I understand the point about buying a diamond if you love how it looks, regardless of the cert. However, my issue with EGL is -if the stone is graded incorrectly, I don't know if I'm paying a fair price. For example, I wouldn't want to pay for an F, VS1, when the diamond is actually an I, SI2.
EGL Diamonds
- Thread starter Kimf79
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I did not mean to imply that one buys diamonds from the GIA or the EGL. I should have said good diamonds can be obtained "bearing" either certification.
Your article does state that the GIA is, in general, more conservative that the EGL. And that GIA diamonds sell (and therefore resell) for a premium over EGL graded diamonds. Those two factors combined with the fact the GIA is a non profit organization makes my preference for a GIA graded diamond that much stronger.
Your article does state that the GIA is, in general, more conservative that the EGL. And that GIA diamonds sell (and therefore resell) for a premium over EGL graded diamonds. Those two factors combined with the fact the GIA is a non profit organization makes my preference for a GIA graded diamond that much stronger.
This! For me at least. I have nothing against certifications and dot have a preference but because I have a very untrained eye I would prefer to have someone help me make the decision for me. I view AGS and GIA and EGL as companies to help make my decision easier I guess and the premium is in the service I receive with the consistency of their name. I was scared of getting ripped off and paying more for what it really was.
That being said, I would have loved to have an EGL stone for cheaper if I knew how to visually tell the difference. But unfortunately my untrained eye and lack of knowledge can't be trusted to such a decision. Therefore I as a consumer have to pay more for that piece of mind. Had I been more trained like ame, sk or swanky I may have opted for EGL.... But I'm not and it's the price I gotta pay to put some of my over compulsive tendencies to rest.
I agree 2manybags. If I were interested in an EGL stone I would insist to the jeweler (at my expense) that the stone was sent for grading by the GIA and compare the two reports.
I personally have sold a GIA diamond and received approxmiately 80% of the stone's original purchase price when it was sold back years later. (It was not resold to the same jeweler) I highly doubt I could have received as much if it was an EGL graded stone.
I personally have sold a GIA diamond and received approxmiately 80% of the stone's original purchase price when it was sold back years later. (It was not resold to the same jeweler) I highly doubt I could have received as much if it was an EGL graded stone.
I have never had one EGL and not even in the future period
However, my sister in-law has and tried to trade in. That was they told them. They were even told her upfront before she purchased that stone from them. She decided to get because it was cheaper than GIA's. Not too long ago, she wants to upgrade to GIA stone, and that same jewelry store she bought from wasn't want to take it back. So, go figure
I don't understand this.
When you upgrade, you're upgrading the stone NOT the certificate.
And my guess is if you were to take your stone to different appraisers, each would see something different about your stone.
And diamonds like everything else are "negotiable" in price- regardless of what some "certificate" says.
Yes, any one can send any diamond to one of the grading labs to be certified. I think people tend to trust GIA better because of marketing or whatever (and because EGL did use to be pretty shady) so those diamonds command a higher price for peace of mind. My EGL stone is a I VS2, and I sent it to GIA it would likely be a J VVS1. I guess if I felt like my stone had been color graded correctly and I wanted to sell it myself, it would benifit me to send it to GIA as I would likely move up in the clarity grading and then would have a GIA cert to command a better price.
That being said. A diamond is a diamond. They should be bought on personal preference and how you feel about the stone when you look at it. If the price is reasonable for what you want..then great.
And because I've wanted to use this forever:
To be fair, there appears to be many websites that also claim that GIA are stricter with their certification than EGL, including jewellers that have tested the two by sending diamonds to both and found differences in the results - the GIA showing lower gradings than the EGL.
The argument for charging more for a GIA stone appears to be because a GIA I colour grading, could be graded as a G with EGL. Therefore you have to look at a higher graded colour, more expensive EGL certified diamond to compare like for like. (I am using this as an example for one I have found online).
I have never sent a diamond both to GIA and EGL to get a direct comparison. I am only going off what I have read by jewellers/wholesalers who have done this. I am just trying to balance the argument put forward in the above article.
