HELP - bought diamond and its doesnt match GIA report!

[harshburrito]

Hello everyone,

I would start by saying, YES, I was/am an uninformed diamond consumer.

Here it goes…. I went to a local jeweler ( hundreds of 5 star ratings ) to purchase an “upgraded” engagement ring for my wife. I ended up looking in the 3 carat range. The first diamond I purchased I was told that it would have no visual inclusions, when I went to pick it up - it DID have an inclusion I could see, so I did not pay and asked to find a new diamond. Came back a few weeks later, new diamond was slightly more expensive and I couldn’t see any inclusions - at this point I wasn’t really focused on the gradings. I bought the diamond and brought it home for my wife. A week later she came to me crying, because she could see a “dot” in it - sure enough there was an inclusion. We go back to the jeweler. The jeweler gives us this long story about how because the diamond is so big that’s why we can see the inclusions, blah blah blah.

At this point I still give them the benefit of the doubt, but start doing some research on gradings.

We end up upgrading it further and purchasing a VS1/H 2.72 carat diamond - all in with the setting it was somewhere around $44,000.

My wife wasn’t happy with the setting, we tried explaining to the jewelry store what we wanted in the setting but it was to no avail. I told my wife, since the setting was only a couple thousand of the total price - we can just go to another jeweler and build a new setting, but we have a great diamond so no harm no foul.

This is where it gets interesting.

So we go to the new jeweler and the new jeweler removes the diamond from the setting and lets us know that there is no GIA cert engraved on it - she asks what the gradings were, I let her know because they were in print on the appraisal the original jeweler provided me. She then casts a doubt that the diamond actually is what the appraisal says it is. At this point my wife freaks out, I kinda do too - but I just hide it better.

Long story short, I try to go back to the original jeweler and say - just give me my money back, they wont really budge on that route. I travel to NYC a lot for work, so a couple weeks ago I hand delivered it to the GIA building there to get it analyzed, and sure enough the color grading is an “I” and not an “H” - the VS1 checked out.

What do I do now? I was sold a diamond that in actuality isn’t what they said it was - and from my estimation I’m probably $10k into it too much because of that color grading mismatch.

Any idea on potential paths forward?

Full disclosure - I have emailed the jeweler and been 100% upfront with them the whole way through, I sent them the GIA report today and am waiting to hear back.

 

[tyty333]

Did you buy a stone with a GIA report or did you just get an appraisal from a GIA certified appraiser? Who appraised it?
The jeweler you bought it from? To be honest the appraisal seems like it is within tolerance (only one color grade off, unfortunately
not in your favor).

Did you see if the jeweler will do a partial refund of the price due to the color difference? Since you didn't make any agreements
about the stone quality/price in advance of buying it I'm not sure what repercussions you have.

I would see if they would be willing to give you a partial refund due to the color difference.

 

[harshburrito]

I ended up bring the diamond myself to NYC to get it graded by GIA. The original ratings from the jeweler were provided verbally and then included in their appraisal.

We did agree on the grading of the diamond ahead of time, but only thing in print is what they provided on the appraisal - In my ignorance, I assumed at the time that the grading WAS GIA reviewed, and not the opinion of the seller.

Yes, we are only a single grade off on color, yes not in my favor.

By my guess I think the difference is roughly $7k-$10k between the diamond at the grading i was sold it at versus the lower color grading. This is just by looking at comps on bluenile.

 

[luvmysparklies]

I ended up bring the diamond myself to NYC to get it graded by GIA. The original ratings from the jeweler were provided verbally and then included in their appraisal.

We did agree on the grading of the diamond ahead of time, but only thing in print is what they provided on the appraisal - In my ignorance, I assumed at the time that the grading WAS GIA reviewed, and not the opinion of the seller.

Yes, we are only a single grade off on color, yes not in my favor.

By my guess I think the difference is roughly $7k-$10k between the diamond at the grading i was sold it at versus the lower color grading. This is just by looking at comps on bluenile.

You are a consumer that made a purchasing decision based on the information provided to you by a professional. How did you agree on the grading ahead of time?

I agree with tyty333' s post. Maybe equipped with the information officially from GIA, there can be an adjustment due to the color difference. How long ago was the purchase? By what means did you pay? If you don't mind stating.

 

[lovedogs]

Unfortunately, an appraisal is not the same as a GIA cert, and in reality is the opinion of the jeweler.

 

[RunningwithScissors]

By my guess I think the difference is roughly $7k-$10k between the diamond at the grading i was sold it at versus the lower color grading. This is just by looking at comps on bluenile.

I'm sorry that you are experiencing disappointment with your diamond, your situation indeed sounds frustrating.

Comparing the I VS1 diamond you purchased to an H VS1 diamond on Blue Nile to figure out the price difference is not as straight forward as it may seem. You are not necessarily comparing apples to apples. Factors such as florescence and the quality of the cut/light performance play a significant role in determining the price of a diamond. (Even among the GIA XXX cut grade there is a wide quality/light performance range.)

I'm not saying you shouldn't try asking for a partial refund, but do keep in mind there are many factors that go into pricing a diamond, not just the basic "4 C's" that are commonly mentioned to diamond newbies. I honestly don't think you'll get a partial refund, but its certainly worth a try.

If your diamond is sparkly and you would have loved it had it come back as an H color, then I would recommend keeping it and trying to be happy with it.

Perhaps there is something symbolic you and your wife can do to make the diamond/ring "yours" again and wash away the negative associations with it? (For example, having it blessed by your pastor or priest, or having your own private ceremony like taking it on a hike with you to the top of a mountain, etc.)

If you decide in the future to purchase another diamond, please do come here first and we will help you find one that is a stellar performer, which at the end of the day is far more important than color, clarity, and even size.

And honestly, an "I" color grade is a very respectable and beautiful color. Many of us here on Pricescope have I's, J's, K's, etc and love them with our our hearts.

 

[lovedogs]

I'm sorry that you are experiencing disappointment with your diamond, your situation indeed sounds frustrating.

Comparing the I VS1 diamond you purchased to an H VS1 diamond on Blue Nile is not as straight forward as it may seem. You are not necessarily comparing apples to apples. Factors such as florescence and the quality of the cut/light performance play a significant role in determining the price of a diamond. (Even among GIA XXX there is a wide cut quality range.)

I'm not saying you shouldn't try asking for a partial refund, but do keep in mind there are many factors that go into pricing a diamond, not just the basic "4 C's" that are commonly mentioned. I honestly don't think you'll get far with this, but its worth a try.

If your diamond is sparkly and if you would have liked it had it come back as an H color, then I would recommend trying to be happy with it.

If you decide in the future to purchase another diamond, please do come here first and we will help you find one that is a stellar performer, which at the end of the day is far more important than color, clarity, even size.

This. You cant be sure of the 7-10k difference by comparing with BN, bc you dont have info about cut

 

[Victor Canera]

First off, I’m not making a determination that it is or isn’t the same diamond BUT, it’s not unheard of for diamond to grade a previously graded stone a different color or clarity than before. I’ve seen some past GIA diamonds graded as I come back as H and other different combinations as well.

The first thing I would do is to confirm if the diamond has an inscription noted on the original lab report. Does it?

I’m not sure about the qualifications of your appraiser but an easy way to confirm a diamond is by its measurements which is unique to every stone and a VS1 inclusion would be unique to your diamond almost like a fingerprint.

I would make these two determinations first before going back to your original jeweler.

Good luck

 

[Kaycee2018]

It sounds like the diamond you purchased was not a graded diamond and only came with an appraisal or estimate of its grading, possibly from a “GIA gemologist“, which is not the same as a diamond that has been independently graded by GIA and is accompanied by a GIA lab report and laser inscribed. Such estimates/in-house appraisals are basically guaranteed to be more generous in grading vs. what GIA would grade the stones. Sadly, this is a common sales tactic used by jewelers and unsuspecting buyers often don’t know the difference, are confused by the terminology, etc. I’m sorry this happened to you. Unfortunately, you are at the mercy of jeweler who sold you the diamond. Caveat emptor.

 

[marymm]

Also, keep in mind as you go lower/warmer in diamond color, the color bands get wider -- meaning by color H, in grading, there will be a "high" H band (i.e., closer to G color) and a "low" H band (i.e., closer to I color) -- so it is possible the jeweler may have estimated your diamond to be a low-H-VS1 versus GIA grading it a high-I-VS1 -- and even if the jeweler estimated it H and GIA graded it I, one color grade is generally held to be well within the margin of error so the seller may not be amenable to providing a price adjustment.

 

[harshburrito]

Hey all -

A couple of common themes here, so i wanted to give a tiny bit of clarification.

First - THANK YOU ALL for the responses, really overwhelmed/surprised/grateful.

The diamond was 100% presented and sold to me as a VS1/H diamond - the ratings were even emphasized to how great of a quality diamond that it is/was. There was never any discussion of the fact that those ratings were arrived at by some combination of the jewelry store/diamond wholesaler - that’s where my noviceness came in and i just assumed that when they gave me those ratings that they were verified by GIA.

It was only after we brought it to a new jeweler to try and design a new setting that we realized there may be something off. The new jeweler noticed there was not a laser etching on the diamond and cast some doubt that the diamond actually was what the original jeweler said it was.

That’s the point that I flew to NYC and brought it to GIA to have it reviewed. After I had received 2 diamonds that I was told had “no visual inclusions”, but both DID - and then this revelation from the 2nd jeweler did I get concerned.

Of course the GIA report verifies that the color rating is one less.

I am really trying to work with my local jeweler and not go down a legal route.

My ultimate question is this… what are the appropriate avenues to explore? I don’t believe they will give me all my money back, but what about simply getting money back for the difference of the diamond i paid for versus the rating it actually is? Is there some other avenue I should explore?

 

[Kaycee2018]

Not all H VS1 diamonds are priced the same, nor are all I VS1 diamonds. Many factors go into pricing, including if the diamond is graded by a lab and, if so, the reputation of the lab (GIA and AGS are regarded as the most reputable). Therein lies the problem. There is no set price to determine your “loss”.

 

[distracts]

My ultimate question is this… what are the appropriate avenues to explore? I don’t believe they will give me all my money back, but what about simply getting money back for the difference of the diamond i paid for versus the rating it actually is? Is there some other avenue I should explore?

Unfortunately since your diamond was never presented to you as graded by GIA, you don't really have any legal recourse. A lawsuit will go nowhere and if your jeweler doesn't want to give you a refund or partial refund, there's not much you can do. One grade is within the margin of error even for regrading by the same lab - that is, even IF your diamond had a GIA report saying it was H/VS1, it would not be crazy if it came back as I/VS1. Perhaps unusual. But not totally nuts. You can ask for a partial refund and may get one, but you also may not.

I had the opposite happen with two diamonds I got graded this year - an appraiser and diamond cutter had looked at them and told me they were I and J. GIA graded them H and I. It happens. Quite frankly for something without a GIA report, being only one grade off seems pretty darn close to me.

 

[MWM]

This recent query received very little action ......

Hiring appraisal expert for engagement ring appointments?

Hello all! I am new to this site, so I am not sure if this is the right thread to ask for advice. My partner and I are looking at engagement rings. We have been doing a lot of research but would still like an expert opinion of the diamond we select. Would it be odd to hire an appraisal expert...

www.pricescope.com

SOP has changed in recent decades. When I began working for global clients, many were working with - planning to work with - or looking for referrals on trusted independent gemologist / appraisers to referee and oversee their diamond purchase and ensuing journey to the finished piece. A $4000.00 diamond might be looked after. A $40,000.00 purchase? Certainly found a referee.

I have told this group about my receiving the wrong diamond on behalf of the client. In such a case, if I didn't catch the error, I would have been the last professional to handle that wrong stone and all arrows would forever be aimed at me.

This thread points out the possible financial and emotional cost of making major do-it-yourself purchases without definitive documentation and professional oversight.

 

[oldcutclubmember]

Hey all -

A couple of common themes here, so i wanted to give a tiny bit of clarification.

