Pink Diamond from IGI - Is it a good choice?

[ShinYunStar]

Hi People! I have been trying to find a small pink diamond. It appears to be quite popular so there aren't many on the market. I have recently come across a "Fancy light Pink SI1" diamond graded by IGI.
http://www.leibish.com/pink-diamonds/fancy-light-pink-pear-28931

I have heard that IGI grades diamonds more loosely. Can anyone with more experience tell me whether this particular IGI "Fancy light Pink SI1" is as good as a GIA "Fancy light pink SI1"?

OR is it another loosely graded "light pink" or "fancy light orange pink"???

Also should I be concern of the large cloud?? and the looks to be black inclusion on the table?

 

[Vogue]

Leibish is a great vendor, but I'd only want a FCD that was graded by GIA.

 

[Skhii]

Can you ask Leibish why they sent it to IGI instead of GIA and report back? Are they willing to send it to GIA for a fee?

 

[bmfang]

What Vogue said. GIA are the authority on FCDs in my books.

 

[ShinYunStar]

Can you ask Leibish why they sent it to IGI instead of GIA and report back? Are they willing to send it to GIA for a fee?

Leibish can send to GIA on my behalf but the fees for cert is non-refundable. So if the diamond ends up being lower graded by GIA it would mean I will either keep it as lower grade or I loss on the $170 grading fee and return the diamond.

I have been told they purchased the diamond with IGI cert from the supplier.

What would you do? From the certs and photos and 360videos provided by the vendor would you think the diamond stand up to the grade "fancy light pink SI1"??

Your opinion would be greatly appreciated,

 

[ShinYunStar]

What Vogue said. GIA are the authority on FCDs in my books.

May I ask what you would do knowing the GIA cert fee is non refundable and would cost you 170 even if it turns out to be lower,

From the certs and photos and 360videos provided by the vendor would you think the diamond stand up to the grade "fancy light pink SI1"??

 

[valeria101]

N'ah ... not answerable.

How would you feel about a GIA brief, without clarity mentioned ?

More room for debate than diamond !

 

[Skhii]

So regardless if you keep or return the diamond, it will cost you $170?
There won't be any way for us to tell what GIA would grade the diamond as many hues fall under FLPK, as you can see from Leibish's inventory. At most you could have Leibish compare it alongside GIA FLppPK using same lighting GIA uses (don't know if they can/will do this). I wonder if there are reputable appraisers that specialize in fancy colored diamonds...

Has your SO seen any of the diamonds you've looked at? Color (even shape and ratio) preference is very personal and I would definitely get SO's opinion unless SO knows you know her/him well and said you can choose everything.

I assume that the diamond must be pear shape and that the GIA 0.21 ct FLPurPnk I1 is not reserved by you...

It's easy for me to say that I would rather wait for a GIA-graded diamond to come along if I were choosing an earth-mined diamond because I am not running on a short time frame, and I am not attached to that stone. However, if this color and shape is your SO's holy grail, you may have to reconsider.

 

[ShinYunStar]

Anyone have a second opinion. Still thinking whether I should keep it and whether I should get it gia certed.

 

[acaw2015]

Anyone have a second opinion. Still thinking whether I should keep it and whether I should get it gia certed.

If it pleases your eyes, keep it and forget all about this conversation. If not, return it and only look at stones with a gia report. IMHO I would return it simply because you dont seem sure. Something else will come along.

 

[bmfang]

For me, that stone does look quite pretty to my eyes. But I'm not a gemologist and thus I can't really say how GIA would grade this stone.

 

[ShinYunStar]

Thanks for all the advices!

Does anyone know what the huge cloud like inclusion marked on the cert is? I dont really see this in the magnified photo or the 360 video?

Should I be concerned?

 

[acebruin]

It depends on the price of the diamond. If it's less than 3k, I probably wouldn't send it to GIA. Ask for their honest opinion about the grade. And about the inclusion. I trust them.

 

[valeria101]

Does anyone know what the huge cloud like inclusion marked on the cert is? I dont really see this in the magnified photo or the 360 video?

Should I be concerned?

Not expecting to see clouds in such images [what it takes: particular lighting in photomicrography WWW ]. Only recall seeing some super-prominent clouds outright ! [e.g. - if you look carefully, while turning this WWW stone around in the 360º view with the table almost perpendicular to the screen, just as glare fades... a neatly drawn white-ish Maltese cross appears faintly - a relatively heavy cloud. Yours ought to be order of magnitude fainter, impossible to show like that.]

Concern ... I'd want to see the thing in person, expecting some subtle effect at most & perhaps not bad - cloud could help with colour a little & dull contrast a little. 'Subtle' is the word ! If this were a colourless pear, I would find it dificult to say anything good about such features (discount discounted; leaving aside Fancy White-ness or the look of other inclusions meriting the same clarity grade by the same standards ...), but here, there is Colour to consider & it changes everything.


Footnote:
In this case, I wonder if that cut was meant to exploit the good effect of the cloud on colour. Would seriously enjoy hearing the seller's comments on these things -)

 

[ChristineRose]

The standard advice is:

Tell them you want to buy it, but only with a GIA cert. If they send it to GIA and it comes back with the same grades, or off one grade, you buy it and pay the $170. Otherwise you don't buy it and start over, possibly negotiating a lower price.

"One grade off" is of course tricky with a colored stone, and every colored stone is completely unique--they are selling it for the price they are selling it for, and it's not like you can turn around and buy an identical stone with a GIA cert. But it is worth at least asking them how they'd feel about this.