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Help may have bought a clarity enhanced diamond!

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mountiangirl

Rough_Rock
Joined
Oct 1, 2011
Messages
10
My fiancé and I recently purchased a beautiful 1.4 I SI1 cushion cut diamond from a jewelry liquidation store. We took it to an independent jeweler who believes that the stone has been "acid washed" or clarity enhanced. I have contacted the store and they have offered to send the diamond to be GIA certified to verify for sure whether or not it has been clarity enhanced. My question is if it is clarity enhanced should I keep the stone? What are the potential issues with wearing it?
Thanks!
 
The diamond is worth much less and could have problems later if clarity enhanced. I would absolutely get my money back and start over depending on what GIA says. And then, don't even consider a diamond without a GIA report!
 
HI:

Please do a search here and find threads about CE stones. That will help to inform your decision.

cheers--Sharon
 
Dear mountiangirl,

First, the store where you purchased your diamond had to disclose that it is a clarity enhanced diamond. It's against the law not to do so. I would check your sales receipt to see if it is disclosed on it.

Second, he cannot submit your stone to GIA because GIA does not certify any diamond that has gone thru a process that is not permanent. There are other certification houses that will certify your diamond but not GIA.

Thirdly, let me explain what a clarity enhanced diamond is. Clarity enhanced diamonds are natural diamonds. They're dug from the same mines as any other diamonds; a clarity enhanced diamond goes thru an additional step which is the enhancement. These diamonds must have a specific inclusion called a feather; after the enhancement that imperfection is invisible thus improving the clarity of the diamond. Because of the process you cannot see the feather and this allows the diamond too look nicer and therefore allowing you to purchase a nicer looking diamond and at a lesser cost. Usually at 25- 30% less than a stone that has not gone thru this process. It depends on what company did your enhancement but the creators of the process have a lifetime guarantee that if the process is ever reversed they will re- enhance the diamond for you at no cost. GIA determined the enhancement to be completely stable under normal wear and tear. The only two things that could damage the enhancement would be holding the diamond over an open flame or submerging it in strong acids and basis. The diamond cannot be damaged because of the enhancement- it holds it's value just like any other diamond.

I would be concerned if you did not pay a fair price. Meaning, if you paid for a stone that is a non enhanced diamond I/SI1 rather than a diamond that is enhanced to be a I/SI1.
 
It's a big deal.

It sounds to me like the seller is insisting that it's NOT enhanced and is offering to send it to GIA to prove it. That's a good offer and I would take them up on it with a few caveats. GIA will only inspect unmounted stones so someone has to take it out before it goes in and reset it when they're done. This can damage the setting and should be done by a pro. Best is to have the selling jeweler do it. Secondly, GIA is irritatingly slow. They're at about 6- 7 weeks out right now on their inspections and you can't get into the waiting list without having your stone in their safe. Add shipping time and such and you're without your piece for months. Lastly, GIA isn't free and neither is FedEx or the person who will pull and reset the stone. Make sure both you and the jeweler understand who is to be responsible for the fees here. EGL-USA and AGSL are both much faster by the way and both are fully capable of making this call.

I would start with a written and signed appraisal from a professional appraiser, not a casual statement from a competitive jeweler. You may have an issue here but don't dive in until you've got better evidence. There's a list of appraisers at teh top of the page under the 'resources' tab.
 
The stone was purchased unmounted so taking it out of a setting is not an issue. The store claims that they do not deal in clarity enhanced diamonds but because they are a liquidation store and it is possible that a clarity enhanced stone slipped through. I may have misunderstood the offer to send the diamond to GIA I think what they are offering to do is send the diamond to a GIA certified appraiser and have him determine if the diamond it enhanced or not. I have taken the diamond to two local jeweler and one believes it is enhanced one does not.
 
Tell them you want it sent to the AGS lab to be graded. Period. AGS is much faster than GIA and you'll have very accurate grading on your stone. It may not even be the color and clarity stated even if it is not enhanced. I would want to know the true specs on the stone so I'd know whether I paid a fair price or not. And sending it to a respected grading lab solves the problem.
 
I agree that it should be sent to a lab for grading. In any case I wouldn't want them to select which apprasier it was sent to. I think that should be your call, or at least mutually agreed upon.
 
Please don't panic and just take the great advice from Denverappraiser. There is no need to be concerned at this time. Let the process procede and get the answer which will either relieve your doubts or confirm the problem actually exists. One step at a time.
 
mountiangirl|1328754628|3122135 said:
This is who they want to have appraise the diamond http://www.jewelryjudge.com/AboutJewelryJudge.htm has anyone heard of him or this company?
Click to expand...
JewelryJudge is a franchise sort of deal and they've got people all over the country that use the name and software but that aren't especially connected otherwise. I don't know all of them and how capable they are but, I have to say, this isn't an especially difficult job. Barry Block, the head guy and the one mentioned in link you provided, is a highly qualified appraiser and gemologist. By the way, there's no such thing as a 'GIA certified appraiser'. GIA is a college that teached gemology and lots of us are graduates, but they don't 'certify' anyone or anything, not even their own employees, and they don't even TEACH appraising.

Christina...|1328788206|3122296 said:
In any case I wouldn't want them to select which apprasier it was sent to. I think that should be your call, or at least mutually agreed upon.
Click to expand...
I think Barry is a fine choice but I definitely agree with this. YOU should be the one choosing your appraiser. By the way, you should be the one paying for it too. IF it turns out to be enhanced, ask them to reimburse the fee in addition to giving a refund. If it turns out that they're right and that it's as described, I think it's fair that you should be the one who pays for the outside appraisal and/or lab services.

mountiangirl|1328754566|3122133 said:
I have taken the diamond to two local jeweler and one believes it is enhanced one does not.
Click to expand...
Surveying jewelry store workers is not a good approach to this question. Get a pro. Get a thorough inspection. Get it in writing, and get it signed.
 
Actually Barry would not be doing the appraisal. An associate named Joel Lackey in NV would be doing the appraisal. I have found an independent appraiser in my area (about 2hr away) who actually has quite a bit of experience in identifying clarity enhanced diamonds her name is Su Makenzie and is out of Ashville, NC. I just feel uncomfortable with having them use an appraiser they work with frequently.
Obviously this is my first diamond purchasing experience and I am learning so much. Thanks to all of you for the great advice and information, if anyone else has any other thoughts I would love you hear your opinions.
 
Hi,

I actually have quite a few complaints about Joel. When I brought my things to him to appraise, I found him completely unprofessional. The worst being when he received quite a few phonecalls during my appraisal time and once, slammed my new aquamarine ring on the table and said "my clients can be real a**holes." He was completely unprofessional and I thought a bit off in some of his appraisals.

In addition, my SO and I were looking for a stone for my e-ring. Joel's colleague wanted us to give him a shot a brokering the diamond. After giving him my specific search criteria, he tried to argue with me that an EGL-Israel D-SI2 is the same as a GIA D. They claimed they would grade it at their lab, but if I was interested in this stone I'd have to put half up front. Frankly, the whole thing sounds like a scam. I've bought many diamonds in the past and I've never had to put "half" down to have a stone brought in.

Also if the liquidation center you bought from was in Las Vegas, you are right in that they don't deal with CE stones. However, they go through a huge volume of jewelry. If you really love this stone and want a real GIA cert, they will send it out for you but it'd be at your cost. However, this is something I'd do for peace of mind. If the stone comes back 2 color or clarity grades off, they will re-rapp (compare it to the rappaport sheet for that comparable stone) and you could get a lower price. However, caveat emptor applies here...I have bought things that have been off in color and clarity, usually lower. If the price is awesome to the point it doesn't matter, then I'm happy with it.

I highly suggest finding your own independent appraiser. My SO and I actually bought a designer piece, but I don't trust Joel to even touch the ring. Instead we are paying for shipping to Martin Fuller in VA. Good luck on your search and keep us updated!
 
Wow, I am amazed by the feedback I have received from this site. Thanks so much for sharing your experience. I did by from the liquidation center in Las Vegas and I am considering paying to have the stone GIA certified myself if it is determined to not be clarity enhanced.
 
Also, be mindful of their return policy. It's only 30 days. If you are going to send it to GIA and since you are out of state, I recommend getting something in writin that says they will waive that 30 day return policy pending the GIA report that takes 6-7 weeks. Good luck!
 
I would not send the diamond off to be GIA certified until I have established it is not clarified enhanced.
 
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