First - THANK YOU ALL for the responses, really overwhelmed/surprised/grateful.

The diamond was 100% presented and sold to me as a VS1/H diamond - the ratings were even emphasized to how great of a quality diamond that it is/was. There was never any discussion of the fact that those ratings were arrived at by some combination of the jewelry store/diamond wholesaler - that’s where my noviceness came in and i just assumed that when they gave me those ratings that they were verified by GIA.

It was only after we brought it to a new jeweler to try and design a new setting that we realized there may be something off. The new jeweler noticed there was not a laser etching on the diamond and cast some doubt that the diamond actually was what the original jeweler said it was.

That’s the point that I flew to NYC and brought it to GIA to have it reviewed. After I had received 2 diamonds that I was told had “no visual inclusions”, but both DID - and then this revelation from the 2nd jeweler did I get concerned.

Of course the GIA report verifies that the color rating is one less.

I am really trying to work with my local jeweler and not go down a legal route.

My ultimate question is this… what are the appropriate avenues to explore? I don’t believe they will give me all my money back, but what about simply getting money back for the difference of the diamond i paid for versus the rating it actually is? Is there some other avenue I should explore?

There would only have been a GIA inscription IF it had a GIA report to go along with it. You were not provided with a GIA report number or a hard copy of a GIA report when you purchased a ring. The jeweler did not represent the stone as one with a GIA report since a GIA report number is not written on the appraisal or the invoice. I wouldn’t have expected an inscription if I was not provided with a report number. Also, many diamonds that come with a GIA report actually do not have the corresponding number inscribed on the girdle.

Unfortunately, I agree with the previous posters that I don’t think there are any legal recourses to be had here even if you were to go that route. I do not believe a single color grade would be considered “materially different” in the diamond industry, especially when the stone was not sold with a report from a reputable lab.

Can you post a redacted picture of the appraisal or the invoice that you received that stated that it was H/VS1?

 

[yssie]

There would only have been a GIA inscription IF it had a GIA report to go along with it. You were not provided with a GIA report number or a hard copy of a GIA report when you purchased a ring. The jeweler did not represent the stone as one with a GIA report since a GIA report number is not written on the appraisal or the invoice. I wouldn’t have expected an inscription if I was not provided with a report number. Also, many diamonds that come with a GIA report actually do not have the corresponding number inscribed on the girdle.

Unfortunately, I agree with the previous posters that I don’t think there are any legal recourses to be had here even if you were to go that route. I do not believe a single color grade would be considered “materially different” in the diamond industry, especially when the stone was not sold with a report from a reputable lab.

Can you post a redacted picture of the appraisal or the invoice that you received that stated that it was H/VS1?

Totally agree with everything Lulu said here (and prior posters).

The OP’s ignorance doesn’t entitle him to any sort of partial refund - that would be a very generous gesture on the jeweller’s part. OP’s assertion that the stone he was sold doesn’t match the description given at time of sale is simply untrue; It’s based on myriad presumptions that aren’t valid.

 

[lovedogs]

Totally agree with everything Lulu said here (and prior posters).

The OP’s ignorance doesn’t entitle him to any sort of partial refund - that would be a very generous gesture on the jeweller’s part. OP’s assertion that the stone he was sold doesn’t match the description given at time of sale is simply untrue; It’s based on myriad presumptions that aren’t valid.

This. Unfortunately, OP just doesnt have any legal recourse here

 

[RunningwithScissors]

Hey all -

A couple of common themes here, so i wanted to give a tiny bit of clarification.

First - THANK YOU ALL for the responses, really overwhelmed/surprised/grateful.

The diamond was 100% presented and sold to me as a VS1/H diamond - the ratings were even emphasized to how great of a quality diamond that it is/was. There was never any discussion of the fact that those ratings were arrived at by some combination of the jewelry store/diamond wholesaler - that’s where my noviceness came in and i just assumed that when they gave me those ratings that they were verified by GIA.

It was only after we brought it to a new jeweler to try and design a new setting that we realized there may be something off. The new jeweler noticed there was not a laser etching on the diamond and cast some doubt that the diamond actually was what the original jeweler said it was.

