I have no great problem with the idea or even the practice of them as long as they are properly disclosed however there is a huge problem with the grading that, to me would be a deal killer.
I'll start by saying that the filling holds up well under normal types of conditions (high heat and strong acids are a problem but these are pretty easy to avoid if you’re careful) and given a good cutting job they can be very pretty. The major manufactures have lifetime warranties against both heat and acid damage.
The grading problem is this: Firstly, the GIA grading scale that we’re all familiar with doesn’t apply to filled stones. A ‘filled’ feather isn’t one of the choices on GIA grading and they don’t all fill equally well so in addition to a new clarity attribute, there needs to be a range of them from barely filled to barely visible. Since someone paid extra to have this done, presumably because it would make the stone look better, I think it's reasonable to expect that this new attribute is going to be the #1 clarity characteristic of the stone.
Secondly, it’s possible for the fill to change over time precisely because of the heat/acid problem above. Even if you didn’t do it, you have no way of knowing if the stone still looks like what the lab saw back when they saw it unless you personally were the lab client. This is rarely the case as almost every diamond these days is sold with a grading claim attached and more often than not, this claim is coming from a lab that was selected by, and possibly even owned by, the selling dealer. If you have no way of knowing if what you’re looking at is the same thing the lab looked at, what good is it even if the lab is legit? This is the reason that GIA & AGS won't issue reports on the things.
The result is a free-for-all among the sellers. What is an SI2-CE? Face up it looks sort of like a GIA-SI2? Maybe. The one you linked to says it was graded by an unidentified 'world recognized independent laboratory'. Is that useful to you? Why? There are no standards, there is no licensure, there is no recourse, you don't even know who it is that called it that much less what scale they were using or how they came to the conclusion they did. Somebody somewhere called it an SI2 and was willing to write it on a report. That doesn't make them wrong, but it sure doesn't build confidence that you should care what they have to say.
What is it ‘worth’? That’s often the biggest worry for shoppers. They know it's been modified and they're ok with that but they can't afford an untreated natural stone and they're looking for a 'deal'. No problem. Most CE stones are being sold through ‘discount’ type outlets like ebay sellers or at flea markets and they usually take the position that they are offering a great price by pointing out that similar looking untreated natural stones usually cost more at high end jewelry stores. That’s true enough but also irrelevant. Everybody seems to claim that they are selling for a quarter of the price of everybody else but they are asking you to compare against completely different merchandise being sold by folks who don’t even sell the product at hand. Preposterous.
If you’re shopping CE, you need to be shopping against offers for similar CE stones and you need to compare against the merits and demerits present in CE stones. Is there a durability concern? The fill doesn’t make the cracks go away, it just makes them harder to see so if there was a durability issue before, it’s still there. Is it a ‘good’ SI2 or a bad one? Because of the above issues, the range is enormous and almost all of these stones are being sold in environments where you can’t actually look at the stone, even if you knew what to look for. Is it well cut? Maybe, but most aren't. They're usually cut to produce maximum weight, not maximum beauty. You are placing 100% confidence in the dealer to choose you one and the dealers who specialize in these tend to be exactly the ones that are least responsive to your best interests. Relying on an unknown 'lab' selected by the dealer is no different.
Even more than with untreated natural stones, choosing a dealer that you can trust and who is familiar with the product is essential in shopping for CE goods. If you want to go this route, choose your dealer first. I guarantee that if you shop by comparing dealer supplied weight/clarity/color descriptors and then choose the dealer with the lowest stated price you are NOT going to get the most for your money.
Neil
Edited by denverappraiser, 10 December 2008 - 04:43 AM.
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Clarity enhanced diamonds are 100% natural mined diamonds. The state-of-the-art enhancement process makes the imperfections that are in every diamond invisible to the eye. After the enhancement process, your diamond will show more brilliance with much improved clarity
davidelevi, on Tuesday, Dec 2 2008, 01:59 AM, said:
