5 replies to this topic

[rotty91]

I am looking at a diamond with a egl cert rather than a gia. I have looked at the diamond with a loupe and it is beautiful. Very good color - graded at an E with a clarity rating of SI2 although to me there are no inclusions I can see under the loupe. I feel like I can trust this jeweler but am still a little hesitant about the egl. He told me that the egl is becoming a bit more strict and more in line with the gia. Do you think this is true?

[purpleeagle]

Personally I would check the price and see if it's comparable with a GIA F in color and I in clarity. But thats only my opinion. Also, how about the cut? That's extremely important.

[diamondsbylauren]

I think any seller claiming any of the non GIA labs compares to GIA is dishonest, or does not understand the diamond market.

Do NOT assume that a stone is one grade off because one of the lesser labs graded it- that could be a very costly mistake.

[f0rbidden]

I have to say that after reading all the information and posts here, I really did 'push' for GIA certified stones...when I ultimately ended up in the offices of the store we purchased from they flat out said "We wouldn't give a diamond like this to anyone BUT GIA to grade" that made me feel even more comfortable buying what we did, where we did.

[ben]

Quote

there are no inclusions I can see under the loupe.

And how many years of gemological training do you have?

I'm sorry for the sarcastic question, but I'm trying to make a point. I think you'd be best served if you let the experts at GIA do what they do best. Like the others have responded, I recommend against any certification lab other than GIA or AGS.

[denverappraiser]

rotty91, on Friday, Feb 24 2006, 11:18 AM, said:

I feel like I can trust this jeweler

This strikes me as a terribly important comment. The exam from the lab is intended to give you some useful information to assist you in buying the right diamond. It doesn't contain everything that's important or valuable about a stone, nor does either lab claim that it does. In fact, it may contain no useful information at all. The presence of an EGL report does not make a stone worse any more than the presence of a GIA report makes it better. Buy the diamond, not the paper.

It's true that EGL-USA has improved their reputation with regard to some of their products and that their grading might be accurate but this isn't really much of an endorsement. The Cubs might win the pennant too. It's also true that a correctly graded stone with EGL paper may very well be a little less expensive than a similar stone graded by GIA. This may be a reason to consider a stone dispite the EGL documentation, not because of it.

In once sense I agree with David. If the jeweler is saying that there is no difference between a GIA and an EGL examination, he's either a liar or a fool. This tells you more about the jeweler than it does about the diamond.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA