Diamond Certification A diamond which is certified provides consumers with confidence, security and increases comfort levels while making a decision on which diamond to purchase.
Before purchasing a loose diamond, you should expect to review a copy of its certificate, as this is your only guarantee of the quality and value of that diamond. A diamond certificate documents the characteristics of the diamonds quality, color, cut, clarity & carat weight which are verified by an independent company with no conflict of interest between buyer and seller. Listed below are highly regarded Diamond Grading Laboratories that have the strictest grading standards. A diamond certificate is only as good as the Laboratory it comes from.
DCLA, GIA, HRD & AGS are the only Diamond Certificates that Diamond Imports trusts and has complete confidence in. When you are comparing loose diamonds make sure you also compare the details and statistics on the certificate and make note of which laboratory issued the certificate.
DCLA, GIA, HRD & AGS laboratories are recognised for their procedures, technical ability and cutting edge equipment necessary to analyse and grade diamonds. Furthermore these laboratories are Independent, grade to an internationally recognised standard and subscribe to the highest ethics. We strongly recommend diamonds that have been Certified by DCLA, GIA, HRD or AGS.
The table below details the various laboratories and the different grading scales they use, you will notice that there is an over lap in some of the grades and that the top grade is not the same for each laboratory.
GIA and DCLA have Excellent as their top grade, HRD has Very Good for its top grade whilst AGS splits its top grade category into Ideal and Excellent.
DCLA & GIA have the same grade categories except DCLA calls its second lowest grade Medium whereas GIA calls it Fair. AGS has the same breakdown of catgeories as both DCLA & GIA except for the top grade of Excellent where it breaks down that category into two sections of Ideal and Excellent.
AGS is the only Grading Laboraotory that actually has a grade called Ideal. The term Ideal Cut Diamond is a widely and quite oftenly misused marketing term used by Jewellers and Diamond Dealers to describe a cutting style based on proportions rather than an actual Ideal grade by a laboratory unless the diamond has been certified by AGS with and AGS grade of Ideal.
When comparing Diamond Certificates it is important to refer to these 3 grading scales for cross referencing. However the true test to evaluate a diamond is to view it in person and compare it with other loose diamonds. Nothing beats seeing a diamond in person to determine whether it is a 'good' diamond to your eye or not. Diamond appreciation is a very personal thing and different people will prefer different things about different diamonds. At the end of the day all the numbers and photos in the world mean nothing if you do not like the diamond in person.
Many jewellers and diamond dealers will use terms like Hearts and Arrows, Ideal, Excellent, Russian Cut, Belgium Cut, Fine Make and others to describe their diamonds, with the intention of portraying them as 'better' than others. Be wary of accepting these terms as is. They are especially dangerous when assigned to diamonds by the jeweller or diamond dealer themselves without third-party independent support.
NOT ALL LABS GRADE THE SAME
There are many different diamond grading laboratories available to the diamond-buying public. Some of the more well known grading laboratories are: GIA (Gemological Institute of America), DCLA (Diamond Certification Laboratory of Australia), AGS (American Gemological Society), HRD (Hoge Raad Voor Diamant; Diamond High Council), EGL (European Gemological Institute) and the IGI (International Gemological Institute).
Each of these diamond grading laboratories has their own criteria and method of grading loose diamonds, but they all operate within a high set of parameters, in regards to grading a diamond's attributes and dimensions. Be aware that as each grading laboratory has its own methods, each grading laboratory also has its own expense guides for preparing a certificate and these grading laboratories differ in their standards and level of strictness.
GIA's standards for grading have set the bar for all other gemological laboratories. DCLA & AGS are on par with GIA for grading standards. In fact, it is the AGS grading for Cut that served as an impetus for the GIA to recently include Cut grading to their grading reports. HRD out of Antwerp, Belgium is also a greatly respected name in the diamond industry. A certificate from any of these grading laboratories - GIA, DCLA, AGS, HRD - can be considered accurate, reliable and trusted.
It is important to remain aware of the facts and differences with certification and the process as well as the different grading standards each diamond grading laboratory offers. While it might be possible to find diamonds with the same grade notably cheaper but having certificates from different grading laboratories, there are no huge bargains within the diamond industry. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is and there usually is a reason.
This is why you should always, as a first priority, insist on an independent diamond grading certificate from an accredited laboratory to support any added claims about a diamond and why Diamond Imports strongly recommend diamonds that have been Certified by DCLA, GIA, HRD or AGS.
