How To Get An AGL Certificate

[iLander]

Chrono- Yes, the antique brooch that it came out of was no indicator. I asked the AGL guy about it, and he said that they couldn't judge the age of the stone because this type of synthetic has been made since the 1890's and the process hasn't changed at all.

Laurie- Yup, I'm pretty disappointed. The search continues . . .

 

[smitcompton]

Hi,

I'm sorry that this did not turn out as well as hoped. My only real comment is that I do not believe the seller didn't suspect something. The price of the ruby, for what it claimed, was far, far too low. Anyone in the business now, would have sent that stone to AGL themselves if they thought it was an unheated ruby. So, I wouldn't give kudos to litnon. I would be glad to get my money back.


Annette

 

[iLander]

I think Litnon, thinking the stone was a poorly cut antique, with a pitiful depth that precluded a recut, priced it accordingly. His market is mostly us, and the window on the thing was ginourmous, the type only a mother could love. I also think he tries to pass along deals when he can get them.

AGL did say this was not an easy synthetic to detect and they had to do chemical tests to verify it.

When I first mentioned that I would send it to AGL, he offered to pay the cert and all shipping, and refund IF it came back anything other than what was advertised. We all fully expected it to be the real thing. I think he was just as stunned as I was, if not more so.

 

[JewelFreak]

The disappointment aside, it is a huge pleasure to deal with an honest vendor, isn't it -- at least, on top of being bummed, you don't have the hassle of arguing & you know you can trust him on future purchases. That's a gigantic plus to me.

---Laurie

 

[corundum_conundrum]

Sorry Ilander--what a bummer.

This is scary, but then again we all know that rubies are a treatment/synth minefield. It does give me added admiration for AGL.

I wonder why litnon was not only confident that it was unheated, but that it was also of Burmese origin. It seems like if it was pulled from a piece of antique jewelry, while likely to be Burmese, it could also be Cambodian/Thai etc. The confidence about the origin seems quite overstated. Glad he's making good on your expenses, however...

 

[chrono]

I wonder why litnon was not only confident that it was unheated, but that it was also of Burmese origin. It seems like if it was pulled from a piece of antique jewelry, while likely to be Burmese, it could also be Cambodian/Thai etc. The confidence about the origin seems quite overstated.

I wonder about this as well. That said, trust in the business is highly important and once broken, reputations that took years to build is gone in minutes. Could it be that his trusted source failed him this time?

 

[Unbehandelte]

Hello everybody!

This is a great forum not doubt about it . I recently put myself together and became a member after a few years of lurking.
I must say however you should look at the bright side : you will get your money back ( 100%)
Outhere there are dealers who will not be so willing to give you all back , and some make a lengthy process at it. ( sort of to make you give up partly)
I have done business with Litnon ( no rubies though ) and I could been more satisfied or happy with my gems.
Your report have made me more confident to buy more from him as I know I will get my money back if anything goes wrong.

Happy Sunday everyone!

 

[Unbehandelte]

I could not been more satisfied or happy with Litnon . I meant to say that.
Sorry about omitting a word...
Happy Sunday everyone!

 

[corundum_conundrum]

by Chrono » 26 May 2013 18:47
Written by corundum_conundrum » 26 May 2013 15:36:
I wonder why litnon was not only confident that it was unheated, but that it was also of Burmese origin. It seems like if it was pulled from a piece of antique jewelry, while likely to be Burmese, it could also be Cambodian/Thai etc. The confidence about the origin seems quite overstated.


I wonder about this as well. That said, trust in the business is highly important and once broken, reputations that took years to build is gone in minutes. Could it be that his trusted source failed him this time?

Seems plausible that a good source either overstated the case or made an error in good faith.

I think its a good lesson for some vendors, though, and a caution to consumers, that claims about provenance can be overstated and mistakes are made even with the best of intentions. If I bought some Russian Demantoid or Burmese Ruby and that origin was important to me, I'd want some corroboration that the origin was as stated.

 

[slksapphire]

iLander,

I have followed your ruby journey with interest. I am so sorry to hear about the final result though kudos to the vendor for making things right without hesitation. but I think your experience only serves to remind all of us to trust but verify, through an excellent colored stone lab, only. as most of you know, I am a huge fan of AGL myself.

that being said ... getting stones to AGL, especially high-value stones, from international destinations, is a huge pain in the neck and frankly, not worthwhile IF YOU ARE TRYING TO DO IT YOURSELF AFTER BUYING A STONE. for one-time grading, it is cheapest to hand deliver the stone to AGL yourself.

fedex and dhl both have jewelry exclusions and the only way you can increase declared value (up to $50,000 for fedex) is to sign a contract w fedex. you CANNOT do this as a regular consumer, and you cannot do it for one-time shipments.

the only truly safe, insured option for shipping high-value jewelry internationally (that I could find), is through an armored security company like brinks. if I recall correctly, it would have cost about $3,000-$4,000.

I guess you could try shipping through the local postal service but in hong kong, there is a strict limit on liability and insurance.

the best options are to (1) ask the jeweler send the stone to AGL on your behalf prior to purchase (almost all of them carry shipping insurance that is much more reasonably priced) and negotiate w them on who pays for the cost of shipping and the report or (2) buy your stone at a gem fair where AGL is present.

I know these options are far from ideal, but this was what I learned when going through the process. if anyone has better information, I am all ears!!!!