Need some help with diamond selection.

[Gixxerlance]

Good morning all,

I need some help picking a diamond. First of all what is so bad about EGL certified diamonds it seems like you can get so much more for you money. the only problem with EGL and whiteflash is i am not elgible for the lifetime trade up or buy back program.

Item Code: 7324723
Price: $4,332.00
Report: EGL
Shape: Round
Cut: Ideal
Carat: 1.34
Color: F
Clarity: SI2
Depth: 63
Table: 57
Girdle: M-
Polish: Very Good
Symmetry: Very Good
Culet: None
Fluorescence: No
Measurements: 6.90-6.93X4.40

Item Code: 8672341
Price: $4,371.00
Report: GIA
Shape: Round
Cut: Ideal
Carat: 1.13
Color: E
Clarity: SI2
Depth: 62.8
Table: 58
Girdle: TN-STK
Polish: Very Good
Symmetry: Very Good
Culet: None
Fluorescence: Medium Blue
Measurements: 6.61-6.66X4.17

the diamond will be going in this settings. http://www.whiteflash.com/Engagement-Rings/Styles/Diamond-Settings/Diamonds-for-an-Eternity-2_968.htm

Any reccomnedations is appreciated.

Thanks

Lance

 

[belle]

Date: 3/27/2006 10:59:34 AM
Author:Gixxerlance

First of all what is so bad about EGL certified diamonds it seems like you can get so much more for you money.

things are not always what they seem

think about it for a minute...
a diamondtaire cuts a stone and has the option of having it graded by egl, gia or ags. if the stone were to get the top grade at any of the 3 labs which would he send it to? gia is the most widely known. ags has tight standards. egl has a reputation of being ''soft''
there is a reason that certain stones are sent to egl for grading and a reason why some vendors don''t offer trade ups on egl stones.
can you find a needle in the haystack? absolutely, but you will need much more information on the stone to determine the actual quality. more information = more time and more money. if you have plenty of both and need that sense of victory, then let the hunt begin! otherwise, save some time, effort and $$$$ by taking a few steps out of the process. get an ags or gia graded stone with the information already available.

 

[littlelysser]

Folks around here seem very anti EGL, which I understand to an extent. However, EGL is a reputable lab and it isn''t like some of these other random "certifications" that exist out there. To a certain extent, folks here kind of act like EGS = automatic crap stone and that just isn''t the case.

There is information somewhere on here that shows the results of the grading of EGL, GIA and AGS. It is interesting and worth looking at. EGL is known to sometimes be soft on color.

However, if you get the stone from someone you trust, an EGL stone can be a great value.

 

[indecisive]

Also, like belle was saying, EGL is considered "soft" on grading so is it really a great deal to get an F SI2 EGL for cheaper than the same quality GIA/AGS when the EGL may really be an G I1? From everything we have found there are no amazing deals on diamonds, except maybe estate pieces, and in general you get what you pay for.

 

[Gixxerlance]

Thanks for the replies...it looks like I am going to go with a GIA/AGS diamond. what key things should i look for aside from

Cut
Color
Clarity

Is G/H diamonds okay on a white gold platinum band

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 3/27/2006 11:26:53 AM
Author: littlelysser
To a certain extent, folks here kind of act like EGS = automatic crap stone and that just isn''t the case.

Not all the time actually. I have an EGL graded diamond and I love it and couldn''t be happier with it. I went larger and enjoyed the saving compared to a GIA graded diamond. However EGL can have a reputation of being softer on clarity and colour grading than the other labs by all accounts, but this doesn''t mean that many of their diamonds aren''t accurately graded. As Belle says there is a reason that cutters choose EGL to send a diamond too rather than GIA or AGS, because it is likely that EGL could give the diamond a better grade. I found a great deal with my diamond, it takes some work and knowledge, but it can be done - I bought the diamond and not the paper if you like. But many don''t choose to work this way and would rather go for a GIA or AGS certed diamond, as she says this does seem to take a lot of the guess work out of it.

But yes, you can get more for your money with an EGL cert in certain circumstances.

 

[atroop711]

Hi..

You should also gather all of the numbers for the depth, angle, table, crown, pavillion, ect. These numbers should be placed into the HCA and then you can get an idea of your stone. I have an H color with stong blue flour. set in WG and it looks so white, you can''t tell that it is an H. GL

 

[strmrdr]

The first question is always which EGL.
EGL usa is usualy close the others forget it.