What are GIA Certified Diamonds?

August 07 2023

Buying diamond jewellery is one of the biggest online purchases you can make, how on earth do you trust an online retailer with your hard earned cash?

The Answer - Ensure you buy a diamond certified by GIA.

Who or What is The GIA?

The Gemological Institute of America is a non-profit independent institute dedicated to research and education in the field of gemmology and the jewellery arts. When it was founded in 1931, GIA's mission was to protect all buyers and sellers of gemstones by setting and maintaining the standards used to evaluate gemstone quality. By 1953 the GIA had developed its own International Diamond Grading System.

What is a GIA Certificate?

A GIA certificate is a document, sometimes known as a diamond grading report, dossier, or diamond analysis document that contains a complete scientific and unbiased assessment of your diamond’s 4Cs. GIA tests every diamond submitted to establish its authenticity as a diamond and whether it’s been subjected to treatments. GIA reports provide you with a complete description of the diamond, including colour, weight, measurements, and cutting style, and disclose any known treatments, including whether it's a mined or lab-grown diamond.

The GIA Certificate clearly sets out the diamond's attributes in a way that makes it easy to compare and choose!

At Quality Diamonds we consider the Diamond Certificate to be the 5th C, as important to the value of your diamonds as Colour, Cut, Clarity and Carat Weight. It's so important to us that we've created a GUIDE to help you fully understand your GIA Certificate. 

Why didn't I receive a GIA certificate with my diamond?

From 2023, GIA is phasing out some paper versions of their diamond dossiers and certificates, so you may not get a certificate with your GIA diamond. Don't worry, you'll be able to check using the GIA number inscribed on the diamond or by using a QR code so you can use the report checker on the GIA website.

Are all of your diamonds certified by GIA?

Not always! Though all diamonds we offer are always independently certified, to ensure fairness to our customers. Other global companies that certify diamonds include: IGI, HRD and EGL. 

We recommend GIA when and where we can. This is because they are globally known to be the most reliable as they have the most strict and most consistent grading policies: making them more accurate compared to others. Read more on this in our Differences in Diamond Grading Guide.

Why aren’t small diamonds certified?

It is not cost-effective to get small diamonds Certified. Though they are mostly split up into three types of quality: D/E VS, F/G VS and H/I SI.

Our Advice…

Unless you’re very experienced in buying diamonds and feel confident evaluating the quality of a diamond yourself, buy certified. That way, you know the diamond you’re getting is the same quality you’re paying for.

Shop loose diamonds

Did you know, we can take your GIA-certified diamond and set it into jewellery that you can design yourself, with the help of our in-house designer? Find out more here.

If you'd like to discuss diamond certification, whether it's GIA or any other laboratory, feel free to contact us here.

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