I PURCHASED A 2 CARAT LAVENDER PURPLE DIAMOND WAS I CHEATED?

[rachelle]

I TRIED TO ATTACH A PICTURE BUT IT WOULD NOT LET ME. I PURCHASED A SUPPOSEDLY LAVENDER COLORED DIAMOND THAT IS VS1 QUALITY. I HAVE NOT GOTTEN MY OWN APPRAISAL YET, BUT IT IS A REAL DIAMOND ACCORDING TO A DIAMOND TESTER AT SAMS. I DO NOT KNOW IF IT IS NATURALY THAT COLOR OR NOT. CAN SOME ONE TELL ME WHAT I AM LOOKING AT? IT IS ROUND CUT AND A VERY LOVELY COLOR NOT WASHED OUT LOOKING PLEASE ASK FOR A PICTURE IF NEEDED. ANYWAY SHE BOUGHT IT AT AN ESTATE SALE AND I PURCHASED IT FROM HER. HER JEWELER SAID IT IS WORTH AS A TOTAL RING 8,000 BUT THAT DOES NOT SOUND RIGHT BECAUSE THAT IT INCLUDES 2 VS1 1/2 CARAT TRILIANS ON THE SIDES. WHAT WOULD SOMETHING LIKE THIS BE WORTH? THANK YOU I CAN USE ALL THE HELP I CAN GET.

 

[valeria101]

Sorry, but this does sound unusual. Assuming the stone is diamond with the slightest pink-ish tint to it and it still would have the same value as a D color. A 2 carat D/VS does not seem to be priced 8k - three times sounds more like it.

Either this is the deal of the century, or something quite a bit different.

Diamond testers do not work on everything. And there is more than one type of tester - bottom line, I would not trust such a tool given the circumstraces.

This is one great case for an appraisal, IMO. Even the most expensive such service would not manage to put a dent in the "greatest deal" status of the ring but could really save you some trouble if this turns out to be less than a deal.

I am definitely not an expert on diamond treatments, but light pink is not frequently found as a result of diamond enhancement at all. The cases I know of were made via coating or fracture filling with a light colored substance. Both would put the value of the stone under serious questioning. What really is the case here, only an impartial professional could tell, stone in hand. Double vote for an independent appraisal here !

Just my 0.2, of course.

 

[rachelle]

I agree with you on the price sounding wrong. I do not have a jeweler around here that i trust. and i do not want it out of my sight. it is not a light pink it looks like the color of the add above that says signature series diamonds. Every jeweler i took it to wanted to know how much i payed and where i got it. Then they wnated me to leave it with them along with telling me I was cheated and how about selling it to them! I think her jeweler must not know what he is talking about. he says retail on the ring would be 7200 and 8000 value. I purchased it off ebay for 1,200

 

[strmrdr]

hit this link and see if one of the listed independant appraisers are close to you.
https://www.pricescope.com/appr_list.asp
If so take it to them.
If not then post the city your in/near and maybe someone will know of a decent appraiser near you.

 

[valeria101]

----------------
On 9/18/2004 11:48:40 PM rachelle wrote:



Then they wnated me to leave it with them along with telling me I was cheated and how about selling it to them! I think her jeweler must not know what he is talking about. he says retail on the ring would be 7200 and 8000 value. I purchased it off ebay for 1,200----------------

This definitely sounds wrong... but not that unusual.

There are quite a few stories like this on PS - the most recent a horror story about two "appraisals" a light year apart just because one "appraiser" was providing an overstated insurance value (usual practice too) and the other in selling... Ridiculous! (LINK)

You would need to meet with an appraiser and gemologist, not a jeweler. By definition, this would be a business that only does appraisals and does not sell or buy jewelry.

As far as I understand, it is not an evaluation of the piece (obtaining an estimate value), but the identification of the gems that is crucial here. This can be done very well by a gemological laboratory - say, EGL. Obviously these guys are not going to keep your ring and have no interest in identifying the piece otherwise than it really is.

In all honesty, I do not believe that the center stone is a diamond, but it could well be something valuable as well. And I know of at least one other story of a rare fancy color diamond bought for a pittance (this one was green and confused with... peridot by the seller). Miracles are, by definition, but they do happen.

A 2 carat strong pink and eye clean is already well in the realm of legend and worth a trip to one of the few places dealing with such gems. It would be a gem lab or very reputable business if you choose to trust one. It is much easier to trust someone providing gemological info and an identification of the gems than an appraisal of value - at least as far as I understand these things.

Judging from your experience in jewelry stores, I can't blame you for not trusting anyone!

 

[rachelle]

i check the list and there is no one in my area to appraise it. How do I get it to lab like egl? Does anyone know how much it costs?

 

[rachelle]

how do i put a picture on? It keeps saying error or file does not exist.

 

[quaeritur]

Try changing the name of the file to something unusual and make sure it's smaller than 100K.

 

[rachelle]

I tried all that one of the members is going to try to post if for me. It is really beautiful.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Purple diamonds are extremely rare and even more valuable than pinks.
I paid $17,200 per carat for .02ct vivid pink stones last week.
You have been ripped off. The stone will be irradiated.

 

[rachelle]

I do not care if it is "fixed" just as long as it is a real diamond. I would like to know how much a stone like that is possibly worth "fixed" or natural. If anyone wants a picture please send me your email address and I will get one right out.

 

[diamondsbylauren]

I have to agree with Garry here.
A 2 carat diamond with a noticable pink color- say Fancy Light Pink- could start at about $100K.

If it is a treated diamond with a nice pink color it would still be worth $8000-$12000.
The fact that you paid $1200 raises all kinds of red falgs.
But if it was a private individual , anything is possible.

Enjoy!

 

[hoorray]

Why don't you call one of the independent appraisers who participate here and discuss sending the stone to them. There are several who are very knowledgable and reputable, and it would be completely safe to send your stone to them. They do not deal in these stones, so would give you a independent opinion without the bias of these jewelers you have talked to.

I, and others here, have used Rich Sherwood at Sarasota Gem Labs, and would completely trust him in this situation. Many others have used David Atlas with glowing results. The others listed here are all qualified and independant also.

 

[rachelle]

yes it is a private individual. I got more info from her today. Her "jeweler" is a family friend who does not deal as much with diamonds as he does with gold. He has been semi retired for several years. would this make a difference with his appraisal?

 

[reena]

as others have suggested, you should use an independent appraiser, ie, one unaffiliated with the seller of your stone.

 

[rachelle]

thank you those are great suggestions. I am going to try one more here he is an AGS member and has an accredited gem lab, BBB too? Do any of these things mean anything? DO you know how long the color enhancement stuff has been around?