If you follow this blog, you know to look for GIA reports when making a diamond, pearl or colored gemstone purchase. The “blue” GIA report had been around for more years than we can count – that is, until January of this year, when GIA began issuing its trusted reports in a new look. By integrating new technologies and simplifying the format, the reports were redesigned to set a new standard for jewelry buyers in terms of ease of use and credibility.

GIA’s trusted gem evaluation doesn’t change, but the redesigned reports include some new features:

• They use a lot less paper and other materials, making for a smaller environmental footprint and underscoring GIA’s dedication to environmentally-friendly business practices.

• Reports are printed on paper that is proprietary to GIA and specially designed for security and your peace of mind.

• Reports display grading and evaluation details in a simpler, easier-to-read format.

• A QR code gives you direct access to GIA’s Report Check service, allowing you to quickly and easily confirm the authenticity of the report with a single click.

Since the 1950s, GIA’s diamond grading reports have represented the highest standard of reliability, credibility and integrity. Every GIA report is the result of a meticulous scientific process that provides an objective assessment of a gem’s quality. So whether your jeweler presents you with a 2014 GIA report in the new format or a previous version, rest assured you’re getting the same benchmark evaluation, regardless of report format..

Reports in the new format are just starting to appear in jewelry stores, so expect them to phase in over time.

The post A New Look for the World’s Most Trusted Gem Credential appeared first on GIA 4Cs Blog.

The previous installment of the 2013 Holiday Buying Guide covered the basics of the 4Cs of diamond qualities. But how will you know that the diamond you’re considering buying has the qualities you’re looking for? The answer…an independent, unbiased evaluation.   

This evaluation is called a grading report, and it is essential that you request to see a grading report for any diamond purchase you’re considering this holiday before you make your purchase.

As creator of the 4Cs and the International Diamond Grading System^TM, GIA is considered the benchmark independent grading laboratory. GIA was the first to issue independent grading reports in the early 1950s, and today its Diamond Grading Report and Diamond Dossier® are globally recognized and trusted. A GIA grading report contains a full scientific and unbiased assessment of your diamond’s 4Cs and discloses any known treatments.

What actually goes into a grading report? The third installment of the 2013 Holiday Buying Guide provides an informative video tutorial to walk you through the features and benefits found on a GIA grading report, and explain what that means for you and your diamond.

The post Holiday Buying Guide – Part 3: How to Read a GIA Grading Report Video appeared first on GIA 4Cs Blog.

Understand all the aspects of the Diamond Clarity Scale, in the second of GIA’s 4Cs Q&A series.

Q: How did the GIA Clarity Scale come to be?

A: Like the color scale, the GIA Clarity Grading System developed because jewelers were using terms that could be misinterpreted, such as “loupe clean” or “piqué.” Today, if you buy a diamond somewhere else in the world, the jeweler will most likely use terms like VVS1 or SI2, even if his or her language is French or Japanese instead of English.

Q: What causes diamond inclusions?

A: Small crystals can become trapped in a diamond when it’s forming. Sometimes as a crystal grows it can develop irregularities in its atomic structure.

Q: How is diamond clarity evaluated?

A: Diamond clarity is graded under standard viewing conditions with 10x magnification. The preliminary GIA grader carefully examines the diamond in order to identify clarity/finish characteristics and evidence of any clarity treatments, such as fracture filling or laser drilling.

A minimum of two GIA graders assign their impression of the diamond’s clarity, polish, and symmetry. Next, they plot the clarity characteristics on the diagram most representative of the diamond’s shape and faceting style.

GIA Clarity Scale
The GIA Clarity Scale has six categories, some of which are divided, for a total of 11 specific grades.

