Verifying the Ring With a Local Gem Appraiser
On the same day that the ring arrived, I made an appointment with a local gemologist. If you are living in Singapore, here are 2 places you can visit to get your jewelry appraised and inspected.
1) Nan Yang Gemological Institute
2) Far East Gemological Institute
For people in other parts of the world, you can simply do a Google search for “jewelry/gem appraisal service” or “diamond grading service” to find one. If there’s no such services available near your location, you might want to consider using a 10X loupe to DIY (buy online if need be). Use the loupe to verify the laser inscription and check that the inclusions found in the grading report diagram match up.
Grading a Mounted Piece of Jewelry Isn’t Straightforward
Usually, labs or gem appraisers can grade a loose diamond with good accuracy. In my case, the appraiser gave me a disclaimer that his color grading and weight estimation of the diamond could be a little off due because my diamond was already mounted.
The appraisal process took about 30 minutes. To be honest, I was a little nervous during the wait and was looking forward to the results of the examination. But at the end of the day, the diamond checked out and I was assured of the diamond’s authenticity and quality.
– The GIA registry number that was laser inscribed on the girdle matched the number found on the grading report.
– The physical grading performed by the appraiser confirmed that the stone matched that of the diamond described by the GIA report. On this note, the appraisal was spot on as his results were almost identical.
When the appraiser asked me how much I bought the ring for, he was quite surprised when I revealed how much I paid for it. He remarked that I’ve gotten a good price for the ring and that the diamond was indeed very well cut.
And he’s right.
You can NEVER get such a good deal in the local brick and mortar stores. In Singapore, even if you can find a heart shaped diamond of similar specifications, it will cost you at least twice the amount compared to buying it online.
With that said, I am now the proud owner of a beautiful diamond ring. The next step was to take action and surprise my girlfriend with a marriage proposal.
Conclusion – That’s My Personal Story On Buying an Engagement Ring
Personally, I don’t believe there is a need to overpay for a piece of jewelry at big branded stores. Instead, I believe in paying a fair price for the quality I am getting. Buying a diamond online had worked out for me just as it had worked out for thousands of other people. Don’t let the fear of buying online pull you back from a deal that offers you MORE value for your money.
All in all, it’s a fun and interesting process, albeit a scary one especially if you had never bought anything via the Internet before. I hoped my story has inspired you to take a fresh look into the online realm of the Internet.
After a great shopping experience, I am very confident about wiring money directly (to get a further discount with this payment method) when making future purchases.
By putting in some effort in research, you can shop online with confidence too.
From the day I bought my first diamond ring, I had gone on to develop a penchant for inspecting diamonds and picked up an interest in collecting gemstones. In the process, I developed a keen eye for details when evaluating a diamond’s quality. The experience that was built up over time enabled me to complete my GIA diploma studies with ease.
I had even gone on to make many more diamond ring purchases from different jewelry retailers. If you are interested, you can read about some of them in the following links:
1) 0.52ct cushion cut diamond ring in halo setting.
2) 0.86 super ideal cut round diamond in Vatche designer ring setting.
3) 0.58 princess cut diamond in pave setting.
4) Vintage style hand engraved solitaire diamond engagement ring.
5) Fancy intense yellow cushion diamond engagement ring.
On the last note, this website is a labor of my love for diamonds and an avenue where I share my knowledge with fellow consumers. Hopefully, you had found the information on this website useful when doing your own research.
If you need any advice, feel free to contact me with any questions you have. I will be more than happy to help you out.
paul [@] beyond4cs.com
p.s.: The marriage proposal was a success. I enlisted the help of my siblings to plan a surprise for my girlfriend by the beach. If you are interested to read what I did for the proposal, continue onto the next page.
Related Articles
About The Website:
Leave A Comment
Latest Posts From Our Blog
Join Us On Social Media!
Visit The Gallery For Ideas!
