Diamond Appraisal & History: Concerns About Authenticity

Question
Hi,

I had a diamond that belonged to my great-grandmother set in my engagement ring. Before I wound up with the stone, it had been reset a few times. The store I had the ring set at appraised the diamond as a european cut, .34 carat, SI-1, H/I diamond and added that value in with the ring. The other day it just popped in my head, what if someone switched it out for a fake stone during one of the previous resettings. The stone is not certified, because that didn't exist at the time the stone was bought. I trust the jeweler that set the stone, but my mother had it set twice in the 70s and 80s. Part of the concern came from reading that diamonds have less fire than stones like CZ, and mine seems to sparkle alot of colors in the light. But on the other hand, fake stones are usually perfect and this was not graded as such. Does the appraisal of the stone as a diamond with what seems to be a reasonable value assure me that the diamond is in fact a real diamond?

Answer
Hi Megan,

First of all I have never seen a 'european cut' CZ, particularly in a size smaller than one carat. There is a very small chance that any jeweler would switch a small relativly inexpensive diamond with a fake. The risk is to high for such a small reward. The stone is not likely to warrant a certificate in this size and cut. The old european cut is also more dispersive than a standard round brilliant. This means it reflects more prismatic colors than the new modern cut. The modern cut reflects more white light or brilliance than the old cut. Also your right that there are no fakes that have imperfections in that small a size, it is not worth the time and trouble to do it. You can be assured that your appraisal gives you proof that your diamond is in fact real.

Peter