Diamond & Jewelry News, Advice and Prices for Consumers
Diamond & Jewelry News, Advice and Prices for Consumers
February 10, 2010
The guy at the jewelry store where I usually conduct my jewelry shopping told me that many of their diamonds don't have a diamond grading report because diamonds under 1 carat are seldom examined by diamond institutes. Is this true? It makes sense that very small diamonds aren't certified, but diamonds that are almost 1 carat in size are worth quite a lot, shouldn't they be certified?
August 22, 2011
Diamonds under 1 carat can (and should) be certified by a reputable lab like GIA. GIA (the Gemological Institute of America) is the scientific grading lab that developed the 4 C's and that is known for producing the most accurate and reliable grading reports. They offer a grading report called the Diamond Dossier for stones between 0.15 and 1.99 carats, which has a full description of the diamond's Four C's. A reputable and trustworthy jeweler should be willing to get you a GIA grading report. Hope this helps!
February 19, 2010
From the size of 1/5 or 1/4 carat there is no reason that a diamond wouldn't have a certificate. A certified diamond costs more, so if you pay a $150 for a 25 point diamond you might find adding extra money for a diamond certificate (of a diamond which isn't very valuable anyway) not worth the trouble. On the other hand, if you risk your salary for an expensive diamond and you want to be assured that it is worth it, paying some extra bucks for a GIA certificate is definitely worth your while. As a result, larger diamonds carry diamond grading reports more often than small diamonds. However, the GIA examines diamonds of a minimum size of 0.2 carat, if I recall correctly, so it is possible to find small certified diamonds, they might be a bit more rare, though.
February 17, 2010
You shouldn't buy any diamond jewelry unless the diamonds are certified, meaning that they come with a diamond certificate, also known as a Diamond Grading Report, regardless of the size of the diamond, whether it is a loose diamond or set in a diamond pendant, diamond earrings, diamond ring, etc. All diamonds should be backed up by a diamond certificate authenticating the diamond's value and detailing its properties. There are four leading accredited gemological laboratories that provide reliable diamond quality reports: GIA (Gemological Institute of America), AGS (American Gem Society), EGL (European Gemological Laboratory), and IGI (International Gemological Institute). Regardless of the diamond's size, the diamond certification should include the following: clarity, color, cut, carat weight (the 4c's), shape, measurements, symmetry, fluorescence, depth percentage and table percentage, girdle thickness, culet size, polish, a plot of internal and surface inclusions (flaws) and additional comments. Also make sure there's a report number that you keep somewhere safe, so if you lose the diamond certificate, you can have another one issued by just providing the number. Check that the diamond certificate isn't too old (no older than 2-3 years) because the diamond may have been recut or changed in the meantime.
February 17, 2010
Nowadays the trend is that smaller and smaller diamonds are also "legitimate" in terms of lab evaluations. No need to have a 1/4 carat or more diamond in order to have the right to know the true quality of the stone, but a 0.2 sometimes even a 0.15 carat diamond is still worthy. One can asks what's the point to pay the extra cash for a diamond grading report if a diamond is small and cheap anyhow. Well, some customers buy small diamonds in order to save money and anyhow don't care much about a diamond's quality, and surely won't need a diamond certificate for such a small stone. On the other hand, some of us buy small diamonds not because we are cheap and unappreciative of diamonds' quality, but rather because we need a small quality diamond (or several small diamonds) for a certain purpose, for example for a channel or pave setting diamond ring. In such case there is still a need that each diamond would be of high quality and would generate a sparkle which would add up to a brilliant diamond ring. Sure a tiny inclusion on a 0.1 carat diamond, which is one of 20 diamonds set in a ring, isn't so visible and would definitely not reduce the overall beauty of a ring, but the general quality of the diamonds must be uniformly high. Don't ever doubt the impact of a diamond, even a small one:)!
February 15, 2010
Generally, all size diamonds come with certificates which guarantee their quality and value as well as their size. However, there is no law stating that jewelers must provide diamonds with certificates. I personally wouldn't purchase a diamond without a certificate, I find no good reason why I shouldn't have a written guarantee of my diamond's quality. I highly recommend purchasing certified diamonds only.
February 14, 2010
YES. All diamonds should come with a certificate. If a diamond you would like to purchase does not come with a diamond certificate - an antique or vintage diamond might not have a report, for example - then you can go ahead and get the diamond graded. You can send the piece of diamond jewelry to the GIA or the AGS, or you can check online for other dependable laboratories that will grade your diamond and issue you a diamond certificate.
