Longshot: Any ATOT jewelers out there?

[AbsolutDealage]

Bumparoo for the night crowd...

 

[bbrontosaurus]

Thanks for all the good info. More questions:

1) Someone mentioned flourescence....is that another quality that we should be looking for in addition to the 4 c's? What different grades of flourescence are there?

2) If a diamond is GIA certified, how can we verify the certification? Can we call up the GIA, repeat the laser etched serial number on the diamond and have them look it up? I guess my question is, if a shady dealer says that his diamond is GIA certified and provides "documentation" to prove it, is there another way to validate their claim?

Also, just to throw in my two cents: I compared an EGL stone (rated by EGL as D, IF, 1.09 carat) with a GIA stone (rated by GIA as E, IF, 1.09 carat). The GIA stone looked a LOT better than the EGL one, even though it was supposedly of a lower color rating. The dealer mentioned that EGL stones are not rated as carefully as GIA.....an EGL stone rated at D, IF may be only a G or H if it were GIA certified. He mentioned that EGL stones differ only on color when compared to a GIA scale, but clarity ratings still remain the same for both. Any truth to this?

 

[BigSmooth]

Originally posted by: bbrontosaurus
Thanks for all the good info. More questions:

1) Someone mentioned flourescence....is that another quality that we should be looking for in addition to the 4 c's? What different grades of flourescence are there?

2) If a diamond is GIA certified, how can we verify the certification? Can we call up the GIA, repeat the laser etched serial number on the diamond and have them look it up? I guess my question is, if a shady dealer says that his diamond is GIA certified and provides "documentation" to prove it, is there another way to validate their claim?

Also, just to throw in my two cents: I compared an EGL stone (rated by EGL as D, IF, 1.09 carat) with a GIA stone (rated by GIA as E, IF, 1.09 carat). The GIA stone looked a LOT better than the EGL one, even though it was supposedly of a lower color rating. The dealer mentioned that EGL stones are not rated as carefully as GIA.....an EGL stone rated at D, IF may be only a G or H if it were GIA certified. He mentioned that EGL stones differ only on color when compared to a GIA scale, but clarity ratings still remain the same for both. Any truth to this?

1) Flourescence only becomes an issue if it is very strong, in which case there is a chance that it will impart an undesirable hazy or "milky" appearance to the diamond. Some people say that blue flourescence actually helps stones look whiter. More info here.

2) Not all GIA-certed diamonds actually have the laser inscription IIRC. If it does, you could try calling GIA to verify. Another method would be to have an independent appraisal done. The appraiser should be able to verify if the cert is legit by looking at the diamond's characteristics, locations of inclusions, etc.

As for your other comment, the GIA stone might have looked better simply because the cut was better. Well-cut diamonds often look "whiter" than they really are. GIA certification cannot generally guarantee a good cut (yet). "Excellent" symmetry plays a part but the proportions of diamonds (the most important factor in light return) are not even listed on GIA certs. Even AGS "Ideal" cut diamonds are sometimes not truly "ideal".

What your dealer told you is somewhat misleading. Yes, EGL seems to be "looser" with their grading but I have heard of people take an EGL stone in for appraisal and actually get a better grade than the EGL cert's. There is no guarantee of where an EGL-graded stone's color or clarity would fall if graded by the GIA. In fact, most of the time it would probably be the same.