Diamond certification is so important that it is often referred to as the 5th C. You may not subscribe to it, having bought uncertified diamonds in the past which worked just fine for you, but in realityit’s just as vital to the purchase as is insurance to your jewelry. Diamond certification is a must-have for all owners for two reasons, to be certain of the quality of the diamonds they bought and to have something that offers credibility to a buyer at the time of selling them. So, let’s find out what specifically makes certification critical for all diamonds, and why you should seek the same at the time of purchase.

The Grading Labs

At this point, there are tons of labs that grade diamonds. Most of them are non-profit and standardized, in other words are nationally approved. If you are buying a diamond from the mainland USA, then GIA is your lab. It tests, examines and certifies diamonds. If you are buying diamonds overseas, then your grading options include AGS, IGI, EGL etc. The labs are not globally recognized, but within the confines of their country, their reports are well accepted. GIA is the only diamond grading organization whose report is globally accepted. GIA has its own grading standards and criteria which serves as model for many other independent boards.

Why GIA

GIA certification holds most credibility in today’s context. Next to that is AGS, which is big in Europe. But in the United States and anywhere around the world, GIA is the most trusted diamond grading brand. GIA reports are strictly factual and while other nonstandard labs often try to exaggerate the qualities of  certifieddiamonds, GIA follows a transparency policy by which all diamonds are graded and reported exactly as they test. So, the metrics mentioned in a GIA report is just what you would be paying for.

Price Difference

It is true that certified diamonds tested by GIA and AGS are priced higher than those tested by other labs. The price difference can be anywhere between 10 and 30%. But the costing is for good reasons. A GIA certified diamond retains most of its worth if kept undamaged even decades after. Besides certification takes a certain amount of resource and service, which though GIA charges nominally for, a seller has to bear for the sake of authentication.

So, regardless of the price difference, one must aim to buy GIA certified diamonds only.