Beginning just last year, the demand for branded diamond jewelry in India began to grow exponentially, bringing gemological laboratories from overseas to the Republic of India to issue diamond certificates to diamond traders and retailers.

Up until this point in time, there has only been one institution in charge of issuing diamond certification in India – The Indian Diamond Institute. However, with the constantly growing number of diamond buyers and in India, ranging from jewelry retailers to diamond corporations, it appears that the Indian Diamond Institute won’t be the sole issuer of diamond certificates in India for long. In the past couple of years, there has certainly been a surge in India’s production of diamond certificates, which has caught the attention of numerous gemological institutes, leading them to open branches in Mumbai, Delhi, and other major locations in India.

In the meantime, it appears that diamond consumers in India have a preference for purchasing both loose diamonds and diamond jewelry with diamond certificates issued by reputable gemological laboratories. Diamond jewelry retailers seem to share this preference with Indian diamond consumers, opting to test their polished diamonds with the most highly regarded labs, such as the Gemological Institute of America and the International Gemological Institute.

As diamond prices are set in accordance with their four C’s (color, clarity, cut, and carat weight) grading, which denotes their quality, diamond grading reports and diamond certificates play a crucial role in diamond pricing. Therefore, the importance of utilizing only diamond grading reports from impartial, reputable sources cannot be stressed enough. Diamond buyers and consumers who do not make sure to obtain diamond certifications and diamond grading reports from trustworthy gemological laboratories are at high risk of paying more for their diamonds than they are actually worth.

Local gemological laboratories are usually small and share a connection to the jewelry stores themselves. Therefore, such gem labs have a tendency to provide diamond certificates and diamond grading reports that are commonly less than accurate because they have a vested interest in giving the diamond a higher grade, hence obtaining higher diamond prices. Generally speaking, the most highly recommended gemological laboratories are the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), the American Gem Society (AGS), and the European Gemological Laboratory (EGL). These are the top names in the diamond industry with a long history of excellent service. Obtaining diamond certificates from any of these gemological laboratories is undoubtedly the safest route to take when looking to ensure that the price paid matches the quality of the diamonds purchased.