What's with all the EGL stones these days?

[Dreamer_D]

Anyone else notice it? Seems like every second thread is about an EGL diamond. I can't ever recall this many threads in a short period.

 

[yennyfire]

My guess is that because prices have risen so dramatically and EGL stones are typically less expensive than GIA (at least on paper, to an uneducated consumer), more people are considering EGL stones. I could be totally wrong of course.

 

[Amys Bling]

My guess is that because prices have risen so dramatically and EGL stones are typically less expensive than GIA (at least on paper, to an uneducated consumer), more people are considering EGL stones. I could be totally wrong of course.

seems feasible. more people are looking for the best deal and when searches come up they see that the EGL stones with the same grading in the 4Cs as a GIA are cheaper... not really realizing that the EGL grading is softer, and thus cheaper but not a better deal...

 

[Dreamer_D]

Yeesh. A good possibility.

We need a standard text to write about the risks to consumers buying those stones, like a list of the threads about them so we don't have to type the same thing over and over.

 

[kenny]

It's global warming.
People's brains are frying.

 

[Lula]

I think the smaller jewelry stores, and some of the chains, too, are dealing with short supplies of well-cut diamonds and are also dealing with sticker shock on the part of customers, so there is a lot of crap inventory rising to the surface.

I've been shopping for a new setting since April, and have visited many of my local stores more than once during that time to see if they have any new inventory, and things are really slow. One store that carries Cut by Tolkowsky brand stones has scaled back what they carry in that brand and is now pushing EGL graded stones falsely marketed as "Tolkowsky ideal cut." They have so little "real" Tolkowsky merchandise anymore that I'm wondering if they lost their dealership...or if Tolkowsky is concentrating on supplying the bigger fish with their stones and leaving the smaller retailers with a lot less inventory?

Anyway, what I'm saying is, the combination of the global financial crisis and the run-up in metals prices, and now the increase in diamond prices, has really seemed to put the crunch on retailers as well as consumers, so I predict we will see a lot more threads asking for help with EGL graded stones; more threads on secondary market stones; and more threads on "my friend's dad owns a jewelry store and can get me a deal on a non-graded F SI 1 diamond" threads. It's the economy...well, I'll leave out the rest of that James Carville quote.

I think a compilation of "EGL and other labs" threads would be helpful. I know the PS search engine is meh, but RockDiamond has commented several times at length on the problems with EGL grading, so maybe a look through his posts would help locate some of those threads.

 

[Amys Bling]

We could always start compiling links and resources regarding EGL and various lab grading in the "helpful threads" sticky.

 

[rubybeth]

I think a resource thread on EGL and lesser labs would be incredibly helpful. It does seem like there have been many EGL related threads recently, and it takes a while to explain that there is just not a way of comparing an EGL G VS2 to a GIA or AGS G VS2 in terms of price, cut, etc. I know we emphasize AGS and GIA as grading labs, but for the newbie, that's probably the last thing they are focused on, probably with price, carat weight/size, clarity/color being at the top of their minds.