Diamond certification

[JewelPerks]

A Diamond Certificate is a document issued by a laboratory describing a diamond or jewelry product. There are various laboratories that grade gems and jewelry. A Diamond Certificate or report issues a "grade" indicating the physical properties of the Diamond "at the time of evaluation". A certificate is a document which retains its value over a long period of time, assuming the Diamond does not chip or is not otherwise altered.

There are various Laboratories that grade diamonds. The diamonds that are graded are popularly called "certified" or "certified diamonds", while actually these diamonds should be referred to as being accompanied by a grading report, or quality report. Shenoa sells diamonds that come with grading reports from the Gemological Institute of America, one of the most well known, as well as the Laboratories below:

GIA Gemological Institute of America
AGS American Gem Society
IGI International Gemological Institute
EGL European Gemological Laboratory
HRD Antwerp Diamond High Council
NGL National Gemological Laboratories
PGS Professional Gem Sciences

An Appraisal can be performed on a loose Diamond, a mounted stone, or jewelry. If the stone is not loose, the physical properties are estimated using various estimation techniques. Most importantly, an appraisal indicates the Dollar Value of the piece under consideration. Obviously, the Dollar Value can easily change considerably over a relatively short period of time. Appraisals are most often used for insurance purposes.

Many people make the mistake of using an retail appraiser to evaluate the purchase price of their Diamond. It is best to use a non-biased appraiser, that does professional analysis of jewelry. Appraisers that sell their own jewelry may be biased and should be avoided.

[elvira]

It's a good idea to ask if the diamond you want to buy is certified and request to see the certificate.

[Likila12]

Not only asking for the certificated, But you have to make sure that the certificate have ensured by the wellknown company.

[DiamondRob]

Don't overly rely on Certified Diamonds. Especially if they are not from the GIA. The GIA is the only company that is not for profit and their "certs" tend to be more reliable then the other For-Profit companies out there. The companies that are for profit, are much more libral with their grades, because they can make the jeweler more money, which in turn will get them more business.

Diamond grading is very subjective and the same diamond could be graded by the same person on 2 seperate days, and get 2 different grades. Computers and the like have help make things a little more consistent, but ultimatley it comes down to the human eye.

Ironically, all diamond certificates have a disclaimer that states, they are not liable for what they say that diamond is. The jeweler is ulimatley liable for what they say that diamond is. If you want real peace of mind, you need to shop with a reputable jeweler, preferrably one that offers a diamond grading guarantee, and that re-grades all diamonds they sell to ensure accuracy.

-DiamondRob

[Soon2Be]

Historically, most grading reports were from GIA, since it developed the standards. However, with the explosion of consumer diamond sales, especially through mega-chains (Wal-Mart, Penny’s, Zales, Kohls, etc.) and the Internet (Blue Nile), many commercial “certificate” firms have begun mimicking GIA and offering their own grading reports. These for-profit labs have made deals with large industry players who might want easier alternatives to a GIA evaluation (e.g. a more forgiving evaluation of inferior stones, etc.).

As DiamondRob said, GIA is the only true Non-Profit grading lab. Their aim is simply to inform the public and instill confidence in gem buying, not to make money at the consumers expense.

[Bespoke Jewellery]

For what it's worth, I mostly agree with Diamond Rob. Different laboratories have very different standards when grading stones. Worse still, any specific laboratory may not even be consistent in the grades it awards.

The GIA is generally regarded as the 'gold standard' - a GIA 'G' colour might equate to an 'F' or even an 'E' from some other labs.

For all the problems with certification though, I would be reluctant to recommend that a consumer should buy uncertified diamonds. They simply have no way of knowing what they are getting.

[DiamondRob]

But if they are buying a diamond that is certified incorrectly, they don't know what they are getting either. It all comes down to doing business with a reputable jeweler. We re-grade EVERY diamond that comes to our company, and we have ended up throwing away over 50% of the certs we get, because they are over graded, even from the GIA. A lot worse for EGL, IGI and AGS. They are for profit. They get more business when the jewelers buy their certs, and the jewelers make more money selling the diamonds for the incorrect over grade on the cert, then they would for the true grade. It is a nasty cycle.

Read ANY diamond report, they are NOT liable for what they say the diamond is. A reputable jeweler knows that they are liable for what they sell, NO ONE ELSE. Certifications are a false sense of security.

[dollierix]

Nice
It is Good

[jennycarol]

The certificate which you receive while buying a certified diamond can later on help you sell the diamonds at good price. The certificate adds considerable worth to the diamond.

Get more information on Certification of diamonds and gemological labs at B2CJewels.com

[Ice]

As long as you like it, donot care so much about the price.

[maimae]

certification is very important. don't dare forget it.