{"id":25434,"date":"2022-11-07T11:00:15","date_gmt":"2022-11-07T16:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/?p=25434"},"modified":"2022-11-07T16:57:17","modified_gmt":"2022-11-07T21:57:17","slug":"compare-gia-to-igi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/compare-gia-to-igi\/","title":{"rendered":"COMPARE GIA TO IGI"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Compare<\/div>\n

“It’s IGI…”<\/h2>\n

\nI get many emails from people wanting advice about diamonds and quality (in my Diamond Q&A Here<\/a>; so if you want help deciding between stones, email me<\/a>).<\/p>\n

\nAnd as much as I emphasize “BUY GIA<\/strong>” all the time, I still get people wanting to compare “IGI” or “EGL”<\/strong> certified diamonds… Like so:<\/strong><\/p>\n

“I know that you highly recommend GIA on your website, but I found this IGI certified diamond graded SI2 and it was priced much cheaper than GIA. Can you take a look at these and tell me why…”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\nNo matter what, many people are under the impression that ALL certified diamonds are the same<\/strong>. That an SI1 diamond from one company is an SI1 diamond from another…<\/p>\n

THIS ISN’T TRUE!<\/h2>\n

\nWhen you compare diamonds, it’s important to compare “like” certificates;<\/strong> GIA to GIA, IGI to IGI, EGL to EGL… Otherwise, it’s like comparing night and day<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

\nBut still, you shouldn’t even be looking at anything but GIA. GIA is the leader in the industry<\/strong>. After all, they wrote the book on diamond grading. They literally devised the 4C<\/strong> grading system. There is no one better in the World to grade a diamond more accurately than GIA. Comparing GIA to IGI is like apples to oranges<\/strong>. It’s not the same.<\/p>\n

\n\"Compare<\/p>\n

\nAn SI1, E, GIA certified diamond will usually look much better<\/strong> than an SI1, E, IGI certified diamond. This is because GIA is ultra strict<\/strong>, uses triple redundancy when grading, and rounds down<\/strong>. IGI is more lax and lenient and their grades are often eyebrow raising<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

\nMeaning, an SI1, E, IGI certified diamond could really be an SI2, F, instead.<\/p>\n

Compare the prices below…<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n
CARAT, CLARITY, COLOR, CUT, POL, SYM, FLUOR<\/strong><\/td>\nPRICE<\/strong><\/td>\nVIEW<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1.00, SI1, E, EX, EX, EX, NONE<\/strong><\/td>\n$6,000<\/strong><\/td>\nVIEW<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1.00, SI2, F, EX, EX, EX, NONE<\/strong><\/td>\n$4,500<\/strong><\/td>\nVIEW<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

(Prices good at the time of this post)<\/p>\n

Do they look the same???<\/h2>\n

\nNo. So why does this happen?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\nIt happens because grading is subjective<\/strong>. It’s someone (an expert) looking at a diamond and grading it. And since every single diamond is different<\/strong>, you’re going to get many different opinions<\/strong>. The FTC <\/strong>allows for such opinions and differences. They allow diamond graders to be off by one whole grade<\/strong>; SI1 to SI2. SI2 to I1… (same with diamond color<\/strong> as well; E to F, F to G…) <\/p>\n

\nIGI and EGL are much more forgiving<\/strong> when it comes to official documented grades and tend to round up (grade bumping<\/strong>) the quality more often than not (If the stone is graded higher, the jeweler makes more money<\/strong>; which is why some jewelers use them).<\/p>\n

We see it all the time<\/h2>\n

\nCustomers will bring in IGI certified stones<\/strong> to upgrade or sell, and if you look at the stone, then look at the certificate, you’d know it’s not accurate. Sometimes they are… but many times they are off<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\nAnd to prove this, let’s compare some GIA and IGI diamonds<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\nI’ve gone to James Allen<\/a> and grabbed some stones<\/strong> to compare.<\/p>\n

Look at these:<\/h2>\n

\n\"Compare<\/p>\n

\n\"Compare<\/p>\n

\n\"Compare<\/p>\n

Now, I know what you’re thinking…<\/h2>\n

\nYou’re thinking that I grabbed the WORST IGI diamonds<\/strong> I could find, and the BEST GIA<\/strong> diamonds…<\/p>\n

\nThis is true to a point (the point I’m trying to make<\/strong>)….<\/p>\n

But here’s the real truth:<\/h2>\n

\nIt doesn’t matter<\/strong>. It doesn’t matter because both of the diamonds are graded exactly the same<\/strong>. EXACTLY!<\/em> And yes, there are some IGI diamonds that don’t look so bad (like that last one above). Some will appear closer to the GIA graded diamonds, sure. But are you willing to risk that?<\/strong> How would you know which diamond you’d get? Unless you actually compared them side by side, you’d never know<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Both stones are rated identical<\/strong>…<\/p>\n

But their price is not!<\/h2>\n

\nWhy are IGI diamonds so much cheaper?<\/strong> Because the certificates are cheaper. The equipment used isn’t equal. The quality is questionable. The diamonds don’t look the same. They don’t sell the same… Consumers opinions about them aren’t the same…<\/p>\n

You can see it with your own eyes<\/h2>\n

\nAnd like I’ve said, not all IGI diamonds will be this extreme<\/strong> (although really, I just picked from the top 20 stones<\/strong>, so it’s not like I spent hours trying to find the worst specimens. They were pretty apparent<\/strong>). Some will be, and that’s what I’m saying.<\/p>\n

Let price be your judge:<\/h2>\n

\nIf an IGI diamond is a thousand dollars less<\/strong> than a GIA diamond… Don’t buy it!<\/strong> If they truly were the same quality of diamond, they’d be much closer in price; not miles apart<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\nWhich is funny because…<\/p>\n

Price is why people buy them!!!<\/h2>\n

\nPeople see the price difference. They think they’re getting a good deal. They want to save money, I get it. But some people just don’t care<\/strong>. All they see is the price tag. And if that’s your true concern, then I can’t help you<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\nBut for others…<\/p>\n

Here’s my advice:<\/h2>\n

\nIf you’re looking for certified stones, compare them<\/strong>. View same quality stones under a microscope. See the difference yourself<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

\nOtherwise, you could be overpaying<\/strong> and not getting what you thought you were getting.<\/p>\n

\nStick with GIA<\/strong> and your diamonds will be graded expertly. You’ll be able to trust the results<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

It’s your money. Your choice.<\/h2>\n

\nBut after viewing stones and comparing them, I’m sure you’ll lean towards GIA<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\nJust like these GIA certified diamonds below<\/a>…<\/p>\n

\n\"GIA<\/a><\/p>\n

\nCheers! :)<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“It’s IGI…” I get many emails from people wanting advice about diamonds and quality (in my Diamond Q&A Here; so if you want help deciding between stones, email me). And as much as I emphasize [Read More…]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":25438,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,29,3,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25434","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-certification","category-diamond-guide","category-diamonds","category-engagement"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25434"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25434"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25434\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25438"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25434"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25434"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25434"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}