Polishing an unpolished girdle and GIA cerification

[tweetybird]

Hi,

My mother gave me her diamond to use for my engagement ring. It is about a 1 carat diamond with a beautiful round brilliant cut. The only thing is that since it is from the early 1970s, it has not been officially certified, and it has an unpolished girdle (that is visible to the naked eye). My questions are:
1) We were told that it would be a good idea to get the unpolished girdle polished. Is this a good idea, and is it safe for the diamond? Any ideas on what this typically costs?
2) We are planning to get it certified with GIA. Is it worth the expense and time to get an official certification done? Any ideas on cost?

Thank you in advance for your help...

 

[Skippy123]

I can't answer your first question but I would get it appraised so the appraiser could tell you about your diamond. I used Neil Beatty out of Denver, CO recently and I bet he could tell you a lot about your diamond.

Welcome to Pricescope.

 

[urseberry]

Regarding question 2, the answer depends a lot on your goals and personal choice. If this diamond is for your personal use and you don''t plan to resell it soon, my opinion is that you do not need a GIA certification. An appraisal would be sufficient get the details on the stone. On the other hand, if you wish to resell it, a GIA certification will help immensely.

 

[dtnyc]

I 2nd the advice to have it appraised by a good independent appraiser.
I would definitely have someone who is familiar w/ antique stones have a look at it- could it be an older stone than you think?

An independent appraiser should be able to give the stone a thorough evaluation & write a complete report, which would be adequate for insurance purposes, then you wouldn''t have to send it out to have it certified.
Also an appraiser might be able to recc''d a cutter who could polish the stone.

Experts can chime in here- but I know from looking into having my antique stone polished (which I haven''t done) that there is a risk of damage every time you put a diamond on a polishing or cutting wheel. No idea w/ regards to costs of polishing.

Can I ask if the girdle of the stone is "unattractive"- perhaps you might consider a bezel setting, where the girdle wouldn''t even be visible and therefore avoid the whole polishing thing completely.