My grandfather was a client of GIA’s back in the 50s and early 60s. He died only a few years after I was born, but at his company in Long Island City, New York, where both my mother and father continued to work, I grew up surrounded by the tools of an amateur gemologist—which only stopped gathering dust when my sister and I handled them (secretly, so mom wouldn’t yell).

GIA’s mission statement says it perfectly: Ensure the public trust in gems and jewelry by upholding the highest standards of integrity, academics, science, and professionalism through education, research, laboratory services, and instrument development.

But how does that translate to you—the guy who’s about to buy a diamond for the love of his life?