CERTIFICATION

There are 3 widely accepted and standardised certificates namely GIA, IGI and HRD. All listed diamonds on IDIAM primarily need to have any one of these certificates.

IMPORTANCE OF CERTIFICATE

Certification is important in diamonds. It is so important that all diamonds on IDIAM are required to be certified. Certification from trusted labs like GIA, HRD, and IGI confirm that a diamond is natural unless stated otherwise. It also confirms whether the piece was treated or not which is not determinable otherwise. In the backdrop of many simulants and synthetic diamonds, diamond certification is a must for any high value diamond purchase.

Other reasons for its importance are the confirmed values for all main parameters that define a diamonds’s quality and value. This makes it easier to appraise, buy and sell.

Certain parameters that are not graded by 3rd Party laboratories, such as overtones, luster, details of inclusion patterns, etc are also very important to gauge quality and hence value. These details are covered by IDIAM verification services. These additional parameters are important for the same reason main parameters are important, in that they provide clear confirmed values for all parameters enabling accurate quality appraisal and valuation. This enables buying and selling to be easier and also enables owner of the diamond to get accurate real time valuation for their diamond holdings.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE 3RD PARTY LABS

Certification is important but we have multiple laboratories (GIA, HRD, &  IGI) issuing certificates, so what is the difference? Should we base our purchasing decision on the type of certificate? We have tried to answer these questions to guide a buyer …

First of all, there is uniformity between the three labs on the grading metric and grading values. However there are minute difference in the standard of grading between these labs and hence certain laboratory certificates (i.e. GIA) trade at a premium compared to the others.

GIA certified diamonds have the strictest grading standard amongst the three laboratories and therefore command a premium. Specifically the main parameter in which their standard is stricter is color. The shape, size, clarity and even cut parameters are almost similar across all labs. In color grading, GIA’s standard is “half a color” stricter than HRD or IGI (i.e. if a diamond is graded “J” color in GIA, it has a possibility of being graded J or better in HRD or IGI. ) Similar a piece graded “J” in IGI or HRD can at best get a color grade of “J” in GIA or lower. To assist buyers with this aspect, IDIAM verification services indicate whether a GIA diamond is upgradable (able to achieve a higher color in the other certificates) by specifying a “+” on the color grade. This means a diamond graded “J+” has a high probability of achieving a better color (“I”) in the other labs. To intelligently buy and purchase diamond at the right value, this is an important metric to understand with which the IDIAM verification services can assist you.