Scientific Gemological Laboratory

[lizeroo]

Hi all. I am wondering if anyone here has heard of an appraisal agency called Scientific Gemological Laboratory? My fiance bought my ring of a Montreal jeweller on EBay and this was the appraisal report we received with the ring. We were very satisfied with the ring but it was lost at work when I put it in my scrubs pocket and it went into the hospital laundry.
We are in the process of awaiting a final insurance quote on replacement but I am nervous about the appraisal report because I cannot find it online anywhere. Can anyone help? Thanks.

 

[emp8161]

Im looking at buying a diamond certified by Scientific Gemological Laboratory as well but have never heard of them. Did you end finding out if they are credible? thanks!

 

[denverappraiser]

I've never heard of them. That's not necessarily a bad sign but perhaps enough to raise a tiny flag. I'm decently well connected in this business but there's lots of good people I've never heard of. Google has never heard of them either. That's huge. It doesn't mean they're nonsense but a Google search for their name produces this very thread and nothing from the company at all. Anyone who wants to can call themselves a gemological lab and can start issuing reports with their opinions so you have to be careful. The default answer is NO, don't give them any credibility at all. If you find out that they're bogus, don't just hold it against the lab, hold it against the dealer who is asking you to rely on them.

 

[Amys Bling]

What is the name of the jeweler? I just googled the lab you mentioned and there is a scam page talking about a canadian jeweler who scammed people and the lab you mentioned was talked about briefly in the article...

Their website also says: "All gemstone purchases from Lucas-Van Zenten are accompanied by accurate, scientific gemological laboratory certifications. Apparently "all" is not quite correct given Mr. Eisenberg's guilty plea."


so my guess is that it is some sort of small lab in canada?

 

[lizeroo]

Thanks for all of the replies. I contacted the jeweller we bought from on EBay and he stated that he buys in large volume. He purchased this ring from Israel and the Scientific Gemological Laboratory appraisal accompanied it. He was very helpful and stated he would be happy to talk with the insurance company on our behalf, but it turned out to be unnecessary. We completed our insurance claim and received our replacement ring, which was beautiful, from a local jeweller in time for our wedding last week. Though we had no problems with the claim, I am not sure we would buy online again. We discovered that a diamond ring really should be tried on and admired in person.

 

[denverappraiser]

Glad to hear it worked out.

I'm a big fan of supporting your local stores but I'm curious why this particular story led to your frustration with 'Internet' buying. You bought from a total stranger based entirely on a report written by an unknown and uncontactable 3rd party and didn't look into it until after the piece was loss. That was a bad plan but, in your case, it seems to have actually worked out pretty well. More importantly, the risky part of that had nothing to do with the Internet, it had to do with your due diligence in choosing a dealer, grader and appraiser. A local store with the same methodology, and there are such stores all over the country, would be equally risky.

Congratulations on your engagement and I wish you all the best with your upcoming wedding.

 

[Amys Bling]

Glad to hear it worked out.

I'm a big fan of supporting your local stores but I'm curious why this particular story led to your frustration with 'Internet' buying. You bought from a total stranger based entirely on a report written by an unknown and uncontactable 3rd party and didn't look into it until after the piece was loss. That was a bad plan but, in your case, it seems to have actually worked out pretty well. More importantly, the risky part of that had nothing to do with the Internet, it had to do with your due diligence in choosing a dealer, grader and appraiser. A local store with the same methodology, and there are such stores all over the country, would be equally risky.

Congratulations on your engagement and I wish you all the best with your upcoming wedding.

Very true. Buying online or locally you need to be aware of the circumstances around yourvpurchase.


Glad it worked out for you.