Coloured diamonds

Rocks & Co have recently been selling some beautiful 1 carat+ coloured diamond rings - green, yellow and blue. On the accompanying UGL(?) certificate, it says 'Colour: Enhanced for colour'. What does this actually mean? How are they enhanced? Did each gem start off as a white diamond and have they been coloured artificially and then heated, or what? They've been selling for around £3,500. I would have been very tempted to buy one if I had had the money.

They're either irradiated or HPHT treated. Basically they start off as a white or off white diamond and then are "processed" by whichever method they've used and it turns them a different colour. The colour is stable and permanent.

However, please shop around. That's massively expensive for a 1ct irradiated diamond. A white, high colour 1ct diamond should be around £1500-2000 and an irradiated 1ct for about £1k (sometimes much less).

Save yourself tons of money and have a look at TJC. They have both natural coloured diamonds (selling for less than the colour enhanced ones on this ridiculous channel) and also irradiated diamonds at far less.

Hi
I have been wondering about UGL certification.
I saw a blue and yellow diamonds with UGL certified being sold for about £2.5k.
I notice at the bottom of the certificate it said that the stone was heat treated? I thought that certified diamonds are natural?

Sapphireblue

Klosblue said:

I can't believe they think they'll get £3,500 for them! Anyone who pays that really needs urgent medical attention!

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Well, if the tv is to be believed, they did get buyers for them all, although the supposedly "last one" of the green diamond which sold at the weekend for £3,000 (sale price - previously offered at £3,499) I see is now back on their web shop (at double the price). This was the ring I fell in love with when I first saw it aired and I would have paid what they were asking, not knowing any better. As the saying goes "a fool and his [her] money......" Guess that qualifies me for needing urgent medical attention! :mysmilie_697:

I reckon people buy from them THEN do research when the reality hits their bank balance and then they return the item. Please please please don't pay these outrageous prices. It's criminal.

Sapphireblue - UGL is a recognised lab. However there is a hierachy of labs as you'd imagine. For diamonds the gold standard is GIA. Having a GIA cert with any diamond is the best you can have. EGL (depending on whether it's USA, Israel etc) is regarded as being much softer on grading. So, for example, GIA may grade something as H in colour and SI2 and EGL might grade the same diamond as G and SI1 or higher. One to two grades above is seen quite commonly. All of my important diamonds (to me) are GIA certified.

For coloured gemstones (depending on what you want) I'd want a GIA, IGI or AGTA certifcate (although I think AGTA have stopped doing it now). Also another thing to bear in mind is that there are different levels of reporting for coloured gemstones. Some just offer basics (probably only JUST enough to make an informed decision) whilst there are others that give you much more detail and if you're spending big bucks you want to make sure you're getting what you pay for.

Greenie said:

Well, if the tv is to be believed, they did get buyers for them all, although the supposedly "last one" of the green diamond which sold at the weekend for £3,000 (sale price - previously offered at £3,499) I see is now back on their web shop (at double the price). This was the ring I fell in love with when I first saw it aired and I would have paid what they were asking, not knowing any better. As the saying goes "a fool and his [her] money......" Guess that qualifies me for needing urgent medical attention! :mysmilie_697:

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No, not at all Greenie, you didn't actually buy it did you?

:mysmilie_17:

Klosblue said:

No, not at all Greenie, you didn't actually buy it did you?

:mysmilie_17:

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How about we all club together and buy this as a prezzie for Greenie, then she won't be able to succumb? What d'ya reckon Greenie, fancy it? xxx

argeybargey said:

How about we all club together and buy this as a prezzie for Greenie, then she won't be able to succumb? What d'ya reckon Greenie, fancy it? xxx

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Buy it? Why don't you just lend her one of yours Lurgey or did you use them all up on those young men you brought back from the Bahamas? :mysmilie_17:

TJC had a lovely natural yellow diamond on this morning in 14K gold sold I think for £1800

argeybargey said:

How about we all club together and buy this as a prezzie for Greenie, then she won't be able to succumb? What d'ya reckon Greenie, fancy it? xxx

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Oh, Argey, that's just sooooooooooo thoughtful of you :mysmilie_17:

Klos - no, I didn't actually buy - but if I had had the money available at the time I saw it aired, I would have. I still love it to look at, but I won't be ordering it now even if I do save up the money. Thanks to everyone who's made me see sense and realise that R&Co pieces are way overpriced.

The only trouble with TJC is that their size O rings are too big for me. I'm a size M and can get away with Gems/Rocks size N's if I wear them on my middle finger but an O would be too big and I don't want the bother of getting anything resized.

Klosblue said:

Buy it? Why don't you just lend her one of yours Lurgey or did you use them all up on those young men you brought back from the Bahamas? :mysmilie_17:

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LEND?​

I don't lend my precious equipment to just anyone you know! xxxx

Hi Greenie,

Don't dispair, TJC sometimes have smaller rings when the do their "close out" sales.
I bought size J diamond rings in the past. If TJC offered smaller sizes, I think I would be in trouble and would have to cut up my credit cards.

Sapphireblue