Store with no Certs?

[AMALEEKEL]

Ok, a few weeks ago, BF & I were looking at stones at probably the most respected jewelry store in town. They were wonderfully nice and very well educated on diamonds & stuff....the only thing that threw me off...was when I asked about the cert, like what type a certain stone had..she said it didn''t have one. She said they have a gem lab in the store and could make up a complete cert there (for insurance purposes, etc).

I''m so confused. because I thought almost all stones had some type of cert. Anyone...why might that stone not have had one? I really don''t think they were running a scam. They''ve been in business for 60+ years...the same man has worked there FOREVER!

Just wonderin what all that might mean!

Thanks,
Amanda

 

[Demelza]

What size diamond were you looking at? It's not unusual for smaller stones not to be certified. You will also find that stones without certs will tend to be less expensive than those that do have them. Does the store carry any stones with certs? If not, I would be inclined to look elsewhere if you are looking to buy a larger sized stone. Or, at the very least, be sure to have the stone examined by an independent appraiser to make sure that the store's "lab" is accurately grading the stone. Hope this helps.

 

[FireGoddess]

Some jewelers do sell uncertified stones. They tend to run alot cheaper than certified stones per carat, becauuse you don''t have any written guarantee of what you''re getting. Jewelers can loupe the stone and give an educated guess as to color and clarity, but this does not carry the same weight as a real certification would, nor might it be nearly as accurate.

You can save money by purchasing an uncerted stone, but I personally would never do it. Not unless I had good evidence that what I was being "told" is what I was getting. Of course you could have the stone independently appraised afterwards if the store has a good return policy....but I tend to stick to certified stones. My $0.02.

 

[AMALEEKEL]

The stone was 0.72...E Color, SI 2 Clarity...It was beautiful to the eye. We didn''t look under a loupe or anything...just casually browsing. Everyone in town gives rave reviews about the place...I was just wondering!

Oh-pricewise, they were asking 2650 for it.

It seems kind of high, after looking at some deals online.

 

[valeria101]

Lots of diamonds are sold viththout certs... It would be a bit unusual for large ones, but not unheard of. Most shops are likely to have a weight or value limit under which diamonds are sold without certs (I can''t say I know any show that does not).

Since grading is not an exact science, it would be reasonable to believe that their initial in-store grading could be one grade off somewhere (color or clarity, hopefully not both). Even re-grading by the same lab cannot be expected to turn the same every time. However... they might feal uneasy explaining that even if no overgarding was intended. The jeweler definitely can send any diamond to be graded. I bet a lab will grade any size as long as someone pays. There is some delay involved and some hassle... but not the end of the world.

Anyway, it can''t be a matter of curtesy to ask for a cert: if you want one, there should be a way to obtain one. In-store appraisal for insurance is practical because it gives the opportunity to insure the piece asap - even more practical if there is some delivery involved - it does not serve quite the same purpose as a lab report.

Well, just my 0.2.

 

[valeria101]

Date: 2/13/2005 4:18:45 PM
Author: AMALEEKEL

-pricewise, they were asking 2650 for it

AGS0 and H&A come higher than that... (for ex: this is the closest price). The price does seem in line with ideal cuts, AGS0 & all. Even E-Si1, like this one. No discount there allright.

I would expect SI2 with visible inclusions to be discountd... so it is hard to tell what's a "good deal" for this grade without seeing them, or at least pictures and clarity plots.

Not that there can't be a better deal out there, but the "eye clean" quality is definitely priced among SI2-s.

IMO, at least.

 

[pqcollectibles]

I ran into that before I found PS. The diamond I was considering wasn't being offered for sale at any type of discount. In fact, I could buy a similar Certed diamond from a PS Vendor for considerably less.

Diamond brokers know their business. Almost all diamonds 0.5 ct and above that can receive a decent Cert from a major grading lab, are submitted for grading. I happened to ask for physical measurements of the diamond I was considering and learned here that it was extremely deep cut. The 0.85 I had seen at the jewelers looked more like a well cut 0.7 carat diamond.

Just a suggestion for you,............. If you want to look at diamonds locally you might consider getting an Ideal Scope. You can order one at www.gemappraisers.com. Practice with it so you know what to look for, drop it in your purse, and take it with you on your diamond comparison shopping trips.