Well I (like 99% of people on this board) thought GIA was the only solution to diamond searching. I spent a lot of time (like over 100 hours) finding an oval diamond that had good stats and of course was GIA certified. I will leave the internet broker who I bought this stone from out of the story as they were good to deal with, they never actually saw the stone.
So the oval diamond I ordered was a GIA certified, F-color, VS2, laser-inscribed stone.
I was filled with excitement after I ordered the stone. When it arrived and I opened the box and my first impression was that the table of the stone looked significantly dark, it had a decent bow-tie, and at the top and bottom of the stone it had what I have heard called a "fish-eye" effect (dark areas). But what really surprised me was the large frost cloud that was definitely eye-visible on the edge of the stone. Remember this is a VS2 stone.
So before I jumped to too many conclusions I took the diamond to a friend who is a GIA graduate and diamond expert. He was not impressed. He said AT BEST THIS WAS A SI2 STONE! My heart dropped. He also commented on how the diamond had little to no fire or brilliance. He touched it for a few seconds and just his finger prints alone killed all reflections. We did a few other inspections and found that it was not even a F-colored stone, but actually closer to an H. My friend even checked the hologram and laser inscription because he thought they delivered me the wrong stone. The laser ID matched the cert exactly. So much for thinking GIA is the only way to go.
Anyways thank God for money back guarantees. The stone went back the next day. I did visit a local jeweler and explained the whole mess. He showed me an EGL certified oval (yes EGL) that had worst stats than the one I had ordered, and it had much more brilliance.
So what did I learn? #1 fancy cut diamonds need to be seen by yourself or an expert before you commit to purchasing, because stats don't mean much especially with ovals. #2 GIA is operated by humans not robots, and humans make mistakes. #3 you get what you pay for. This stone was $1,600 below what it should have been trading for. #4 EGL is another alternative that I never considered until I received an over-rated GIA stone.
*Cadman
So the oval diamond I ordered was a GIA certified, F-color, VS2, laser-inscribed stone.
I was filled with excitement after I ordered the stone. When it arrived and I opened the box and my first impression was that the table of the stone looked significantly dark, it had a decent bow-tie, and at the top and bottom of the stone it had what I have heard called a "fish-eye" effect (dark areas). But what really surprised me was the large frost cloud that was definitely eye-visible on the edge of the stone. Remember this is a VS2 stone.
So before I jumped to too many conclusions I took the diamond to a friend who is a GIA graduate and diamond expert. He was not impressed. He said AT BEST THIS WAS A SI2 STONE! My heart dropped. He also commented on how the diamond had little to no fire or brilliance. He touched it for a few seconds and just his finger prints alone killed all reflections. We did a few other inspections and found that it was not even a F-colored stone, but actually closer to an H. My friend even checked the hologram and laser inscription because he thought they delivered me the wrong stone. The laser ID matched the cert exactly. So much for thinking GIA is the only way to go.
Anyways thank God for money back guarantees. The stone went back the next day. I did visit a local jeweler and explained the whole mess. He showed me an EGL certified oval (yes EGL) that had worst stats than the one I had ordered, and it had much more brilliance.
So what did I learn? #1 fancy cut diamonds need to be seen by yourself or an expert before you commit to purchasing, because stats don't mean much especially with ovals. #2 GIA is operated by humans not robots, and humans make mistakes. #3 you get what you pay for. This stone was $1,600 below what it should have been trading for. #4 EGL is another alternative that I never considered until I received an over-rated GIA stone.
*Cadman