Diamond Certificate Guide



The Complete Guide to Diamond Certification

Why is independent laboratory certification so important when purchasing diamonds?

A diamond's certification provides a detailed breakdown of its characteristics, including its 4Cs: carat weight, color, clarity and cut quality.

The Gemological Institute of America (GIA), in particular, is a leading authority in this field. A diamond’s final grading significantly impacts its price. Always make sure that the diamond you are considering comes with a certificate from a reputable laboratory, as this will ensure that you are paying a fair price for its true quality.

In this article we cover everything you need to know about diamond certification and why the certification itself may be more important than the 4Cs they rate.

The topics we will cover in this article are:

  • What is a diamond certificate?
  • What should I pay attention to in the diamond certificate?
  • What is the best diamond certificate?
  • Are GIA certified certificates better?
  • Frequently asked questions about diamond certification

What is a Diamond Certificate?

Diamond certificates or grading reports are issued by accredited gemological laboratories.

Diamond certificates according to 4Cs

  • C arat (carat weight)
  • C olor (colour)
  • Clarity (clarity, cleanliness, stain rate etc.)
  • Cut (Cutting quality)

Contains information and grades for each characteristic of the diamond based on

HOWEVER… There are many factors other than 4C that affect the price, and this is where we come into play.

You should also obtain and review the lab certificate for every diamond you are considering. This lab report or certificate will be issued by the grading agency and will describe various elements of the diamond, such as color, clarity, length and width.

Each organization grades and describes Diamonds differently.

There are different laboratory units and it is important to know which ones are more stringent and which ones are more flexible (weak).

IMPORTANT

Since diamond certificates are not created equal, the price and value of diamonds cannot be compared between different certificates.

A 1 ct F VS2 GIA certified stone

You cannot compare it in value with a 1 ct F VS2 IGI certified stone.

This is misleading..

Make sure you purchase a certified diamond from a highly reputable grading organization and examine the diamond closely before purchasing.

If you have a diamond in mind and would like to get expert advice on its certification, Contact us.

What to Consider in a Diamond Ring Certificate?

Consistency comes first

When comparing laboratory grading units, it is more important to pay attention to consistency rather than strictness of grading.

For example, the GIA will not grade a diamond the same way the IGI grades a diamond. The reliability of color and clarity grades, and in some cases cut grades, are only as good as the reputation of the laboratory issuing the certificate.

But if one lab consistently gives a higher clarity rating than another lab, that lab is in no way less "original."

GIA, the world leader in certification, puts it this way: “The GIA Diamond Grading Report is similar to a home deed or vehicle registration in that it provides information about your purchase, and this information can be used to determine the value of the purchase.”

You may think you have found a very attractive stone . A diamond with a G color IGI certification. However, when you take it home, you notice that the diamond has a yellow tint. This is because the diamond is actually an I color according to the GIA certification, and the IGI offers a weak certification.

Rather than simply comparing grades between certifications, look for consistency in the organization's grading decisions.

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Both of these diamonds have a clarity grade of “SI2”.
One of them has EGL certificate,
the other by GIA.
Can you tell which is which?

Diamond grading is subjective

All Diamond grading is subjective and contrary to popular belief, there is no central organization that mathematically defines what "G" color is or what "SI1" clarity looks like.

If one lab consistently calls a color grade a "G" while another lab consistently calls the same color an "H," that is perfectly acceptable and reasonable, as long as they do so consistently.

It is important to remember that even if an organization is consistent in its ratings, this does not necessarily mean that the organization is trustworthy and reliable.

No one wants to buy a diamond with a poor certification at a high price; you won't get what you paid for, even if the certification lab consistently rates it that way.

Considering the price on the certificate

Regardless of the certificate you receive, the price of the diamond should be heavily evaluated. The price should reflect the true quality, beauty and cut of the diamond, both in the certificate and to the naked eye.

If you are unsure whether a diamond is a good or a very high price, have it inspected by a diamond expert before purchasing.

Contact us for questions about diamond prices and certifications.

Different certification laboratories give different results

Every lab has its own quirks. Some are more lax about grading, others are more lax about color grading. Some labs always boost certain color ranges, while others prefer certain additive arrangements.

Smart Diamond manufacturing cutting companies use this information, gained from sending thousands of diamonds to different labs each month, to maximize the certification results they can receive.

Knowing which labs are reliable and consistent will help you avoid purchasing a Diamond that is worth much less than what is stated on the certificate.

What Are the Best Diamond Certificates?

The best diamond certifications are GIA and AGS because they are the most consistent laboratory grading organizations. This means you can trust their grading for every aspect, such as color, clarity, and hue.

Diamond Cut. These labs also grade more meticulously than other labs. When a diamond comes with a GIA or AGS certificate, you can trust what the report says. Therefore, if your budget allows, we recommend that you only buy diamonds with GIA and AGS certificates in Natural Diamonds.