FLAWLESS (FL)
No inclusions and no blemishes are visible to a skilled grader using 10x magnification

INTERNALLY FLAWLESS (IF)
No inclusions and only blemishes are visible to a skilled grader using 10x magnification

VERY, VERY SLIGHTLY INCLUDED (VVS1 AND VVS2)
No inclusions and only blemishes are visible to a skilled grader using 10x magnification

VERY, VERY SLIGHTLY INCLUDED (VVS1 AND VVS2)
Minute inclusions that range from extremely difficult to very difficult to see are visible to a skilled grader using 10x magnification

VERY SLIGHTLY INCLUDED (VS1 AND VS2)
Minor inclusions that range from difficult to somewhat easy to see are visible to a skilled grader using 10x magnification

SLIGHTLY INCLUDED (SI1 AND SI2)
Noticeable inclusions that range from easy to very easy to see are visible to a skilled grader using 10x magnification

INCLUDED (I1, I2, AND I3)
Obvious inclusions are visible to a skilled grader using 10x magnification and may affect transparency and brilliance

For more information on diamond clarity, please visit our 4C of Diamond Quality website or download the GIA 4Cs app, now available on iPhone, iPad, and Android!

Color Q&A | Clarity Q&A | Cut Q&A | Carat Weight Q&A

Clarity diagrams are for reference only and do not reflect true diamond clarity quality grades. Images are not for clarity diamond grading.

The post 4Cs Q&A with GIA: Diamond Clarity Grading appeared first on GIA 4Cs Blog.

Do you know how diamond color is evaluated? GIA kicks off its 4Cs Q&A series with color grading.

Q: Why does the GIA Color Grading System start at D?

A: Before GIA established the D-to-Z Color Grading Scale, a variety of other systems were used loosely, from A, B, and C (used without clear definition), to Arabic (0, 1, 2, 3) and Roman (I, II, III) numbers, to descriptive terms like “gem blue” or “blue white,” which are notorious for misinterpretation. So, the creators of the GIA Color Scale wanted to start fresh, without any association with earlier systems. Thus, the GIA scale starts at the letter D. Very few people still cling to other grading systems, and no other system has the clarity and universal acceptance of the GIA scale.

Q: How is diamond color evaluated?

A: Light source and background can have a significant impact on a diamond’s appearance, so GIA grades color in a standardized viewing environment against color masters. A minimum of two GIA color graders enter independent evaluations of each diamond. Depending on the agreement of these grades and the weight and quality of the diamond, additional GIA graders may enter their own color opinions. The grade is not determined until there is sufficient consensus.

To learn more about how diamond color is evaluated, please visit our 4Cs of Diamond Quality website or download the GIA 4Cs app, now available on iPhone, iPad, and Android.

Color Q&A | Clarity Q&A | Cut Q&A | Carat Weight Q&A

Color diamond images are for reference only and may not reflect true diamond color quality grades. Images are not for color diamond grading.

The post 4Cs Q&A with GIA: Diamond Color Grading appeared first on GIA 4Cs Blog.

Purchasing a diamond ring can be overwhelming. After you get through the education process of learning the diamond 4Cs there is still one more piece of the puzzle: understanding the difference between a grading report and an appraisal.

A diamond grading report, sometimes referred to as a certificate, is an official “blueprint” of a diamond. It will tell you the specific measurements and shape of your diamond, as well as point out the individual characteristics of your stone. One of the most widely recognized reports is the GIA Diamond Grading Report. Based on the International Diamond Grading System™ that GIA created nearly 60 years ago, the GIA Diamond Grading Report is an unbiased and scientifically-based assessment of your stone’s qualities. The report lets you know that your stone is in fact a diamond, and not some other material.  It describes your diamond’s Clarity, Color, Cut, Carat weight, proportions and finish. The report also identifies any known treatments.

A grading report, or certificate, is not the same thing as an appraisal. An appraisal is an estimate of a diamond’s monetary worth. An appraisal assigns a value based on current market conditions and the quality of the diamond. A GIA report, on the other hand, provides an objective assessment of a diamond’s quality, information which appraisers often use in assigning value.

Though a diamond’s value may appreciate or depreciate over time, a diamond’s qualities are unlikely to change. To document those qualities, GIA has developed three different types of grading reports: Diamond Grading Report, Diamond Dossier® and Diamond eReport. Most appraisers and insurance agencies consider GIA reports to be the most accurate and highly regarded official documents of diamond quality.

