UGS?

[Black Jade]

What is UGS--Universal Gemological Services? It says it is an affiliate of EGL-USA. How trustworthy would their appraisals be?

 

[elle_chris]

one of the worst grading labs in the history of all grading labs. The grades and value they assign is as good as toilet paper.

 

[oldminer]

UGS is a professionally run appraisal lab within the EGL USA lab. It is well run, but noted for somewhat inflated valuations and grades are based on EGL reports which can be questionable. Obviously some folks will be more critical, but there are far worse offenders doing loads of work who are not being pointed out. UGS is far from a worst case situation.

 

[elle_chris]

Date: 4/27/2010 5:47:50 PM
Author: oldminer
UGS is a professionally run appraisal lab within the EGL USA lab. It is well run, but noted for somewhat inflated valuations and grades are based on EGL reports which can be questionable. Obviously some folks will be more critical, but there are far worse offenders doing loads of work who are not being pointed out. UGS is far from a worst case situation.

I had a terrible experience with this lab. they over graded and over inflated the value of a ring more than 4 times. It was an expensive lesson that took forever to resolve.

eta: so professionally run (and i question that as well) or not, what they do is fraud.

 

[Black Jade]

Date: 4/27/2010 5:47:50 PM
Author: oldminer
UGS is a professionally run appraisal lab within the EGL USA lab. It is well run, but noted for somewhat inflated valuations and grades are based on EGL reports which can be questionable. Obviously some folks will be more critical, but there are far worse offenders doing loads of work who are not being pointed out. UGS is far from a worst case situation.

so the grades are based on EGL reports?
I''m considering buying a diamond graded I color and SI3 with a UGS cert. I guess I should assume that the diamond is not I color. I know SI3 means I1, but it may be even lower clarity?
I have seen the diamond and it is eye clean. I could see stuff in a 10x loupe but not with naked eye (of course I am not professionally trained).

 

[denverappraiser]

The grades are set by EGL-USA and the values given are at the highest price that any jeweler anywhere would be willing to ask for the item before discounting. Whether either of these bits of information is useful to you is up to you but I’m with Elle that these reports are rarely helpful as shopping aids and even less useful for insurance purposes.

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

 

[kenny]

Did UGS grade Lopsey fUGS?

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 4/27/2010 5:30:22 PM
Author: elle_chris
one of the worst grading labs in the history of all grading labs. The grades and value they assign is as good as toilet paper.

yep, i wiped my AS with mine. OUCH!!

 

[yssie]

Ah yes, Lopsie Fugs... fond memories

ETA: I don't believe it had any cert though, just a lot of good ebay reviews for a seller with an incorrectly calibrated ruler?

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 4/27/2010 6:12:14 PM
Author: denverappraiser
The grades are set by EGL-USA and the values given are at the highest price that any jeweler anywhere would be willing to ask for the item before discounting. Whether either of these bits of information is useful to you is up to you but I’m with Elle that these reports are rarely helpful as shopping aids and even less useful for insurance purposes.

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

Wow!

 

[Black Jade]

Well, the UGS appraisal says the diamond alone (not the ring its in) is worth $6,850. However, I would pay $1500. So I don''t think I''m being cheated. and as I said, the diamond looks nice. And once I bought it, I would probably have it re-appraised. It''s returnable within 15 days, too.

i was trying to surf and get current values for comparable diamonds to see if even $1500 is too high and was wondering whether putting ''I'' and "SI3'' into the search engine was a useful thing to do, or if these appraisals were so far off base that that wouldn''t give any real info. If it was likely to be a J, K I2 or something worse(but as I said, it''s eyeclean and though you can see some stuff in a 10X loupe, there aren''t fissures or cracks)

I definitely don''t think of this diamond as an investment--this would be a fun ring for me--a RHR. The diamond is big ( a spready 1.1and blingy and eye-clean, and the ring itself (not counting diamond) is 5.4 pennyweights of 14k gold and has 30 other (albeit tiny) diamonds in the setting.

If I did buy it and (God forbid) I lost it or it was stolen, I would be fine with getting $1500 back to get something else fun--I''m not trying to make a profit or anything.

 

[elle_chris]

Did you see the EGL cert? I know when i purchased my ring it didn''t come with an EGL cert. I think they do grading/appraisals independant of EGL as well. At least that was my experience in the Diamond District here in nyc.

 

[Black Jade]

Didn''t see EGL cert, just the UGS appraisal. The EGL cert would be a bit more comfortable.
Sorry you had such a bad experience elle-chris.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 4/27/2010 7:43:23 PM
Author: elle_chris
Did you see the EGL cert? I know when i purchased my ring it didn''t come with an EGL cert. I think they do grading/appraisals independant of EGL as well. At least that was my experience in the Diamond District here in nyc.

my loose stone came with an EGL-USA report and a UGS appraisal.

 

[Black Jade]

Date: 4/27/2010 8:06:13 PM
Author: Dancing Fire

Date: 4/27/2010 7:43:23 PM

Author: elle_chris

Did you see the EGL cert? I know when i purchased my ring it didn''t come with an EGL cert. I think they do grading/appraisals independant of EGL as well. At least that was my experience in the Diamond District here in nyc.

my loose stone came with an EGL-USA report and a UGS appraisal.

And you had a bad experience too?