Question on appraisal & certification on new diamond

[newrb]

Hi, I'll try to be really succinct with my background:

I am recently engaged. My fiance purchased a loose diamond from a diamond broker out of state, as a family member had purchased from this broker previously. There was no certification, the broker explained it was because the stone was new in his inventory and he had planned to sell it to a jeweler. Our receipt gives the following stats: RB, 1.89c, I, SI1.

The stone came in a white gold solitaire setting. I just ordered a custom setting from a local jeweler in Los Angeles whom an acquaintance has had a many year relationship with. It seemed easier than having to work with someone in another state and place our diamond in the mail or fly to deliver it. Now looking at stories of diamond swapping I am freaking out a little although from reading PS posts it seems this quite rare. I don't have any diagram of the inclusions or any other way to uniquely identify my diamond. The jeweler looked at the diamond with her loupe and said it looked "clean" so if I got a loupe I don't know if I'd be able to see anything.

It seems that to pay to get the stone certified is a moot point since we've already purchased it and have no plans to upgrade or sell it. How do I protect myself and get peace of mind that my diamond does not get swapped when I take it in for the new setting? I don't have any insurance on it. Do I go get an independent appraisal now and then take it back to the appraiser after the setting to confirm? Honestly I am pretty confused at this point.

Thank you for your input!

 

[eddiexp]

I am not exactly too knowledgeable in this area, but if it is graded at an SI1, I would suspect that there's got to be something you can spot under a loupe given enough time? Have you tried purchasing a loupe and examining it yourself for fun? They are not too expensive, only about 5-10bucks on ebay, not sure how the quality of those would be though. I just asked my jeweler for one of his old loupes

 

[Dancing Fire]

Hi, I'll try to be really succinct with my background:

I am recently engaged. My fiance purchased a loose diamond from a diamond broker out of state, as a family member had purchased from this broker previously. There was no certification, the broker explained it was because the stone was new in his inventory and he had planned to sell it to a jeweler. Our receipt gives the following stats: RB, 1.89c, I, SI1.


Thank you for your input!

..the broker is feeding you a bunch of B.S. how much did he pay for the stone? can you get a refund?

 

[denverappraiser]

How do I protect myself and get peace of mind that my diamond does not get swapped when I take it in for the new setting? I don't have any insurance on it. Do I go get an independent appraisal now and then take it back to the appraiser after the setting to confirm? Honestly I am pretty confused at this point.

Thank you for your input!

Yes, that's how you do it.

That said, I agree with the above that there's almost certainly some shennegans are going on here. That's too high end a stone to not have a pedigree. The question is why weren't YOU shown it.

 

[newrb]

Thank you for your responses. Honestly I am happy with the ring, I have no desire to return/replace/resell it. From reading other posts here about certification, I've read a number of comments that if there is no plan to upgrade or resell the diamond then what is the point of the certification as we've already decided we're happy with it. I've had it for almost 2 months now and would be sad to have something different. And, just out of curiosity, how would the situation be different than if we had a family diamond passed down but not ever certified?

So if I get an independent appraisal and this matches what the diamond has been represented and sold as then no problem? However if there is a big discrepancy between what the appraiser finds and what the seller told us then there is a problem and I should contact the seller regarding the misrepresentation.

 

[slg47]

Thank you for your responses. Honestly I am happy with the ring, I have no desire to return/replace/resell it. From reading other posts here about certification, I've read a number of comments that if there is no plan to upgrade or resell the diamond then what is the point of the certification as we've already decided we're happy with it. I've had it for almost 2 months now and would be sad to have something different. And, just out of curiosity, how would the situation be different than if we had a family diamond passed down but not ever certified?

So if I get an independent appraisal and this matches what the diamond has been represented and sold as then no problem? However if there is a big discrepancy between what the appraiser finds and what the seller told us then there is a problem and I should contact the seller regarding the misrepresentation.

the issue is that you do not know what you bought if it is not certified from a reputable lab. you should be able to find out with an independent appraisal but it is recommended when shopping to look for diamonds certified from a reputable lab as that is the best way to know what you are getting. small differences imperceptible to the naked eye can have a large impact on the value of the diamond

since you have had the diamond for 2 months I doubt there is anything the seller would do if the appraisal did not match what the diamond was sold as but you could always try.

this is of course different from inheriting a family diamond since in that case you are inheriting the diamond and not trying to choose one within a budget that meets certain parameters.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Just to clarify, diamonds are not "certified", they come with lab grading reports or certificates. The term "certified" is often misused and it should not be, because it implies that the stone is somehow vouched for or guaranteed, which is not the case.

It matters because if you do not have a lab report from a reputable company that describes the color/clarity/cut quality/carat then you have no way of knowing what you bought and thus have no way of knowing that you paid a fair price for what you got. Lab reports protect consumers. Without one, the most likely situation is that you dramatically overpaid for what you have. Especially with such a large stone, a lab report would be worth thousands to the vendor *if* the stone has the characteristics it is purported to have. A 1.9ct I Si1 stone with a lab report is worth thousands more than a stone sold without a report and said to be an "I SI1". A lab report costs a vendor $200. So why would a smart vendor sell a stone for thousands less because he wants to save $200? That is a big price for a vendor to pay because he "has not had time" to send the stone out for a report.

The more likely scenerio is that he can get more for the stone selling it to unsuspecting consumers without a cert than he would get selling it with a cert. How can that be? Because the stone is most likely not an I SI1. Or it has some other characteristic that would be revealed in a lab report and would dramatically decrease the stone's value. That is the only logical expanation for a vendor selling a larger (i.e. over .50ct) stone without a lab report, in my opinion. So lab reports protect consumers. It is not about resale value at all.

As for your question, appraisal first, set it, appraisal again to verify the stone is the one you sent.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Thank you for your responses. Honestly I am happy with the ring, I have no desire to return/replace/resell it. From reading other posts here about certification, I've read a number of comments that if there is no plan to upgrade or resell the diamond then what is the point of the certification as we've already decided we're happy with it. I've had it for almost 2 months now and would be sad to have something different. And, just out of curiosity, how would the situation be different than if we had a family diamond passed down but not ever certified?

So if I get an independent appraisal and this matches what the diamond has been represented and sold as then no problem? However if there is a big discrepancy between what the appraiser finds and what the seller told us then there is a problem and I should contact the seller regarding the misrepresentation.

cuz then it would be FREE!!.. .. anyhoo,w/o a lab report... how would you know the stone had not been clarity enhanced?