For man-made diamonds, we rank them as GIA, HRD and IGI.

The two best Diamond certifications are:

  1. GIA (Gemological Institute of America)
  2. AGS (American Gemstone Society)

1. GIA Certificate

GIA (Gemological Institute of America) is the most respected and recognized Diamond grading organization. They are incredibly consistent and provide the ultimate peace of mind when purchasing any diamond.

The GIA has a reputation for more stringently grading Color and Clarity, the most subjective scales.

2. AGS Certificate

AGS (American Gem Society) is proud to be the original laboratory providing diamond cut grades. Long before GIA introduced cut grades a few years ago, AGS offered its unique cut grade scale of 0 to 9 (0 being “ideal”).

AGS often tries to present itself as a bit more flashy and elegant than GIA. In reality, there is little to no difference between the two laboratories. AGS still sells excellent round cut Diamonds, which are the preferred choice of many retailers.

It is very common for companies to use AGS for branded super ideal Diamonds (such as True Hearts or Hearts on Fire), but AGS is not commonly used for non-round Diamonds.

3. IGI Certificate

IGI (International Gemological Institute) started out as the blue-collar workhorse of the Diamond business.

They were the most popular jewelry lab for major jewelry chains in the United States and Canada, such as Kay, Zales and others.

IGI is like a factory: they work fast and their prices are much better than GIA's, which cater to Diamond dealers but not to the end consumer.

While IGI promotes itself as a top-tier lab, unfortunately, this is not the case. In our extensive experience in the diamond industry, we have consistently found their grading to be lax and less consistent than industry standard bearers like GIA.

Even the largest jewelry insurance underwriter writes:

“The most reliable Diamond certificates (also called Diamond reports) come from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and the American Gem Society (AGS). These are the most respected laboratories known for their accuracy and professionalism. These reports are not appraisals and do not carry valuations. Certificates from other sources are generally suspect and should not be relied upon by underwriters.”

Likewise, Dateline raised serious questions about the integrity of the IGI in 2005 regarding its evaluation values.

Purchasing a diamond with an independent certification should give you peace of mind knowing that your diamond is of the quality and value claimed. Due to our years of expertise, we do not believe that IGI certifications provide this assurance.

To learn more about how IGI grades, we sent four Diamonds to various lab organizations for Clarity and Color grading, including IGI, EGL, GSI, and HRD. Since these two categories are the most subjective, we knew they would tell us a lot about how IGI grades Diamonds.

IGI Diamond

Colour

Sharpness

1

G

SI1

2

F

SI2

3

F

SI1

4

H

SI1

4. EGL Certificate

EGL (European Gemological Laboratory) greatly and inconsistently exaggerates its quality claims. You may think you are getting a better deal when considering an EGL certified diamond. In reality, the price is greatly inflated for an inferior product.

Unfortunately we have seen many customers purchase an EGL certified diamond thinking they have found a great price, only to find they have been tricked into buying. I wish they had hit the Contact Us button sooner so we could help them make an informed purchase.

As an example of one of these sales gimmicks, we found the EGL certified 1.00 Carat H VS1 ideal cut online for $4,450. At first glance, it seems like an incredible deal. However, in reality, when EGL claims it is an H VS1, 50% of the time it is actually a J SI1 and 50% of the time it is a J SI2 or K SI1: not an H VS1.

Looking for a GIA certified Diamond that is two or three Color grades lower or one or two Clarity grades lower will allow you to purchase a higher quality Diamond at a cheaper price.

Bottom line: Do not buy an EGL certified Diamond. No matter how "cheap" it may seem to you compared to GIA certified diamonds, it is all a game.

Any EGL certified stone on the market is, by definition, more expensive than its GIA certified counterpart.

Our founder Ira Weissman delves deeper into this topic in the video below:

As proof, we sent the same four Diamonds to EGL to receive Color and Clarity ratings, the most subjective scales.

It is clear that EGL grades Diamonds higher than other labs. For example, an EGL graded Diamond with a VS2 Clarity cannot be compared to a VS2 graded by GIA. Therefore, the price and value of an EGL diamond cannot be compared to a GIA certified diamond and is not equivalent.

Additionally, the two EGL labs that graded these diamonds gave different results. The inconsistency between labs makes it difficult to trust the grading and verify the true quality and value of an EGL diamond.

EGL Diamond

EGL Color

EGL Israel Clarity

Colour

Sharpness

1

H

SI1

H

SI1

2

G

SI1

F

VS2

3

AND

SI1

F

SI1

4

G

VS2

F

VS2

5.HRD Certificate

HRD (Hoge Raad voor Diamond) is a European-based Diamond grading agency. Generally not considered a legitimate alternative in the United States, HRD still claims to be the world's authority on Diamond grading.

