Advice on grading a diamond in the UK

[dinamit]

Hello All,

Some help is badly needed here. My partner bought an ungraded 1ct diamond on eBay that''s supposed to be G-H colour and SI1 clarity, with VG cut, Excellect polish and VG symmetry. The seller also specified the dimensions as 6.32 x 3.99.

We have 14 days to return the diamond for a full refund (I know, it''s not ideal), and as such have a limited timeframe in which to get it either appraised or certified. GIA doesn''t have a UK office, so could anyone please suggest another reputable place, pref. in London, where we could get the diamond assessed?

Also useful would be advice on any UK jewelers that are happy to set the diamond in one of their settings.

If anyone could suggest a UK based forum similar to this one, that would be grand!

Many thanks.

 

[LD]

Date: 5/16/2009 9:17:35 AM
Author:dinamit
Hello All,

Some help is badly needed here. My partner bought an ungraded 1ct diamond on eBay that''s supposed to be G-H colour and SI1 clarity, with VG cut, Excellect polish and VG symmetry. The seller also specified the dimensions as 6.32 x 3.99.

We have 14 days to return the diamond for a full refund (I know, it''s not ideal), and as such have a limited timeframe in which to get it either appraised or certified. GIA doesn''t have a UK office, so could anyone please suggest another reputable place, pref. in London, where we could get the diamond assessed?

Also useful would be advice on any UK jewelers that are happy to set the diamond in one of their settings.

If anyone could suggest a UK based forum similar to this one, that would be grand!

Many thanks.

In terms of assessing your diamond for colour/grade - phone Safeguard www.safeguard.co.uk They are an affiliate of the Birmingham Assay Office. I believe one of their gem labs is in London so you may be able to send it or take it there. Their turnaround time is pretty quick. If it''s not quick enough, the Safeguard valuers visit jewellers up and down the country and you can go in and have your item valued. It''s around £40-50 for the first item and about £30 for each subsequent item. For that you get a valuation (with photo). However, the actual valuation is posted to you later (or sent to the jewellers) but you can chose to stay and speak to the valuer while he/she is assessing the diamond.

UK jewellers who will set your diamond? There are tons. However, you need to be aware that your diamond may not be insured by them to do it. You need to make sure your diamond is fully insured before the jeweller sets to work on it.

I don''t think we can mention other forums on here so can''t help with that one.

Good luck and I hope the diamond turns out to be as described.

 

[dinamit]

Hi,

Many thanks for the info, it''s really helpful. Could you give me any pointers on insuring a diamond? Or should the jeweller that carries out the work be insured? As you can see, don''t know much about this; we haven''t insured my jewellery to date.

 

[Richard Sherwood]

This post doesn''t answer your question, but I found the information interesting when googling the lab I remembered operating in London. The Gem-A (Gemmological Association of Great Britain) used to have an excellent lab there, but it turns out they''re closed down. I found this quote interesting in showing how the economy affected their plans to re-open:

After several months of negotiations, Gem-A and Eric Emms FGA DGA Ltd are sad to have to announce that funding necessary to re-open the Gem Testing Laboratory at 27 Greville Street has not been forthcoming. Both parties had originally agreed that the laboratory could only operate as a joint venture if it could be equipped to the highest international standard, and able to cope fully with the identification of the increasing range of gem treatments and synthetics. The several hundred thousand pounds required for this re-equipping, although initially potentially within reach, will now no longer be available due to the economic crisis. The laboratory collaboration as announced in September will therefore not proceed.

Dr Jack Ogden, Gem-A Chief Executive, says: “I know this is distressing news. Finding a way to keep the lab operating has been a priority for me over the last few years. Sadly, the costs of equipping and operating a gem testing laboratory are enormous, and the UK demand relatively limited. We could only equip a lab on the basis of donations rather on credit against forecast income, and this is the wrong time to expect a significant level of donations. We are still looking at ways to best ensure that the trade, and Gem-A members in particular, retain access to gem testing services and may well revisit the concept of a Gem-A laboratory in the future.”

 

[LD]

Date: 5/16/2009 3:05:54 PM
Author: dinamit
Hi,

Many thanks for the info, it''s really helpful. Could you give me any pointers on insuring a diamond? Or should the jeweller that carries out the work be insured? As you can see, don''t know much about this; we haven''t insured my jewellery to date.

Jewellers won''t be insured to work on your diamond UNLESS you bought it from them.

You need to get insurance separately. Perhaps contact your household insurer? However, you''ll need a valuation to send to them so if something goes wrong you''ll get a like for like replacement. Specialist gemstone and jewellery insurance is horrendously expensive in the UK and not easily obtainable.

