You do not wish to get ripped off when purchasing that engagement ring that costs a fortune. Especially if it’s for your dearly beloved, right? So you need to learn how to read and understand a diamond certificate, such as a GIA certification.
For the majority of people, this is a once-in-a-lifetime purchase and diamond retailers know this. Unscrupulous vendors could use this to take advantage of your lack of knowledge because it tends to be confusing, especially for first-time buyers. However, there are many vendors who are on the level when it comes to selling their products as you can see in this Brilliant Earth review.
Diamond certificates are your best ammo so you won’t get ripped off when purchasing a diamond. So in this post, we’re going to tell you everything you need to know about diamond certification. In this way you can make purchases with confidence and peace of mind.
An Ultimate Guide to GIA Certification
So first things first. What you need to know when reading your diamond certificate is who made it in the first place? There are a few diamond certificates out there, but we are going to focus on GIA certification.
The GIA is a non-profit diamond certificate laboratory that grades diamonds. A GIA certificate is the gold standard for producing diamond certificates. The majority of other diamond laboratories exist for profit.
Of course, a profit-run lab can be honest but it’s no easy feat. Because they usually work directly with diamond retailers to inflate the diamond’s grading.
What Is GIA Certification?
Established in 1931, the GIA is also known as the Gemological Institute of America. It has been the leading source of standards, knowledge, and education when it comes to gems and jewelry (yes, milgrain jewelry is no exception) in general. It is the creator of the 4C’s as well as the International Diamond Grading System. To this day, GIA maintains the best methods and practices for describing and evaluating the quality of diamonds.
GIA is proud of its legacy of excellence. The organization came to life in order to help jewelers better understand the gemstones they are selling. It’s their nonprofit mission to spread gem knowledge to the world.
Thus, continuous advanced gemological research is being made. This helps the organization create instruments to enhance its research capabilities. Because of this, GIA stays at the forefront of technology and is ready to take on any disruptions in technology. This includes lab-grown gemstones and other new treatments.
Main Components of a GIA Certificate
When you get a grading report from GIA you will see its designated unique report number that you can look up online. The diamond weight measures in carats and GIA reports it to the nearest hundredth.
The color system describes the diamonds from D (colorless) up to Z (light yellow or brown). Diamond clarity evaluates the size, number, nature, relief, and position of the internal inclusions. As well as its surface blemishes. The eleven clarity grades range from flawless to included.
Some of these report formats show a plotted diagram. It shows significant or identifying characteristics. GIA also assigns a specific cut grade that ranges from excellent to poor. The seven components include:
- Polish
- Symmetry
- Weight
- Ratio
- Durability
- Brightness
- Fire
- Scintillation
Each diamond is also tested to make sure it is natural. It can also identify if any processes were done to alter the diamond’s color or clarity. This grading report from the GIA has several security features to ensure its integrity and authenticity. One of its various diamond reports is the Diamond eReport. This is an interactive option you can access online for natural and untreated diamonds.
Are GIA Certificates Worth It?
Now you may be asking, are GIA certificates worth it? The short answer is yes, as long as you know how to distinguish a certified diamond from one that is not. So here are the differences between the two so you can understand why purchasing certified diamonds will benefit you in the long run.
Certified Versus Non-Certified Diamonds
Certified diamonds were already evaluated by a certifying agency. Thus, the comes with a unique identification number and a certificate. Some of these diamonds are even laser-inscribed with their ID number to make sure that this is yours and yours alone.
Non-certified diamonds, on the other hand, did not go through proper evaluation by certifying agencies. So a retailer is not 100% sure of the diamond’s quality. When a retailer tells you about the diamond’s cut, clarity, color, and carat weight, they’re giving you the best speculation they could come up with.
How To Tell If Your GIA Certificate Is Authentic
Every GIA report has security features, namely, a hologram, a security screen and microprint lines. This makes it virtually impossible to forge or duplicate. There is also GIA’s Report Check service, which can verify if the information found on your report matches that in their database.
Are GIA Certified Diamonds Better?
Well, they are not inherently better compared to non-certified diamonds. However, they tend to be stones of higher quality since your retailer picked them from a batch of documented quality stones. Plenty of times these certified diamonds are 100% natural and did not undergo any form of treatment.
Why Purchase Certified Diamonds?
You save yourself time and energy from doing the guesswork when canvassing for your engagement ring‘s center stone. This gives you peace of mind, which is difficult to have when you’re getting non-certified ones.
Moreover, getting certified diamonds can give you a deeper understanding as well as better appreciation of these stones. Once you become familiar with the criteria found on the grading report, you can now compare grades. How big is the difference when you look at it with your naked eye? You’ll be more adept at learning its characteristics and nuances, such as color or clarity.
When Can You Buy Non-Certified Diamonds?
As long as they are not the center stone in your piece it is fine. Accent stones or small stones can do without a certification. Since viewing their characteristics and quality is virtually impossible to do with the naked eye.
GIA does, however, provide special testing for mounted or loose diamonds in smaller sizes. If your stones are less than .2 carats they can determine if they are natural or have undergone treatment.