Well I don't think EGL USA has a clarity grading issue, but I do think they do sometimes have a color grading issue. Lets say you found a EGL F VS1, and you really liked it and it was $3000 cheaper than the GIA counterpart. You could always have it sent to GIA to be graded which I think costs a few hundred dollars, but you'd have peace of mind and a whole lot of extra money to spend on something else. The other thing is to veiw it loose side by side, upside down with a GIA F on a white surface, and see if you see a difference. Thats the free way to do it
I am going to post this so everyone hopefully sees it:
One thing to note, a stone that was graded by GIA 10 years ago that might not show any wear, might come back with a different grade this year. Even GIA isn't except from adaptation.
Well if you're buying an EGL-USA graded stone, that kind of discrepancy is EXTREMELY rare. EGL-ISR or Otherwise...well you might be lucky if it's anywhere near that.
You will overall pay less for an EGL graded stone because many retailers know that the GIA marketing did cause the perceptions to shift. But that doesn't make it any lower quality. It means that someone wanted to pay less to cert it or wanted it certed faster.
Yes anyone can submit to GIA or even AGS for another grading report. It's not necessarily worth the cost. Regrading really isn't too expensive on the whole. It's also usually done within 2 weeks. A lot of why people send to EGL is because the report is less expensive and can be done faster in many cases. EGL-USA has REALLY turned it around. They have made serious strides in accuracy.
One thing to note, a stone that was graded by GIA 10 years ago that might not show any wear, might come back with a different grade this year. Even GIA isn't except from adaptation.
Well if you're buying an EGL-USA graded stone, that kind of discrepancy is EXTREMELY rare. EGL-ISR or Otherwise...well you might be lucky if it's anywhere near that.
You will overall pay less for an EGL graded stone because many retailers know that the GIA marketing did cause the perceptions to shift. But that doesn't make it any lower quality. It means that someone wanted to pay less to cert it or wanted it certed faster.
I disagree with that. Whether or not they profit from their services doesn't at all imply any sort of objectivity.
EGL USA is actually fairly close to GIA and has in many cases been harsher on a stone, especially in more recent years. EGL"OTHER" is ...well....generally hilariously off. EGL USA is usually more conservative on clarity than the others, and GIA seems to be more conservative on color. I think each lab has stronger suits than the others. They're all kind of a for-profit entity. GIA has schools to fund, not to mention they all charge a price for their grading services. I paid for my education there, and I've also paid for a grading report. They aren't in it to make a fortune per se, but enough to make it worth the while of continuing education.
EGL USA is softer on grading than GIA. The report doesn't make your diamond what it is - it was born that way, lol. But the lab report will determine price, so GIA is better for the consumer. If you're considering an EGL stone, there's nothing wrong with it, just know that GIA would likely grade it up to 2 color grades lower and 1 clarity grade lower (almost definitely on color, clarity can go either way).
So the same stone that gets an EGL F, VS2 might get a GIA H, VS2 or SI1, for example. Make sure you're comparing apples with apples, that's all.
So the same stone that gets an EGL F, VS2 might get a GIA H, VS2 or SI1, for example. Make sure you're comparing apples with apples, that's all.
I would agree with color, but clarity is usually on par. I don't know how much softer I'd say EGLUSA is to GIA just from what I've seen of late. I think EGL USA is often stricter lately than GIA. Just from what I am seeing pop up in the queues for sale I can tell than GIA has gotten softer on clarity for sure. Color I still think they're the best at.
That article was all opinion 
I did like his explanation about how long it takes GIA to turn around which is money lost for jewelers trying to sell the stones = mark up.
I think people just have to decide who they are. . .
are you the person that HAS TO HAVE a GIA certified stone? In the big picture, does it really matter to you?
Or are you someone who wants an amazing stone and as long a reputable company certifies it {GIA, EGL, etc . . . .} and you LOVE the way it looks you're happy?
Most consumers don't even know what GIA or EGL is. And even fewer are so discerning that they'd shun anything but a GIA stone.
I did like his explanation about how long it takes GIA to turn around which is money lost for jewelers trying to sell the stones = mark up.
I think people just have to decide who they are. . .
are you the person that HAS TO HAVE a GIA certified stone? In the big picture, does it really matter to you?
Or are you someone who wants an amazing stone and as long a reputable company certifies it {GIA, EGL, etc . . . .} and you LOVE the way it looks you're happy?
Most consumers don't even know what GIA or EGL is. And even fewer are so discerning that they'd shun anything but a GIA stone.