We have experienced incredible inconsistencies in HRD grading over the years. They typically average about two Color and/or Clarity grades above the GIA grade. HRD graded Diamonds often command much higher returns than equivalent GIA graded Diamonds.

This allows Diamond companies to make significant profits.

To provide a comparison between HRD grading and other labs, we sent four stones to various lab units. In the table below, you can see that HRD graded the same four diamonds better than GIA in the Color and Clarity categories: two highly subjective ratings.

The clear difference between the ratings suggests that it is not prudent to compare apples to apples between laboratory units. Simply put, an F Color rating given by HRD will not mean the same thing as a GIA F Color diamond.

The price you would pay for an HRD diamond cannot be compared to the value and quality of a GIA graded diamond, even if it is a grade or two higher.

HRD Diamond

Colour

Sharpness

1

H

SI1

2

F

SI1

3

G

SI2

4

G

SI1

If you are considering a diamond with an HRD certification, we suggest you think again. We recommend that you only purchase diamonds that come with a GIA or AGS certification.

6. GSI Certificate

GSI (Gemological Science International) is a new rating agency that has only been around for a few years. Unfortunately, they did not come to the industry with new ideas or innovative technologies. They built their business by catering to large retail chains in the United States such as Jared Jewelry Gallery , and Zales .

Scoring these big companies means millions of dollars in business. Capital Forum claims that GSI took Sterling's (parent company of Kay, Jared and Zales) business from IGI by opening a lab down the street from their headquarters to make collaboration easier and significantly lower their prices.

We found that the GSI grading was not only looser than the gold standards (GIA and AGSL laboratories), but also weaker than the next level up (IGI and HRD). The GSI also does not provide consistent grading, for example by setting grades to 1 or 2 grades and trying to calculate value.

For these reasons, we do not recommend purchasing diamonds with GSI certification. We strongly recommend purchasing only diamonds with GIA or AGS certification. By doing this, you know what you are actually getting and can compare apples to apples. Retailers do not use false certifications such as GSI to give consumers a better deal; they do it to make more money from consumers.

To show how GSI grades diamonds compared to other labs, we sent four stones to GSI, IGI, HRD, EGL, and GIA. We got significantly different results for the two most subjective categories: Color and Clarity.

The GSI grades some diamonds higher than the GIA and some lower, making it difficult to determine the consistency of the GSI grade. When looking for a diamond, it is very important to choose one that has been certified by a trusted and consistent organization like the GIA so you know that what you are purchasing matches the true value of the stone.

GSI Diamond

Colour

Sharpness

1

I

SI2

2

H

SI2

3

G

SI2

4

H

SI1

Diamond Certification FAQ

How important is a diamond certificate?

Diamond certification is essential for any diamond because it verifies and explains what you are purchasing. Without a certificate from a trusted laboratory, there is no way of knowing if the diamond you are purchasing is the diamond the seller claims it is. The diamond certificate includes details such as cut quality, color grade, carat weight, and other characteristics. Having proof of what you are purchasing is very important, especially when it comes to a major purchase such as a diamond.

Does my diamond really need a certificate?

Yes, your diamond needs a certificate because without a certificate, there is no way to know what you are actually purchasing. The certificate provides proof of carat weight, cut quality, color grade, clarity, and more. Without a certificate, you cannot know for sure if the diamond is real or synthetic.

What is the difference between certified and non-certified diamonds?

A certified diamond has been evaluated by a third-party lab and comes with a certificate, whereas a non-certified diamond does not. Certified diamonds can be trusted more because they have been verified by a professional gemologist. With a non-certified diamond, it is difficult to know if things like the color and cut quality of the diamond are what the seller claims. For this reason, we only recommend diamonds that are certified by reputable labs such as GIA and AGS.

What is the difference between a diamond certificate and a diamond grading report?

Nothing! Sometimes you will see one grading lab refer to their report as a certificate, while other labs refer to it as a grading report. Both provide information about a Diamond that has been visually examined by a gemologist.

In conclusion Recommendation

If you are buying online, use: James Allen’s highly recommended state of the art Diamond viewing tool or Blue Nile’s 360° Videos and stick with GIA or AGS certification as the most consistent lab available. We have witnessed many major mistakes at each of the major gemological labs and want to ensure you make a safe and smart purchase.

Remember that you are not buying a piece of paper, but a Diamond. If you have any doubts about the paperwork or any other issue, do not hesitate. Contact our experts and run it by us.

Solution

We only recommend diamonds that are GIA or AGS certified because we know their grading is consistent, reliable, and trustworthy. We only work with vendors (e.g. James Allen or Brian Gavin Diamonds ) that emphasize these two labs.

If you have questions about lab certifications or need help ensuring you are only purchasing a high quality Diamond, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Here are some more specific certification topics you can look into:

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