I recently discovered a website offering beautiful gemstone and diamond jewelry pieces. One in particular was a “champagne” diamond ring. The color of the diamond was largely attributed to reflections off the bright yellow gold head in which it was mounted. I could see some color zoning and a rather large clarity characteristic in the diamond. BUT HEY, the ring came complete with a diamond grading certificate and an appraisal showing the piece was actually worth twice the sale price. Wow! What a deal!
The lab was one I, nor my gemologist colleagues, had never heard of. General experience is that labs like this grade stones very liberally. In other words, the grades tend to be better than what the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) lab or some of the other well-respected labs would grade them.
As I read through the fine print about the piece, I discovered the diamond was actually clarity enhanced, meaning the clarity of the stone had been altered to look better than what it truly was. This was not disclosed in the “appraisal” or in the lab report, but rather in the small print of the item description.
Caveat Emptor! If you’re in the market for a large diamond and you want a grading certificate, make sure the grading certificate is from a respectable grading lab such as GIA or AGS. And always read the fine print. In my opinion, this ring is presented in a way to deliberately deceive potential buyers into thinking the diamond is better than it really is.
Author: Michelle M. Rahm is a GIA-trained Graduate Gemologist. She has been selling gemstones and jewelry online since 1997. Visit her websites JewelryImpressions.com and OurCustomWeddingRings.com
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