Rap star Mod Sun and award winning singer Avril Lavigne announced their engagement from Paris. She posted pictures on Instagram, revealing a romantic scene featuring Sun proposing on one knee with the Eiffel Tower in full view.
Sun gave his girlfriend a heart-shaped, 4-carat natural diamond ring, estimated to be worth around $200,000. Some jewelers have referred to the stone as “flawless,” which would account for such a high price tag.
Unlike celebs with deep pockets, fellow millennials who are shopping for engagement rings will probably be trying to find a good middle ground between quality and price. In most cases, jewelry sold by retail stores will be certified by gemological labs like GIA, AGS, EGL, and IGI. These organizations have technicians who manually rate stones according to the GIA 4Cs.
Experts understand that most jewelers will not agree on a particular appraisal, even when there is a certificate from GIA. This poses a frustrating problem for consumers who want to know the value of their diamond.
Examining a gemstone under a magnifying glass is an arduous process and it requires a lot of time to complete all 4Cs criteria. But a far more concerning issue with laboratories is that grading is a heavily subjective process that is based purely on individual perception.
Computer science and hi-tech have solved this problem at a modern lab run by Sarine Technologies. Leading the industry since 1998, the company manufactures professional hardware and software used by gem producers worldwide.
The corporate labs offer convenient direct-to-consumer services including electronic grading, which provides the most accurate certification available. Using artificial intelligence, Sarine’s ultra-high resolution gemstone scanners measure attributes of color, cut, clarity and carat weight.
An added benefit of the service is Sarine’s light performance grading, that isn’t available at any other lab in the world. The precision results derived from the company exceed industry standards, which ensures that a stone is correctly appraised.
Computer automation makes this process much more affordable than GIA, and with much quicker turnaround times. Gemstones are expensive investments, so even if a jewel has a certificate from other labs, it’s a smart idea to get it verified and certified by Sarine.
Terry Forrester is a gemologist at Donner Bros, a Cincinnati-based jewelry store. “We are all gradually moving towards computing for the best appraisal of polished diamonds and other precious stones,” he said in a recent interview for an industry magazine.
“We’ve been using specialized jewelry software now for years, so it’s surprising that appraisal is still being performed under a microscope. Computers are much more accurate and cost effective.”
Avril Lavigne is not new to the world of diamonds. She received two very expensive rings from former husband Chad Kroeger. He even gave her a swank 20-carat piece worth a cool million dollars.
Tina Webley, a sales executive from the London based jewelry manufacturer Sperice Ltd., explained that if a 20-carat jewel really did cost that much, then she could make an educated guess about the quality of stone.
“If a 20-carat diamond is seven figures, then its quality is most likely a VS1 clarity with an H color, which is truly excellent exceptional,” she said. “VS1” stands for “Very Slightly Included.”
According to Webley, the heart-shaped diamond Lavigne received from Mod Sun is probably an “IF clarity with E color.” This means that pound-for-pound it’s a better specimen than the one from her last marriage. The stone is nearly flawless, making it among the best gems one could buy.
The only way for Ms. Lavigne to really know the quality of Mod Sun’s gift would be to send it to a lab that performs electronic grading. That might not be her priority right now because she’s too busy being head-over-heels in love with her new soulmate.
