GIA and IGI are the most respected diamond grading institutions. However, GIA is more popular in America, while IGI is very popular in Europe and Asia. Also, IGI offers faster and cheaper certifications.
A diamond is not just a symbol of eternal love and perfection; it is also an expensive purchase. Thus, when buying a diamond, you need to be confident about what you are buying.
However, you will be unable to tell the quality of a diamond, except if you are an expert gemologist.
For this reason, people go for certified diamonds, which are diamonds that have been examined and graded by independent labs. GIA and IGI are the industry’s biggest and most famous diamond grading labs.
This article will examine the difference between GIA and IGI diamond certification.
Specifically, we’ll examine:
- What is GIA certification?
- What is IGI certification?
- What are the differences between GIA and IGI certifications?
- Does GIA grade lab-grown diamonds?
- Does IGI grade lab-grown diamonds?
- What’s the best certification option when buying a lab-grown diamond?
What is GIA certification?
A GIA certification is the grading report that the Gemological Institute of America issues for a diamond after the diamond undergoes its rigorous grading process.
Thus, a GIA certification, or grading report, is the GIA’s honest description of a diamond’s characteristics. It specifies essential information about the diamond, such as its 4Cs (clarity, cut, color, and carat), proportions, symmetry, a plot of inclusions, etc.
GIA diamond certification is very popular in America and some Western European countries.
GIA is an independent nonprofit institution founded in 1931. Today, it is a leading source of research on gems and jewelry and the foremost authority in evaluating diamonds’ quality.
GIA is the creator of the 4Cs and the International Diamond Grading System, which remains the worldwide standard for evaluating diamond quality.
What is IGI certification?
An IGI certification is the grading report issued for a diamond by the International Gemological Institute after assessing the diamond’s characteristics using a strict process that ensures the highest standards of accuracy and consistency.
The IGI certification, or grading report, accurately assesses a diamond’s 4 Cs (cut, color, clarity, and carat weight). The IGI certification also shows a diamond’s proportions, a plot of inclusions, and information like fluorescence and symmetry.
Know that the International Gemological Institute (IGI) is the biggest independent gem lab in the world. It was founded in 1975 and has its headquarters in the diamond capital of the world – Antwerp.
The IGI was the first gemological lab to receive the 17025 certification for natural and lab-grown diamonds, which is the most important standard for diamond grading.
IGI has 18 laboratory locations worldwide, including in major cities like New York, Hong Kong, Mumbai, Tokyo, etc. Today, the IGI is the dominant lab in Europe and Asia.
What are the differences between GIA and IGI certifications?
GIA and IGI certifications are the most trusted diamond graders. A GIA or IGI certification gives confidence about the quality of diamonds.
In the famous grading the grader study, the researchers sent diamonds to different labs to analyze the strictness of grading. They found that the GIA and IGI are stricter and more consistent than the other labs.
Being independent institutions, GIA and IGI have no stake in the diamonds they grade. They evaluate each diamond on its merit and give an honest description of its characteristics.
However, GIA and IGI certifications differ in some ways. For example:
- GIA is popular in America, while IGI is popular in Europe and Asia
- IGI certifications have a faster turnaround time than GIA
- The cost of a GIA’s certification is higher than that of an IGI’s
- IGI certifications are generally respected for both mined and lab-grown diamonds
- IGI provides appraisals, while GIA does not.
GIA is popular in America while IGI is popular in Europe and Asia
GIA and IGI have facilities around the world. However, with the GIA headquartered in California, it dominates the American market, being the most popular diamond certification in America.
On the other hand, the IGI is headquartered in Antwerp, Belgium, so it is the most popular diamond certification in Europe and Asia.
IGI certifications have a faster turnaround time than GIA
IGI prize itself on having a faster certification time. Unlike GIA, IGI works like a factory, ensuring that it produces grading reports quickly.
IGI takes only a few days to produce its grading report. However, GIA works slower, taking about a month to produce its diamond grading report.
The cost of a GIA certification is higher than that of an IGI’s
The cost of diamond certification varies depending on different factors. For example, the cost of GIA certification depends on the diamond’s carat weight, the type of GIA report you want (full diamond report, dossier report, or eReport), etc.
However, if everything is the same, GIA reports generally cost more than IGI’s reports.
IGI certifications are respected for both natural and lab-grown diamonds
As we’ll see in a later section, GIA refused to grade colorless lab-grown diamonds for a long time. However, IGI took the chance with these man-made jewels at the right time. By so doing, IGI became the industry leader in grading lab-grown diamonds.
Today, IGI is highly respected for both lab-grown and mined diamonds. In fact, IGI is the go-to lab for many of the top retailers of lab-grown diamonds.
Another reason IGI certification is the most popular for lab-grown diamonds is its low cost. The relatively expensive GIA certification will push up the price of a diamond. Since lab-grown diamonds are more price-sensitive, it makes sense to use the more cost-friendly IGI certification.
IGI provides appraisals while GIA does not
Another important difference between GIA and IGI certifications is that GIA does not offer appraisals, while IGI does.
Diamond appraisals seek to determine the monetary value of diamonds. The GIA concerns itself with only evaluating diamonds and publishing reports that describe their characteristics. The report helps you determine the quality of a diamond, but not it’s worth.
However, while IGI also evaluates and publishes diamond reports, it offers independent appraisal services for financial audits, estate valuation, etc.
The International Gemological Information division of IGI was set up specifically to provide gems and jewelry appraisals. So, with IGI, you can get a report showing the quality of your diamond, and an appraisal, showing its worth.
