nervous consumer

[Sheetal]

How do I know how reputable a company is thats on the internet? I'm thinking of buying a diamond from DirtCheapDiamonds. How do I know if after I wire the money I may never see my diamond? How safe is this? Also what do you feel about EGL certified diamonds. They're much cheaper...what's the catch?

 

[lawmax]

Hi Sheetal,You can look for companies with ratings by the BBB or who are JBT or DDC members, etc. Jim and Michele at DirtCheapDiamonds seem to have a fine reputation for customer service, and I know they can point you to places where their happy customers have posted. Perhaps, their customers wouldn't mind if you called one or two of them for references. I'm sure Jim or Michele can try to work this out for you. Also, although I don't know how it works, I believe you can use iescrow service when buying from Jim and Michele.As far as EGL certs, this lab is known for being less strict in its grading than GIA and AGS. There are a number of EGL franchises and some may be more consistent than others. It is possible that if you were to send an EGL stone to GIA or AGS, the color and clarity would be graded lower (worse) than on the EGL cert. It is possible that if a cutter knows that his/her stone is borderline, he/she might choose to send it to EGL instead of getting lower grades from GIA or AGS. If you know this up front, it's ok, but you should be aware of what you're getting and the price you're paying. A few color/clarity grades add up to a big difference in price. You should take any diamond you buy to an independent appraiser within the return time allowed to make sure that it matches the cert and to get an overall opinion. Independent appraisers are hard to find and you need someone who really knows what they're doing. An unscrupulous jeweler could try to tell you that a nice stone you got at a nice price is a dog just so he/she can try to sell you his/her own. I know that Jim and Michele at dirtcheap will send a stone before you put up any money to Rockdoc (Bill Lieberum) for him to evaluate the stone. You pay him on a per carat basis. This is a great deal, because you need an appraisal for insurance purposes anyway and Bill is one of the few (and undoubtedly the best) true independent appraisers in the US. His websites are http://www.accurateappraisal.com
and http://www.diamondclearinghouse.com You can also use his sites to learn a lot about diamonds before you buy. E-mail him at [email protected], I see you are in Hillsborough. If you want to take a trip to Long Island, you can go see Jonathan at his store, Good Old Gold.
http://www.goodoldgold.com Give him a call. You will get one heck of an education and get to see the whole gamut of diamond cuts. I believe he has appraised stones from DirtCheapDiamonds before although I don't know if he is doing this any longer. You can give him a call and ask.Good luck and let us know what you decide to do!

lawmax

 

[StevL]

I have spoken to Jim a couple times, nice guy and I think you have nothing to worry about receiving your diamond.I would be concerned about the EGL report in my opinion. Many jewelers do prefer GIA, or AGS. Whats the reason? We know they are more strict in their grading.Good luck in your hunt.....------------------

 

[RockDoc]

Don't be nervous...If you want to cure the nervousness, then have the seller send it to us, BEFORE YOU PAY FOR IT.Then we'll tell you the facts about the diamond,and supply you with lots of images and results from tests we do.This week, we even have a new colorimeter arriving to check the color of diamonds. We still have the GIA /AGS graded master color comparison diamonds, but we are adding the new Colorimeter so we can report even more to you.This way you can feel confident that you know about the diamond youre considering.We are independent and do not sell or buy diamonds.rockdoc
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[oldminer]

Just like RocDoc we do appraisals, mostly before the stone is committed to and paid for, for consumers. The seller or the consumer can bring or send stones to us for this work. Just like RocDoc we do this work on an independent basis and do not sell jewelry or stones to the public. Our lab is known as AGA and has a widely known and decent reputation in our region...Being in Philadelphia, we are somewhat closer, should you really wish to do the appraisal face to face...------------------
David Atlas
Accredited Gem Appraisers

 

[lawmax]

Hi oldminer,I didn't realize you offered this type of appraisal service. It's good to know!

lawmax

 

[Sheetal]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I'm feeling more confident now in making my decision.-Sheetal

 

[lawmax]

Thanks for posting esp. It's great to get consumer feedback.Glad you had a good experience.lawmax

 

[pricescope]

Esp102, Thanks indeed!It's a great pleasure to hear about positive experience with the friend of our site!Honestly, I didn't expect anything less from such an expert as Mr. Atlass.

 

[esp102]

I had my diamond sent to David Atlas (oldminer) before making the purchase. For a small fee, we sat down and reviewed the diamond. Well worth the time and money. I even sent a good friend his way to do the same.

 

[bacon]

The EGL report and the cut quality are why it seems cheap.there is no free lunch.you will get what you pay for.

 

[marqlvr]

You may want to look at these threads before using or recommending this appraiser to anyone. I wouldn't use him to verify the color of my dog.

www.diamondtalk.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=3633
www.diamondtalk.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=7437
www.diamondtalk.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=9438
www.diamondtalk.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=4582

 

[marqlvr]

I've heard nothing but good things about David. I will be using him shortly with my purchase.

 

[pricescope]

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On 2/24/2002 4:11:35 PM

... I wouldn't use him to verify the color of my dog.

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Hi Marqlvr,

It's not clear from your post who are you talking about.

 

[roderick]

I would not rely on an EGL cert I would rather try and buy a stone with an GIA or AGS cert more accurate