What Is GIA Grading?
GIA grading a diamond is a long and tedious process. Expert gemologists require scientific precision when they examine diamonds. All under strictly controlled lighting and viewing conditions. This is important in order for the diamond to be graded objectively and with consistency.
Testing If Natural Or Lab Grown
First, they to find out if it is natural or lab grown. Once discovered that it is synthetic, they remove it from the queue and will go through a different procedure.
Going Through the 4C’s
Color
The first C is the color. The lesser the color, the higher the diamond’s grade. GIA’s color scale has a diamond classification from D(colorless) up to Z(light yellow or brown). This is possible through the comparison of these diamonds to a master set of diamonds. The master set serves as a representation of the GIA scale’s color grade.
Clarity
Clarity is the second C. This includes 11 clarity grades that range from flawless to i3. Flawless means there are no blemishes or inclusions visible even under 10x magnification. While an i3 grade with inclusions means these blemishes are evident even to the naked eye.
GIA gemologists use a 10x magnification loupe and microscope in order to visualize the plot in the inclusions. No two diamonds are identical, thus this unique plot is helpful in identifying a particular stone. Expert graders also know how to find evidence if a diamond has been treated to improve their clarity.
Cut
The third C stands for the cut. The scale used by GIA for round brilliant diamonds consists of five grades. They range from excellent to poor. Typically, anyone would think this pertains to the shape of the diamond, like round or square cut. But there’s so much more to it than that.
You see, the diamond’s cut and polish have a direct effect on the sparkle and brilliance that comes off it. Every diamond is put in a very precise measuring device. This rotates the diamond 360 degrees to capture hundreds of facet angles and measurements.
Carat Weight
Finally, there’s the carat weight. Each diamond goes under a sealed chamber. Then weighed using an extremely precise electronic scale. Down to the fifth decimal place.
Diamond Certification
Now here is an unpopular opinion. But this is important to know to clear some misconceptions surrounding GIA certified diamonds.
So exactly what do you mean when your diamond is GIA certified? After all, these advisors always insist you get a GIA certified diamond. And majority of quality retailers online and brick-and-mortar stores lay claim to selling GIA certified diamonds.
There is a catch, though. The grading from the GIA does not certify anything. As a matter of fact, both the GIA and AGS have advised repeatedly to the diamond industry the need to stop using the word “certified.” Why?
Because these grading reports clearly state that the listed grades are mere opinions. This means you could have the same diamond examined in the same lab yet receive different reports. And these reports could both be equally correct.
Best Diamond Certification
So now you may be wondering, what is the best diamond certification to get? There are three most trusted diamond grading labs for solitaires in the world. These are GIA or Gemological Institute of America, then AGS or American Gem Society, and Finally HRD or Hoge Raad Voor Diamant. Let’s go through them one by one.
Certification from GIA
As mentioned previously, GIA is an independent and non-profit organization. Founded in 1931, it has earned its reputation as the world’s highest authority when it comes to gemology. Jewelry manufacturers across the globe send gems and diamonds to them for analysis and evaluation.
Any gem or diamond with a GIA certificate is expected to have been carefully examined by an unbiased gemologist. This certificate is a guarantee to the buyer. Proving that the stone went through rigorous standards of science, professionalism, and integrity.
Certification from AGS
Founded in 1943, the American Gem Society has proven its commitment to upholding strict ethical standards, both for gemstones and the diamond industry. The organization continuously strives in providing the highest standard of education. For jewelry experts and consumers alike, having this clear goal in mind, they provide courses to various segments of the gemstone industry.
The AGS uses a conservative and unbiased approach when grading diamonds, thus making it one of the highly respected gemological laboratories in the world. This in itself is an assurance to their buyers wanting accurate analysis and evaluation of their diamonds.
Certification from HRD
The Hoge Raadvoor Diamant or the Diamond High Council is the GIA’s European counterpart. Formed in 1973, it represents global diamond trade. HRD involves governments and diamond organizations. It also monitors and reports exports and imports of more than half of the world’s loose diamonds.
Advanced research and education on diamonds and other gemstones are also the organization’s passion, another reason why HRD certification is placed in high esteem by jewelers and consumers alike.
GIA Certification: You Know You Want One
If this will take out the guesswork from your diamond purchases, then by all means go. The most convenient way to obtain a GIA Diamond Grading Report is through your fine jewelry retailer. They are the most qualified entities to obtain these GIA reports and explain to you their contents.
Just remember that when you submit your diamond for grading. The settings in your jewelry will prevent it from being thoroughly examined. Thus, GIA only accepts unmounted diamonds to grade. Fees will depend on the diamond’s weight. It recommends that you submit your jewelry to a jeweler who is familiar with the diamond submission process of GIA.
In the end though, it’s how you feel about your jewelry piece that counts. It doesn’t matter if it’s a million dollar round brilliant cut diamond, which is similar but far more expensive than the one in this Jared review, or a simpler setting with your fiance’s precious birthstone at the center. Once she utters the word “yes,” you win, regardless of the cost of that ring!
