Re-appraisal of engagement ring?

[QuantumKen]

My girlfriend who had a previous marriage wants to sell her diamond engagement ring to a dealer but she does not have the papers. It was GIA certified, the dealers we spoke with said we''ll get a lower trade-in value for the diamond without certification papers. Is it possible to get a diamond re-appraised by GIA?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Sure, the diamond has to be loose to be graded, though. Is there any chance she can find the certificate number? They might be able to send her a copy of the original (but I don''t know for sure).

 

[JulieN]

yes, it has to be loose.

If it''s in an attractive, currently fashionable setting, and is relatively well-cut, colorless/near colorless, and eye-clean, maybe you could put it on consignment at Pearlman''s?

 

[QuantumKen]

Cool! Just checked out the GIA website and it looks like we can ship it to them directly.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

How old is her ring? It's not too uncommon (at least I don't think?) nowadays to have the GIA # inscribed on the girdle. My diamond has the GIA number lasered on the girdle and I can read it with a loupe. Instead of having it sent to GIA and paying for it to be re-graded, you might just take a quick look at the girdle with a strong loupe and see if the number is on there, then look up the certificate online with that.

 

[denverappraiser]

An appraisal for resale purposes provides you with 2 important bits. First, it tells you what you have and what you can reasonably expect to get for it. This helps you to recognize and accept the right offers while declining the ones that are shining you on. The second is that it provides advertising material that you can show to prospective buyers.

It’s correct that a GIA report helps partially on the first and definitely on the second. On resale, the first battle will be over what it is and a GIA goes straight to the end. Assuming that there’s been no damage, few buyers are going to dispute a GIA grading. Without it, they are going to assume for the worst and bid accordingly. That is to say, if they can’t decide if it’s a VS1 or a VS2, they’ll choose VS2. Depending on what you have, this effect alone can be enough to justify the fees and trouble but not in all cases. A fee ‘certify’ an I2/L in preparation for resale would be a waste of money for example.

A capable appraiser can be very helpful in making this sort of decision and most work for very reasonable prices. Practice really does help. Most people have never had their items appraised and simply rely on documents given to them by the selling jeweler, who prepared them with a VERY different set of objectives in mind. This leaves people in the position of not having the answers to ANY of the key questions about what they have, what they can get for it on resale or how they might go about finding a customer. The best way to negotiate is from a position of strength and often the best way to get into that position is with professional assistance.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver

 

[QuantumKen]

It''s from her previous marriage so that would make it about 7 years old. Is that too old to have the #s on the girdle?