Good quality diamonds are rare because there are tons of industrial quality diamonds. Each diamond is one of a kind and unique on its own. With these reasons, there is a need to standardize the quality to determine which diamonds have the highest value compared to the other. Raw diamonds are cut and categorized according to quality based on various factors. These quality factors are international standards to determine a specific diamond grade.

Diamond Certificates

A diamond certificate is a report issued by gemologists from a specific lab. The diamond is evaluated using specific factors which includes measurement, clarity, cut, color, polish, and brilliance among others. Nearly every diamond are graded before they are sold to a jeweler. The grade assures the customers that they are getting what they are paying for.

The two famous gemological institutions that issue diamond certificates are as follows:

• The GIA (Gemological Institute of America)
• The EGL (European Gemological Laboratories)

While there are other institutions that grade diamonds like the American Gem Society and others throughout the world, the GIA remains the most trusted in diamond certifications.

GIA is a non profit organization that established the 4Cs of a diamond which stands for color, clarity, cut, and carat weight. They also established the International Diamond Grading System. Both are still being used to this date as a standard in diamond quality testing.

Why is GIA preferred among the rest?

- GIA follows only strict standards when it comes to quality testing and grades diamonds based only on these set standards.

- There is a consistent GIA grading throughout all its branches. A certificate issued in New York will consistently have the same grading issued in Los Angeles.

- GIA only grades loose diamonds to ensure that no imperfections are missed during quality testing.

- GIA’s set standards have been trusted and proven reliable throughout the years.

What is the 4Cs of diamond?

When you are out shopping for diamonds, you must have heard about the 4Cs. The 4cs of diamond stands for cut, clarity, color, and carat weight. All these factors are used to determine the quality and grade of each individual diamond.

In our next post, we are going to discuss further each of these factors to help buyers understand how all these factors affect the value of the diamond they are investing in.