 

[Steel]

Welcome dinamit,

You have received wonderful advice. I would add to what LovingDiamonds said and ask that the insurer be aware that the diamond is unset and you want their insurance to cover the setting process. Get that in writing before your proceed.

 

[oldmancoyote]

Eric Emms (the other part in the so-far ailing attempt at resurrecting a good gem testing lab in the UK) is - as far as I know - alive and well. While a grading report or appraisal by Eric won't count for much if you were reselling, he is well regarded in the London trade and is perfectly capable of grading a diamond using "basic" tools; since you aren't looking at determining colour origin for a fancy green, a loupe and microscope backed by a well trained and expert eye should be enough!

You can find contact details on www.ericemms.com

 

[dinamit]

Dear All,

Thanks so much for the advice. I''ve just spoken to Eric Emms, and sadly he no longer carries out assessments. What''s even worse is that he said there simply isn''t a reputable diamond lab in the UK and to let him know should I find one! Pretty shocking! He advised we send the diamond to NY or Antwerp. I looked into this and Brinks and Malca-Amit dispatch is soooo expensive, approx £350 + VAT for a round trip. That''s a shame as the actual GIA or HRD certificates aren''t that expensive and I would have liked to get the diamond certified by either.

We are stuck. All I want is someone to have a look at this diamond to help us decide if it''s a keeper, however I don''t know any reputable London jewellers that could do that and they aren''t independent. There are a couple of labs in the UK, AnchorCert and EGL Europe but I''ve read that EGL Europe isn''t to be trusted. What should I do? Does anyone have experience with these labs? Do you think either should be at least able to carry out a basic colour/grade assessment? We don''t feel like spending so much money on sending the diamond abroad when we aren''t even sure whether we are keeping it.

Any advice greatly appreciated, thanks.

 

[Paul-Antwerp]

Hi Dinamit,

I do not really understand your problem.

So, you bought a stone on Ebay, and these raises the following questions:
1. Is this stone a diamond?
2. Is this stone a natural diamond?
3. Is this stone an untreated diamond?
4. What is the weight of this diamond?
5. What are colour and clarity of this diamond?
6. What is cut-quality of this diamond?
7. Finally, what is the value of this diamond?

All these questions need to be answered quickly, because you still have a limited time to return the stone for a full refund. In this regard, a time-frame of less than two weeks to obtain a full grading report might become a close call, especially if you need to send it to Belgium where this Thursday and Friday are official holidays. So, what can you do?

Question 1. In order to have a quick check if this is truly a diamond, please have it weighed somewhere. I would advise walking into a jeweler''s and asking them to put the diamond on a scale for you. Also ask them to verify the measurements for you (6.32x3.99). If the measurements are correct, and the stone weighs somewhere between 0.90 and 1.05, it is possibly a diamond.
Question 2. Impossible to assess quickly.
Question 3. Impossible to assess quickly.
Question 4. Question answered by the action on question 1.
Question 5. Impossible to assess quickly.
Question 6. If the declared measurements are correct, the total depth of the stone is 63.1%, which is far too deep to be a decently cut round. If the weight is above 1Ct, both diameter and depth are really low too, which means that the stone probably has a very thick girdle. Not nice.
Question 7. Impossible to assess quickly, but I hope that you have paid a very low price for the stone, since the risks of buying this stone are probably not worth the potential savings.

Live long,

 

[dinamit]

Hi Paul,

Thanks for your systematic reply. Buying on eBay was a rookie mistake, but since the seller has a 100% positive feedback based on quite a lot of sales, I would hope that the gem is indeed a (natural) diamond.

As with regard to the other points, they are all valid; we can''t be sure what we bought but we have full two weeks to find out! Luckily, we can send the diamond back for a full refund.

I am not entirely sure I understand point 6 fully; the depth makes sense but the diamond is apparently 1.02 carat, and I really don''t think they would sell a greater weight without stating.

All the best.

 

[Paul-Antwerp]

Hi Dynamit,

Regarding question 6. In the original post, you indicated ''an ungraded 1ct diamond''. Without verification, this could mean that the weight could be anywhere between 0.90 and 1.10Ct.

In any case, the measurements ''6.32x3.99'' translate into a total depth-% of 63.1%, which is a serious sign that the diamond will not sparkle well.

Comparing actual weight with these measurements, the measurements could be reasonable for a stone under 1Ct. For a stone over 1Ct (apparently 1.02) both diameter and depth in mm are low. Thus, the stone is hiding weight in the girdle.

Hope that this is somewhat clearer.

Live long,

 

[dinamit]

Paul,

Wow, thanks, that''s a lot clearer now. Really appreciate it.