QuestionI have purchase a tanzanite gemstone online and the seller is offering a CGJL certificate of evaluation for an additional price. Can you tell me what the benefit, if any, is to having the paperwork. Any yes, I know I am doing my homework way after school is over. You quick response is appreciated.
AnswerHi, Grace. We often do our homework way after school..all of us.
As for the certificate, most Internet diamond sellers and some colored gem sellers offer the paperwork with no added charge. Why? The papers are part of the marketing and are an attempt to establish credibility with the buyer. After all, an online purchase is certainly not the same as seeing the seller face to face and knowing the seller has been there for years and will still be there next time you go by. Online sellers needed a means of "proving" what they say about the gems is valid and so the certified stone or the stone with a "cert" is the rule for higher priced items. Note, I did say higher priced items which someone would not purchase at all without seeing or with assurance of certification and return privilege. A local qualified jeweler gemologist can compare the cert to the stone and see if all is on the up and up if the buyer wants to go that far.
So, credibility of the item is one reason for having certification from a recognized gemological lab. Another reason and the one perhaps most meaningful to you is insurance. A cert can help when a stone is appraised and insurance is written for the stone but it may not lower the charge for appraisal. A cert can also help when and if you should decide to sell the stone or hand it down in an estate, for instance.
Otherwise, if you bought the tanzanite for personal use and do not feel the price requires insurance on the stone, you are likely just as well off without the papers. A local jeweler who appraises the stone for insurance will certainly view the cert but will still charge a going rate for the insurance appraisal. So, at this point do you need the cert and should you be concerned about that? Likely not needed and likely no reason for concern.
Grace, I do hope this answer helps somewhat. I am not solidly in my field in appraisal work and that it why I do not appraise items. However, your question is within my area from experience in the business. Others may offer a different opinion.
God Bless and Peace. Thomas.
