What
gem labs have in common with Yelp, Rotten Tomatoes, your ninth-grade science
teacher and the IOC.
Lots
of things are graded – students, movies, restaurants and Olympic champions.
Grades from trusted authorities like schools, movie critics and Olympic
judges help us understand the world around us (or at least the finer points of
figure skating) and to make informed decisions about what movie to see, where to
have dinner or whether we are making the best of our education.
The
same is true for diamonds. Diamonds from jewelers and retailers often come with
a grading report that evaluates the elements that determine the gem’s
quality and its value. A grading report that measures the well-know 4Cs –
color, clarity, cut and carat weight – against universally-accepted standards can help consumers compare one diamond to another and to
understand what goes into the value of a particular gem.
Unlike at the Olympics, where athletes don’t get to choose their judges, consumers
have choices for diamond grading reports. Some jewelry
retailers, like the venerable Tiffany and the new brand Forevermark,
part of the group that includes diamond miner De Beers, have their own reports
or certificates for the diamonds they offer for sale.
Other
retailers will have reports from well-known grading laboratories like AGS, EGL,
or IGI. These labs may be privately owned or affiliated with a trade
organization. There are also reports from third-party organizations like GIA.
While
each type of laboratory has different characteristics and some specialize in
certain types of gems, they all use the same system international diamond grading
system, based on the GIA-created 4Cs.
I work for GIA; this post is personal.
