6 replies to this topic

[Eagle13]

I have a 2 ct diamond ring that I would like to get GIA certified. I was told that the stone would have to be removed from the ring before sending to GIA. What precautions should I take before selecting a jeweler to handle this process for me? Also, the ring has never been appraised. Should I have an appraisal done for insurance purposes before I proceed?

[davidelevi]

Given you are about to get the diamond unset, shipped, inspected and returned, you will need to insure it, which will probably require an appraisal. Be aware that you will need to insure it separately for loss when shipping, even though it won't be hugely expensive.

Choosing a jeweller: to some extent it depends on what the setting is like. Some settings are very easy to prise open, others require much more work and represent a greater risk. In general, what you want is expertise in dealing with these things and a good insurance policy to cover any damage while the ring/stone are in their care; unfortunately neither is immediately apparent, but you can certainly ask about the second.

[denverappraiser]

Appraise it.
Insure it.
Pull it.
Ship it.
Cert it.
Reset it (or not, depending on your objectives).

Your appraiser should be able to give you advice on getting it pulled and reset as well as how to ship things securely. Why are you looking for a lab report?

[barry]

Neil;

Nice rhythm to your answer.

A D.D.S. friend of mine has a plaque on his desk that reads:

We drill it, fill it, and bill it.

Edited by barry, 27 June 2011 - 01:27 PM.

[Eagle13]

Thank you. I thought the process sounded pretty straightforward too - until I showed the ring to a couple of jewelers.

Jeweler #1 cleaned it, measured it, said it couldn't be measured accurately because the stone is held all around by a bezel and there was no way to tell how much of it was hidden. He estimated it as VS1 - VS2, close to 3 ct. He explained and recommended GIA certification.

Jeweler #2 cleaned it, measured it, said actual size was indeterminate due to bezel, but estimated VS1, close to 2 ct. When I told him that the ring has been in my family for 3 generations, he said it was a relatively new stone because it had a closed culet.

Obviously one of these guys is wrong. How should I approach him once I figure out which one it is? Both are local firms that have been around for 20-30 years. I plan to go to jeweler #3 and jot down his measurements myself. Actually, that will be #4 because #3 wanted to keep the ring for 2 weeks just to appraise it. I passed on him.

As to the closed culet, does this provide a clue as to the date the stone was cut? Could it have been from the 1940's or earlier?

Thanks for the help.

[denverappraiser]

Choose and advisor and follow their advice. The '4 out of 5 jewelers surveyed ...' approach is NOT a sensible strategy.

What are you trying to accomplish? Is this something you're selling, part of an estate, insurance or some other issue that brings up these questions.

It's correct that they can't get thorough data in the mounting and it's worth noting that cutting it out of the bezel involves a significant amount of damage to the ring. Pretty much anything can be repaired but this one may be a bit expensive if you're planning on resetting it. Depending on your answer to the above question, you may not want or need to be doing this.

[davidelevi]

Pointed culet - I'll give you one interesting data point: my grandmother's engagement ring, dating to 1936, had two stones. One has an open culet, the other is pointed. I have other pieces dating to the 1920s (but for which I don't have a precise date) which also have stones with no culet.

"Relatively new" is a pretty vague term, and certainly 60 or even 80 years ago it was already common to have pointed culets. Bear in mind that the fashion of recycling old cut stones (irregular and almost always with open culets) into new jewellery pretty much came to an end in the late 1910s/early 1920s as large amounts of South African diamonds entered the market and rendered the practice not attractive from a financial point of view.

Incidentally - large diamonds, like yours, were often recut "by deault" as late as the 1980s, and even now there is some commercial advantage in recutting large but relatively poorly cut stones.