6 Comments
Would you be familiar with Diamond Exchange Dallas based in Texas? They provide an appraisal document for each their diamond rings and their prices are low. Do I still need a 3rd party examination and do you have anyone you know who can do this job in the city?
I am not familiar with them but from experience, I can tell you that any jeweler or businesses that utilizes in-house appraisal reports instead of authoritative GIA/AGS certificates are out to misrepresent diamonds and overcharge consumers. It’s as simple as that.
If you are based in Dallas, this article should interest you: https://beyond4cs.com/jewelry-guide/engagement-rings-dallas-texas/
Yes, thanks. I found the book invaluable and as a result decided against a particular eBay seller who had a “no return” policy! I live in the UK and it looks like the GIA etc. are US based. Is there a UK equivalent that I should be looking for with UK sellers? I was never a fan of diamonds (even though I owned a few at that time) until I visited Tiffany and saw theirs! I was totally bowled over and have been obsessing about having one ever since. What is it about at “Tiffany diamond” which makes it so exceptionally sparkly (I don’t know the technical term for that)? Can you can a diamond as sparkly without paying for the Tiffany name? That’s why I’ve been scouring eBay. When someone advertises a Tiffany diamond ring and has the Tiffany certification etc. showing in their advert, how can a buyer be assured it will really be a Tiffany ring they are buying? I know how easily all these certificates etc. can be produced/faked. I know you say to buy from someone with good feedback and preferably a jeweller plus with a 30 day return policy so you can take it to be assessed. But, I live in Glasgow and the nearest Tiffany’s is 400 miles away in London. Can any jeweller who deals in diamonds tell if the ring is what it’s said to be? It’s all so confusing. And I’m 70 next year and my husband is so fed up with all my obsessing about this that he’s agreed to buy me a Tiffany diamond ring – but – I baulk at the cost! Please help me!
Thanks.
You actually don’t. For that reason, I seldom recommend sites like eBay or Craigslist for people buying expensive jewelry. There’s quite a bit of risk especially if you are dealing with individuals. If you want a Tiffany ring for the branding, then pony up and pay for it.
Read this: https://beyond4cs.com/reviews/tiffany/
Read up more on Beyond4cs.com. Education is the key to making smart shopping decisions.
Hey Paul. I want to say thanks again for placing so much good info on the web. Originally I thought I could save a tone by getting a clarity enhanced stone. I did purchase one, despite your advice, from a retailer named Pompeii3. Here is a photo of what they called a 3 carat, G/H, SI1-2.
The diamond had absolute no brilliance with visible black crystals on the edges of the diamond. It seemed as if they tried their best to hide them under the clasp. Furthermore, I purchased an appraisal from this company as well, which was printed on standard printer paper, which wasn’t even color. The only good thing about this purchase was the fast refund I’ve received.
I used my refund money and purchased an GIA certified diamond using all the information you provided. Case in point: dropped from 3 carat to 2 carat. Went from round diamond to cushion. Changed color to “L” and placed the stone in a yellow gold band.
The price between the 3 carat frozen spit and the 2 carat GIA diamond was only a few hundred dollars. I was able to get a beautiful ring that my fiancé loves thanks to you. I realized you don’t have to pay a premium, for a nice size beautiful stone through GIA. Also the cushion is the GIA stone. I’m sure you can tell which one is the Clarity Enhanced.
Pompeii3 is one of the vendors I blacklisted as previous readers have ran into trouble with misrepresentation. Clarity enhancement is a can of worms when it comes to buying diamonds. What happens here is that jewelers take the garbage tier diamonds that no one wants to buy and attempt to make them look better. It doesn’t change the fact that the diamonds are of poor quality and most enhancements don’t go well.
https://beyond4cs.com/engagement-ring/beware-of-cheap-diamond-deals/
https://beyond4cs.com/clarity/i2/
The image you posted shows a good example of why people should avoid clarity enhanced diamonds. Sticking with GIA protects you as a consumer. You are lucky you had some recourse. Many other consumers actually don’t.
And yes, the cushion ring looks way way way better.