Diamonds – What Makes the Grade?

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.