GIA Diamond Grading Report
In addition to a diamond’s 4Cs information, the Diamond Grading Report provides a plotted diagram of the stone’s clarity characteristics and a graphic representation of its proportions, information which serves to identify the individual stone.

GIA Diamond Dossier ®
The Diamond Dossier, available for diamonds that weigh between 0.15 and 1.99 carats, is a more concise, compact version of the GIA Diamond Grading Report. Instead of a plotted diagram of the clarity characteristics, this service includes the laser inscription of the diamond’s unique report number on the stone’s girdle.

GIA Diamond eReport
The eReport is a digital-only, paperless report that includes a graphic representation of the diamond’s proportions, and the added feature of a detailed face up image of the diamond captured during the grading process.

All GIA grading reports are intended to be used as a source of accurate, unbiased and trustworthy information about a diamond’s quality. Remember, a diamond report is not a certificate or guarantee and does not indicate a diamond’s monetary value. While an appraisal does not guarantee a price that can be fetched on the market for a given stone, it is an indicator that helps consumers understand the potential value of their diamond.  Both are important, but be sure to get a Diamond Grading Report before purchasing your very special diamond, so you are clear about what your diamond’s quality is.

The post What is the difference between a Diamond Grading Report and an Appraisal? appeared first on GIA 4Cs Blog.

GIA strives to make sure diamond grading is objective and fair, keeping a standard in the diamond market, so that the public can buy a diamond with a GIA report and know that the report is accurate and absolutely impartial. This creates the ultimate peace of mind for your diamond purchase.

GIA takes elaborate steps to ensure that its grading processes remain impartial. One way is by making sure that a diamond goes through the process anonymously – meaning that the graders and gemologists who examine the stone do not know who its owner is, and the diamond’s owner has no way of knowing who grades his stone. This ensures that a diamond will be evaluated with the utmost objectivity and integrity.

Blind grading is very important because a diamond’s price is directly tied to its grade. So you want to be certain that the grade is based on independent, unbiased evaluation. As a scientific institute dedicated to protecting the public trust, GIA remains scrupulously focused on nothing but the truth of the stone.

When GIA receives a diamond at the laboratory, it’s immediately placed into a custom designed, transparent storage case, and all references to its owner are removed or concealed.

The diamond is then assigned a bar-coded label with a unique internal identification number that is used to track it throughout the grading process.

GIA’s Inventory Control Department serves as the hub for laboratory operations. Between grading process steps, a diamond is distributed from and returned to this department, ensuring that the distribution of diamonds to graders is random. This is just one of several critical measures in an independent and impartial grading process.

Additionally, client information is masked within the software diamond graders use to enter their assessments. GIA asks clients to assist in this process by submitting items in parcel papers free of information that identifies them as the client or refers to grading information.

Source:

http://www.gia.edu/lab-reports-services/diamonds/index.html

The post How Blind Grading Keeps Objectivity in Diamond Grading appeared first on GIA 4Cs Blog.

GIA’s grading scale begins with the letter D, representing colorless, and continues, with increasing presence of color, to the letter Z. Diamonds are color-graded by comparing them to stones of known color under controlled lighting and precise viewing conditions.

Historically, metaphoric terms were used in the very old days. “River” and “water” were used for the most colorless diamonds, or they might be categorized by a geographic location from places where similarly colored diamonds were seen. For instance, there was “Cape” for pale yellow diamonds from the Cape of Good Hope.

The choice was made to differentiate the GIA grading system from other less clearly defined ones that used designations such as “A” or “AA”. Additionally, American Gem Society (AGS) had its own numerical scale, which was only for AGS member use. So when GIA chose to develop a diamond grading system, it had to use new terms. Hence, the “D.”

The post Why Start with “D”? appeared first on GIA 4Cs Blog.

If your stone has a GIA grading report, it’s in our database. Isn’t that comforting?

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