Premium for H&A etching ?

[rookie3]

After reviewing the great information on this site as well as trolling on the message board I've narrowed down my choices to two similar Round stones from different shops -

Stone #1 -
1.00 I SI2, AGS000, calculated HCA score of 1.8 using stats from cert and the stone is engraved with H&A. Stone is fairly clean in the middle, feather on outter part which I believe dropped it to SI2.

Stone #2 -
1.01 I SI1, AGS000, calculated an HCA score of 1.4 from cert, no etching on stone but dealer is calling it H&A. Roughly $50 more than Stone #1.

Leaning towards stone#2 - opinions ?
Does the fact that stone#1 is etched as an H&A add a premium ???

 

[hoorray]

I'd lean towards #2 based on this info (I'd like the higher clarity, depending on how eye-clean each stone is), but I'd have either it or both verified by an independent appraiser. Anyone can call a stone H&A (it's not regulated), so the inscription is not a guarantee. You can only tell by looking through a H&A viewer whether it really is and how crisp the hearts and arrows patterns are.

 

[rookie3]

Thanks, I failed to mention that I'm 99% sure that the first stone is an H&A as I've seen some pics taken through a viewer. The second one is the unknown, I suppose I can always have it appraised and return it if it doesn't look good.....

 

[hoorray]

You might talk to the vendor of stone #2 to find out if they have seen it, and if so, if the H&A are clear and crisp. You'd still need to have it verified (along with everything else), but the vendor ought to be able to tell you more about the stone, and/or send you pics before you have it sent to an appraiser.

 

[aljdewey]

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On 8/27/2003 4:48

9 PM rookie3 wrote:
Thanks, I failed to mention that I'm 99% sure that the first stone is an H&A as I've seen some pics taken through a viewer
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That's great, but are you confident in your abilities to determine if something is a true H&A? There are tons of stones that initially looked to me to be H&A.....but I wasn't educated enough about the nuances to know better.

Are the arrows all the same size? Are they crisp? Is there a defined "V" space below the hearts? Are all the elements UNIFORM? It's easy for a "lay person"...a consumer.....to think they're seeing an H&A because we don't know what nuances to look for.

Also, as pointed out, the mere presence of an inscription doesn't mean anything....it's not an endorsement or guarantee. I can purchase a stone today, take it to my jeweler, and have him inscribe "H&A" on it. That doesn't mean it is one.

Between your two stones above....I'd select #2, providing that you have a generous return policy and/or the vendor is willing to ship to an appraiser near you for your inspection prior to purchase. As long as you have either of these, there's really no risk to choosing #2.

For the $50 more, I'd rather get the SI-1....better HCA score, stronger likelihood of it being cleaner to the eye, and (I think) it's probably stronger in terms of resell/trade than an SI-2.

In either case, do yourself a favor and get an independent appraisal.....it's well worth the peace of mind.

Good luck whichever you decide.

 

[Boulder]

Given that all other things are roughly equal, I think it'd be well worth it to spend the extra $50 to move from an SI2 to an SI1.

 

[rookie3]

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On 8/27/2003 4:56:36 PM aljdewey wrote:

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That's great, but are you confident in your abilities to determine if something is a true H&A?

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[/quote]

Not really, thanks for the advice, I'm in the midst of trying to find a local appraiser to look at it (SF Bay Area). One concern - seems like most of them only look at the same 'standards' that the gradings companies do and don't get into anything approaching looking at the H&A pattern.

 

[elmo]

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On 8/27/2003 7:24:34 PM rookie3 wrote:

One concern - seems like most of them only look at the same 'standards' that the gradings companies do and don't get into anything approaching looking at the H&A pattern.
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It is because h&a is more marketing than serious gemology. Yes it's pretty cool when everything nicely lines up under a viewer. But you will be disappointed if you expect someone to grade this.