CERTIFY AFTER YOU BUY

A lot of people buy diamonds that aren’t certified.

Let’s face it, probably 85% of all diamonds in jewelry stores aren’t certified.

That’s because it costs money to certify stones (a hundred dollars for a 1.00 carat). And if the diamond is small, or low quality, or already in a mounting (pre-set), then it’s not really worth the time or effort to remove them and certify them.

Even Solitaires!

And, crazy enough, you will find a lot of solitaire diamond rings on the market that aren’t certified as well (and by certified, I mean, ones that don’t have a diamond report).

For some reason or another, they didn’t get graded by GIA (the best in the business). But they should, because GIA is more strict, more accurate, and more respected than all the other diamond grading companies.

Granted, even thought GIA is better, some jewelry stores still like to use other certificate companies just because they tend to “bump” up the quality of the stone, it doesn’t cost them as much, turn around time is quicker, and the diamonds look better and sell better.

GIA doesn’t do that!

When they say that a diamond is VS1, E… Then that’s what it is (or whatever the quality is; cut, color, clarity and carat weight). Period.

And for all those that have already bought a solitaire, loose diamond, or even a diamond that’s been graded by some other company, like EGL, or IGI, did you know that you can STILL have GIA grade your stone and get an official GIA diamond report with it?

You can!

GIA has plenty of services that they provide, like full diamond reports, dossier (smaller reports) and even laser inscriptions (where the report number is etched directly onto the girdle of the diamond).

Do note that it’s better to send GIA a loose stone, otherwise they won’t do a full diamond report on it (mounted diamonds affect the clarity and color of the stone).

You can send GIA your diamond (insured and registered of course), and they’ll send it back with a diamond report. Easy as that.

You can check out all of GIA’s services and updated prices here!

Getting your diamond quality double-checked by the people who devised the 4C’s is great peace of mind. It tells you if the diamond you bought is accurate, or if it’s been inflated and not what they say it is (meaning, you got ripped off!)

GIA diamond reports can cost anywhere from $53 all the way up to $2,845 (depending on the carat weight of your stone). And laser engraving can cost from $12 on (and you can get anything engraved on the stone that you want – “R+T FOREVER“).

So if you’re curious, and your stone isn’t certified (or even if it’s a hand-me down, antique, or a diamond you bought from a pawn shop), send it to GIA and have them grade it.

P.S. When you get the diamond back, make a copy of the diamond report and send it to your insurance company so they have it on file and can replace your diamond easily if you were to lose it, damage it, or get it stolen.

And… These prices were good at the time of this post!

Cheers! :)