That’s the point that I flew to NYC and brought it to GIA to have it reviewed. After I had received 2 diamonds that I was told had “no visual inclusions”, but both DID - and then this revelation from the 2nd jeweler did I get concerned.

Of course the GIA report verifies that the color rating is one less.

I am really trying to work with my local jeweler and not go down a legal route.

My ultimate question is this… what are the appropriate avenues to explore? I don’t believe they will give me all my money back, but what about simply getting money back for the difference of the diamond i paid for versus the rating it actually is? Is there some other avenue I should explore?

You are not listening to anything we're saying.

1. The place you bought the stone from evaluated it as an H VS1. GIA evaluated it as I VS1. THIS MINOR DISAGREEMENT IN COLOR IS NORMAL. EXTREMELY NORMAL. If you take your diamond to AGS and GCAL, two other highly respected grading labs, you'd likely get a mix of different color grades, H's and I's. If you take your diamond back to GIA in a couple years time, they may evaluate it as an H.

2. You are WRONGFULLY assuming your diamond cost more than it should have because you are BLINDLY comparing it to diamonds on Blue Nile. The reality is you have no idea if there is any price difference between your H/ I color VS1 and the random, very different ones you find on Blue Nile because you are ignoring all the other factors that go into evaluating and pricing a diamond which include cut quality (the most important factor), and florescence.

3. You have no legal recourse because you have not been wronged.

 

[canuk-gal]

Buyer's remorse is not only a bummer, but very often, not refundable.

 

[Lookinagain]

Also, comparing prices between an online vendor and a brick and mortar store is not apples to apples. Overhead costs often make jewelry from a B & M more costly than what you would pay online.

 

[lulu_ma]

How long ago did you buy the diamond? Did you pay by credit card? What is the jeweler’s return policy? Are you a regular customer of this jeweler?

As the prior posters have said, legal recourse is unlikely-but perhaps you can work out a satisfactory solution with the jeweler.

 

[yssie]

Totally agree with everything Lulu said here (and prior posters).

The OP’s ignorance doesn’t entitle him to any sort of partial refund - that would be a very generous gesture on the jeweller’s part. OP’s assertion that the stone he was sold doesn’t match the description given at time of sale is simply untrue; It’s based on myriad presumptions that aren’t valid.

So sorry @Muluver. My phone very helpfully changed your handle and I didn’t catch it until now.

 

[oldcutclubmember]

So sorry @Muluver. My phone very helpfully changed your handle and I didn’t catch it until now.

Lol no worries!!

 

[chamois]

Good luck! I hope it all works out for a happy conclusion.

 

[Ibrakeforpossums]

At the end of the day, do you and your wife love the new diamond? If so, you two have shared a hardship and come out stronger, you have a diamond with a story. And we'd all love to see a photo of it in its new setting.

I do think your jeweler who sold you two visibly included diamonds before this one should pay for the GIA report. 5 star reviews from the great unwashed, he/she was a scoundrel with you.

 

[denverappraiser]

A single color grade variation between two graders is not unusual. It’s common. GIA will not even guarantee the same results if you submit the same stone twice on different days.

 

[Venti25]

<Snip>
The diamond was 100% presented and sold to me as a VS1/H diamond - the ratings were even emphasized to how great of a quality diamond that it is/was. There was never any discussion of the fact that those ratings were arrived at by some combination of the jewelry store/diamond wholesaler - that’s where my noviceness came in and i just assumed that when they gave me those ratings that they were verified by GIA.

<Snip>
My ultimate question is this… what are the appropriate avenues to explore? I don’t believe they will give me all my money back, but what about simply getting money back for the difference of the diamond i paid for versus the rating it actually is? Is there some other avenue I should explore?

You ask very nicely given you've upgraded several times with them if they will stand by their grading and offer anything, e.g., refund - swap to Gia graded stone they have in stock and if not, leave an honest factual review of your purchase and hopefully move on?

 

[AdaBeta27]

Does this jeweler offer an upgrade policy? If so, perhaps you can upgrade to get the size and color and cut that you want, with GIA or AGS report.