Same diamond different reports

[petmar]

Hi, I''m looking for some advice.

I''m looking at buying a 1.13 ct round brilliant cut diamond, which has two reports. The reports are definitely about the same diamond as all the dimensions match, and inclusions match.

The problem, the IGI report grades it H VS2 and the AGS report grades it G SI1. Which one is correct? The IGI report only shows 3 small inclusions on the table while the AGS report shows at least another 15 around the outside. Is this a lot of inclusions for a SI1 graded diamond?

I want to purchase a G VS diamond and am wondering if I should settle for this one. (Cut is excellent)

Thanks!

 

[jaz464]

I would trust the AGS report before I trusted the IGI. There is a chance the diamond is a low G, nearing an H.

SI1 inclusions could be one big inclusion or many tiny ones. You need to ask the vendor if the diamond is eye clean.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

If you want a G VS diamond, this would not be it. I''d only look at a GIA or AGS certificate.

 

[denverappraiser]

The diamond is what it is. Different labs use different standards to describe them. IGI calls it a G/VS2 on their scale, AGS calls it an H/SI1 on theirs. Someone else may use a different term entirely. You may very well be able to find a lab that would call F/VVS but this won’t change the gestalt of the stone one bit. This is a large part of the reason that stones graded by different labs but with superficially similar descriptions will sell for significantly different prices. The usefulness of a particular grade is directly related to the credibility of the grader.

Actually I'm a little surprised that you've encountered this situation. Dealers buy multiple reports on diamonds all the time in the hopes of getting a better grade but the undesirable report usually gets mysteriously 'lost' before the customer ever gets a chance to see it. I guess in this case they couldn't decide which one would get the sale so they are letting you decide.


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

 

[blingless]

Neil has perfectly articulated what I''ve observed but not been able to quite put together so well. I''ve noticed diamonds of the same or similar specs (color, clarity, dimensions, etc.) with large differences in price (20%+). Although I haven''t seen two lab certs with different grading. What I''ve observed is that the numbers tell only a portion of the story, when its time to deliver on visual appearance the outcome can be very different even if the specs are the same. This is where the ideal scope images come into play for internet buying. Combined with a map of inclusions they can give you a pretty good idea of what you are buying. My further observation is that the price tells some of the rest of the story. If one stone with particular specs is priced more than 10% below another with the same or similar specs. chances are one looks better and its not the less expensive stone. At the end of the day for me all that really matters is that the stone is visually appealing to me. Most of us will never sell our treasures and if we did it would be very hard to recover more than half the cost. Our friends certainly won''t whip out a loupe and start scoping our rings at parties (unless they''re diamond crazy like us). IMHO you can easily overpay for a diamond in many venues but it is really hard if not impossible to get something well below value from a reputable dealer such as the ones on these boards. They are all going to be roughly the same price for the same quality. At the end of the day, the price is an important indicator of how a stone looks and when coupled with all of the other indicators give a fairly good indication of how nice the stone is. My formula for happiness is: AGS or GIA cert + inclusion map+ HCA + ideal scope images+ magnified photos+ price+ return privilage = beautiful bilng

 

[Midway]

For what it''s worth, I believe that AGS is generally stricter on clarity grades than the other labs. So, it''s not surprising that an AGS SI1 could be graded VS2 by a different lab. What you have there is a stone that''s probably borderline G/H and borderline VS2/SI1. I agree that you should have a trusted vendor (or independent appraiser) take a look at the inclusions and verify that it''s something you''d be comfortable with. Same with color, although I personally believe that you''ll be okay with either a G or H, you don''t necessarily want to pay for a G that''s a low G, borderline H.

 

[Beacon]

Date: 2/19/2007 2:30:36 PM
Author: Midway
For what it''s worth, I believe that AGS is generally stricter on clarity grades than the other labs. So, it''s not surprising that an AGS SI1 could be graded VS2 by a different lab. What you have there is a stone that''s probably borderline G/H and borderline VS2/SI1. I agree that you should have a trusted vendor (or independent appraiser) take a look at the inclusions and verify that it''s something you''d be comfortable with. Same with color, although I personally believe that you''ll be okay with either a G or H, you don''t necessarily want to pay for a G that''s a low G, borderline H.

This may be so. And we have recently seen an example on this board where AGS was softer on color than some other observers. I believe that was the discrepency with Harriet''s beautiful stone.

Between the two inclinations maybe that is how this stone got worse clarity and better color from AGS.

 

[tanalasta]

Lab differences aside, chances are the stone is borderline G/H. So if it sat between, it may become a subjective decision whether the grader gave it a softer or harsher colour grading, hence the variability.

I would tend to trust the AGS report. I''m not sure whether a H/VS2 or a G/SI1 is priced higher but it''s worthwhile looking that up.

If it''s eye-clean, other than the cost difference, there''s no reason an SI1 isn''t acceptable. A lot of people are happy with SI1 stones on this forum!

Even though the cut is ''excellent'' how does it appear to you?

There are a many >1Ct stones with near colourless and VS/SI1 clarity gradings. If you love the appearance of this one and it meets your specifications / price, then it''s the stone for you. If it doesn''t, there are many others out there and I wouldn''t feel bad about not settling on this one.