance to get an EGL USA certified (I know, not the best) stone with the following traits:

With no comment about this specific diamond, we would want you to be aware that just over a year ago the following decisions were made:

RapNet is concerned about the misrepresentation of diamond quality by laboratories that use Gemological Institute of America (GIA) grading terminology while applying alternative grading standards that overstate the quality of diamonds. While some EGL grading reports are more consistent with GIA grading standards than others, there is, in our opinion, confusion and inconsistency among the various EGL grading reports; RapNet has therefore decided not to list any EGL grading reports on RapNet.

- See more at:

https://www.pricescope.com/blog/egl-laboratory-grading-report-bans-news-roundup

 

[denverappraiser]

I think a lot of people go overboard with what they are looking for in terms of perfection and I am ok looking for "value".....though at the same time I don't want to buy something obviously flawed.

Again, appreciate it.

Value is a tricky concept in diamonds. Much of this boils down to customer preference. Prices go up for certain things and down for others. As you’ve observed, EGL is a red flag but no, it doesn’t make them wrong. Neither does it make them cheaper. The stone didn’t come out of the ground with EGL branding. It was chosen. Why? I can’t answer that but here are a few options:

1) Color and clarity grades. A stone that GIA might call I-1 (or possibly even already did call that) can be called something else by other labs. The same applies with color. Differences of several grades between labs are actually fairly common.
2) Cut. A GIA cut grade of ‘fair’ or ‘poor’ is a commercial death sentence. They don’t have a version for round brilliants that doesn’t include a cut grade on the report. Some other labs do, and this is one of the reasons for picking that lab.
3) Fluorescence. Strong and Very Strong fluorescence grades are a tough sell. As with the above, the scales used are not the same across labs. VS at one lab can be M at another.
4) Secondary market. Be aware that condition can be an issue. Diamonds are reasonably tough but they’re not indestructible. Get it inspected. Normally secondary market deals come with no refunds and no recourse so if there’s a problem it’s good to know about it up front.

Additional note: 'Obviously flawed' is another tricky point. Chances are good that this stone has eye visible inclusions and noticeable symmetry variations if you look carefully. It's also likely that you (or anyone else) WON'T notice either of these with a casual observation. Whether or not that meets your requirements is up to you. For some it will, for others it won't.

Without looking very hard, I found a pretty similar comp offered retail for $2716. To be sure, I"m not endorsing this stone, not the least because I"ve never seen it and it almost certainly has at least some of the above issues, but the superficial specs are pretty similar to what you're being shown)
http://www.uniondiamond.com/Round-Brilliant-Shape-Good-Cut-EGL-Certified-173-Carat-I-Color-SI2-Clarity_AE1098444&ptc=DR