Does GIA grade lab-grown diamonds?
GIA grades lab-grown diamonds. GIA started grading laboratory-grown diamonds in 2007, and it also grades these man-made gems today.
However, despite having a stronghold on the overall diamond evaluation market, GIA is not the foremost player in grading lab-grown diamonds.
GIA was one of the first labs to start certifying lab-grown diamonds. However, these stones were still not to the standards of today.
Before long, laboratories successfully cultured white diamonds indistinguishable from mined diamonds. The market for white lab-grown diamonds immediately soared as these stones were significantly cheaper than their mined counterparts.
Then companies behind mined diamonds clamored seriously for blacklisting lab-grown diamonds as fake diamonds. GIA responded by stopping to grade lab-grown diamonds.
However, lab-grown diamonds continued to rise in popularity. GIA was forced to reevaluate its initial position and restarted certifying lab-grown diamonds in 2019.
GIA initially used the term “synthetic diamonds” to describe lab-grown diamonds. However, the GIA has now dropped the term, finally accepting that lab-grown diamonds are real diamonds.
GIA now explains that the only difference between lab-grown and natural diamonds is their formation story, and adds that these diamonds have the same chemical composition, optical properties, physical properties, and crystal structure. That is, lab-grown diamonds are of the same material, are just as hard, and respond to light in the same way as natural diamonds.
That said, when GIA shied away from lab-grown diamonds, IGI was the dominant certification for these jewels. Unfortunately for GIA, even when it restarted certifying lab-grown diamonds, most vendors still gravitated toward IGI.
GIA’s grading policy
GIA currently uses the same standard for grading lab-grown diamonds as it does for mined or natural diamonds. The grading report for lab-grown diamonds uses the 4 Cs grading system.
It evaluates the diamonds based on:
- Cut. It measures how well a diamond’s facets interact with light and describes this on a 5-point scale (Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, and Poor)
- Clarity. It measures the absence of inclusions and blemishes. Many GIA lab-grown reports use descriptive terms to state clarity. However, recently, some GIA lab-grown diamond reports have emerged that describe clarity on the worldwide FL – I3 11-point scale.
- Color. It measures the absence of color. Many GIA lab-grown diamond reports use descriptive terms to state color. But recently, some GIA lab-grown diamond reports have emerged that describe color quality on the worldwide D- Z 23-point scale.
- Carat weight. It measures the weight of the diamond.
In addition to the 4Cs, the GIA report for lab-grown diamonds also gives other relevant information about the diamond, like its proportions, inclusions, polish, symmetry, and fluorescence.
However, the GIA report for lab-grown diamonds clearly states that the diamond is man-made. The report’s title is LGDR, which means Laboratory Grown Diamond Report.
The report clearly states how the lab-grown diamond is made – whether by the CVD method (Chemical Vapor Density) or the HPHT method (High-Pressure High Temperature). The report will also show whether there is evidence of post-growth treatment to change the color of the diamond.
Know that GIA takes several steps to ensure objectivity. For example:
- When the lab receives a diamond, it removes every reference to its origin/ owner.
- The lab randomly assigns diamonds to graders.
- A minimum of four experienced gemologists examine every diamond.
- All examiners must independently reach a consensus about specific characteristics of the diamond.
Does IGI grade lab-grown diamonds?
At the moment, IGI is the most dominant certification for lab-grown diamonds. Most of the lab-grown diamonds carried by some of the world’s top jewelers have IGI certification.
GIA’s initial antagonistic view of white lab-grown diamonds and its subsequent refusal to grade these jewels allowed IGI to take over that section of the market.
IGI’s grading policy
IGI grades lab-grown diamonds using the same system it uses for natural diamonds (the 4 Cs system). The IGI grading report is similar to the GIA reports. It shows a diamond’s cut, clarity, color, and carat weight. It also shows proportions, a plot of inclusions, and information such as symmetry, polish, and fluorescence.
IGI also differentiates its lab-grown grading reports from its natural diamonds grading reports. The lab-grow report has a yellow color. The report number and “lab-grown” are laser-inscribed on the diamond’s girdle.
IGI also follows a rigorous and detailed process to ensure the authenticity of its grading and objective reports.
- Upon receiving a diamond, IGI anonymizes it by placing it in a generic container and giving it an anonymous identification number.
- The diamond returns to central control after each stage of grading to randomize the gemologists who examine it.
- IGI uses some of the most advanced technology and processes to examine each stone.
- IGI issues diamond reports with no less than five security features, including micro-printing and holographic.
- Every graded diamond has a unique report number which you can use to verify its authenticity.
What’s the best certification option when buying a lab-grown diamond?
IGI certification is the clear winner for lab-grown diamonds.
While GIA and IGI use the 4 Cs grading system, most GIA reports for lab-grown diamonds use descriptive terms to identify color and clarity characteristics.
However, IGI always uses the worldwide D- Z scale for color and the FL – I3 scale for clarity. Thus, IGI gives a better description of a diamond’s quality characteristics.
Conclusion
GIA and IGI are two of the world’s leading diamond grading labs, as they are known for strict grading standards and consistency. However, while GIA certification is very popular in America, IGI certification is very popular in Europe and Asia.
Interestingly, unlike GIA which sometimes uses descriptive terms in grading reports for lab-grown, IGI grades all lab-grown diamonds using internationally accepted standards and scales. So, not only is an IGI certification quicker and more cost-friendly, it actually gives the best description of a lab-grown diamond’s quality characteristics. This makes IGI the world’s most dominant lab for lab-grown diamonds.
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