How much should a stone cost before submitting for grading?

[ForteKitty]

I've been looking at Tan's stones, and am interested in a few ranging between $150-500. (not daring enough to look higher yet) At what point should I ask him to submit to the labs for grading?

AIGS is $30, and it seems kinda silly to pay that much for a $200 stone. Are there cheaper but still reliable labs I can use? i just want to make sure the stones are as he says.

 

[Arkteia]

Re: How much should a stone cost before submitting for gradi

Good question, I actually bought a pair of cheaper spinels for earrings - AGL is expensive, but maybe there are cheaper labs over there? Anyhow, if I try to grade it here, it will be way more expensive.

Should we email him and ask if there is a cheaper lab that would at least verify that the stone is not synthetic?

 

[ForteKitty]

Re: How much should a stone cost before submitting for gradi

I bought a sapphire and two tanzanites... both have some kind of inclusions. I think they were like $300, $100, and $30. I think i will have the sapphire graded, but the tanz are for pendants and to pay $30 for grading a $30 or $100 stone just seems too much!!

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Re: How much should a stone cost before submitting for gradi

Yeah, I'm wondering the same thing. I recently bought an emerald which by photo and description seems lovely, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to pay to get it certified since it'd be about 10 percent of the purchase price.

 

[morecarats]

Re: How much should a stone cost before submitting for gradi

The AIGS lab in Bangkok provides probably the most cost effective gem testing of any high quality lab in the world, though their testing has some limitations when it comes to determining lattice diffusion. Whether the cost is worth it for you is a question that only you can answer. How much do you care about buying a natural stone?

A note on the cost of AIGS testing -- AIGS charges approximately $20.00 per gem for testing, and their prices are posted on their website. That is the price you'll be charged from most dealers in Thailand, who offer AIGS reports as a service for their customers. If a dealer is charging you more than the $20, then he's trying to make a profit on the testing.

 

[Indylady]

Re: How much should a stone cost before submitting for gradi

My rule of thumb would be to cert for peace of mind. If you trust the vendor, and the piece was relatively inexpensive and not meant for a very significant piece (ie. engagement ring) then I probably wouldn't bother. Some gem types I would probably always have certed, like rubies, which are often heavily treated.

 

[T L]

Re: How much should a stone cost before submitting for gradi

I paid $30 for an AIGS on a $150 stone. I did so because I think he sold it for a steal, and I felt the stone was too nice for the price. You also suspect why someone would sell such a nice gem for so cheap, when others that are similar size and quality, are so much more expensive. You wonder "what is wrong with it???" I thought perhaps this might have been a synthetic. It came back from AIGS as natural, and even with the $30 charge, it was still a bargain. I trust Tan, but I still need to verify certain gems that are routinely treated, simulated or synthesized. I have five or six AIGS reports from Tan, on various gems that range in price from $150 to $600.

 

[smitcompton]

Re: How much should a stone cost before submitting for gradi

Hi All,

I recently purchased a heat treated sapphire that I asked Tan to submit to GIT for testing. I have yet to receive the stone, am only hoping it looks as good as the photo.
I bought an over 2 carat spinel from him for a little over two hundred and do not see a need to have a brief done on it. Why would you think of certifying a tanzi for 10.00 or 30.00. I think a ruby, sapphire or even an emerald you can find out quickly what treatments the stone has. Can't do it cheaper here.

Tan has certs listed on his website as gift cards. The brief is $30.00 and, I think GIA is $100.00 for the full. I suspect heis making a profit on them.

Thanks,
Annette

 

[chrono]

Re: How much should a stone cost before submitting for gradi

It doesn’t just depend on the cost but on the risk of synthetic, fake or treatment. For something like the chrysoberyl I purchased, it was not necessary but I asked for an AIGS for my blue sapphire (even though the blue sapphire was much cheaper than the chrysoberyl). My concern with the sapphire was not that it wasn’t a natural stone but I was concerned with the possibility of it being beryllium diffused. In my case, the sapphire was unheated, which automatically means it is not BE diffused. For gemstone varieties where there are high quality synthetics (red spinels), known for iffy treatments or where you feel the price is too good to be true, that $30 for a piece of mind is worth it.