{"id":4114,"date":"2019-01-26T18:00:42","date_gmt":"2019-01-26T23:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/?p=4114"},"modified":"2019-01-29T08:22:43","modified_gmt":"2019-01-29T13:22:43","slug":"the-cost-to-certify-a-diamond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/the-cost-to-certify-a-diamond\/","title":{"rendered":"THE COST TO CERTIFY A DIAMOND"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"The<\/div>\n

A good portion of all the diamonds worn today are not certified<\/strong> (and by certified, I mean, without a laminated diamond report<\/strong>).<\/p>\n

So at least 75% of all the rings and diamonds worn, do not<\/strong> have official grading paperwork with them.<\/p>\n

That’s sad. <\/strong>Especially since most people know that if you’re buying an engagement ring, buy it certified.<\/p>\n

\nBut as we know, there are many, many reasons why one would wear a Diamond that isn’t Certified…<\/p>\n

It’s not Certified Because:<\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. It was sold like that<\/strong><\/li>\n
  2. The buyer did not care, or know enough<\/li>\n
  3. It costs more<\/strong> to have a stone certified<\/li>\n
  4. The diamond could be of small carat weight (like under 50 points)<\/li>\n
  5. The diamond could be low quality<\/strong> (meaning clarity or color)<\/li>\n
  6. The diamond could be old, or antique<\/li>\n
  7. The diamond could be a hand-me-down, or inherited<\/li>\n
  8. The paperwork may have gotten lost<\/strong><\/li>\n
  9. You may have purchased it from a friend<\/li>\n
  10. The diamond was re-cut<\/strong> and never re-certified<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \nAnd there are many reasons why you should get that stone certified<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. To verify the grades<\/strong> and 4C’s<\/li>\n
    2. Insurance<\/strong> might demand it<\/li>\n
    3. For peace of mind<\/li>\n
    4. To double check that another diamond report<\/strong> is accurate<\/li>\n
    5. Because you don’t fully trust<\/strong> your jeweler<\/li>\n
    6. It’s never been appraised or graded before<\/li>\n
    7. You need it for an estate sale<\/strong><\/li>\n
    8. You bought it not certified<\/li>\n
    9. You want the best, most accurate report that’s possible<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      \nSo now the real question becomes:<\/strong><\/p>\n

      Where do you get it certified?<\/h2>\n

      \nTo get your diamond (or a gemstone like a ruby, sapphire or emerald) certified (graded with a diamond report<\/strong>), you’ll need to do a couple of things:<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Remove the diamond from the mounting<\/strong> (most places won’t certify a mounted stone)<\/li>\n
      2. Send the diamond to a grading company (like GIA, AGS, IGI, EGL or HRD – Insured of course<\/strong>)<\/li>\n
      3. Take it to a jewelry store and have them<\/strong> send it into the grading companies for a report (most jewelers have accounts with these places and can easily submit it for grading)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Have your stone removed:<\/h2>\n

        \nIf your stone is already set in a head, prongs or mounting, simply take the ring (or whatever piece of jewelry it is) into a jewelry store that has a jeweler working on-hand<\/strong>, and one that can remove your stone while you wait<\/strong> (call around to the independent stores and you’ll find one).<\/p>\n

        \nI think this is way better than taking it to a store where they have to send your item out to have it done, and it’ll probably take them 2 weeks just to do that.<\/p>\n

        \nTake it to a jeweler and have them remove the stone from the mounting<\/strong>. Sometimes they can even do it in front of you (but often insurance doesn’t allow customers in the shop area). No matter, this process takes just a couple of minutes, depending on the mounting of course. <\/p>\n

        \nJewelers remove stones all the time from mountings, and a lot even have to remove them just to do accurate jewelry appraisals<\/strong> (it’s very difficult to grade a stone in a mounting – the mounting doesn’t allow you to get an exact weight, nor to get the real color or clarity of the stone).<\/p>\n

        \nThis simple process takes just a minute or two to execute. You may even ask them to clean your stone while they’re at it (I recommend this, that way you can scope it before you send it out to the grading company). Clean it in an ultrasonic cleaner<\/a>, and use either a microscope<\/a> or a 10x jeweler’s loupe<\/a> to see what your stone looks like under 10x magnification<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

        \n\"Remove<\/p>\n

        Now, it’s just a matter of where you send it.<\/h2>\n

        \nThe two certificate grading companies<\/strong> that I would recommend the most are GIA<\/strong> (The Gemological Institute of America<\/a>) and AGS (American Gem Society<\/a>). Those two are the best and the top of the line when it comes to reports.<\/p>\n

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

        \nGenerally it can take anywhere from 10 days to 3 weeks to get a report done (you can also pay for a rush job<\/strong>).<\/p>\n

        \nNow you can also send your diamond to IGI<\/strong> (International Gemological Institute) and EGL<\/strong> (European Gemological Institute), but quite often, these companies are loose on their grading, and will grade the stone higher quality than it really is (they’ll round the quality up).<\/p>\n

        \nThat’s why I always advise and prefer to use GIA or AGS only.<\/strong><\/p>\n

        Now what’s the price?<\/h2>\n

        \nThe cost of certifying stones will vary on what type of report you want, and what additional services you require.<\/p>\n

        \nFor example…<\/strong><\/p>\n

        GIA (based out of Carlsbad, California) offers 3 different types of diamond reports:<\/strong><\/p>\n