GIA Ready to offer Full Grading Reports for Lab-Grown Diamonds
by Andrew Bloom
Marking the end to an era of gemstone discrimination, the Gemological Institute of America announced on Tuesday (August 11, 2020), that its labs will offer full grading reports to the lab-created diamonds according to the same standards used for earth-mined diamonds.
“Natural and laboratory-grown diamonds co-exist today, accepted by both consumers and the trade. We believe the growth of laboratory-grown diamonds will expand the overall diamond market and bring in new customers,” President and CEO Susan Jacques said in a press release announcing the change.
According to GIA, the reports will debut from fourth-quarter 2020 and be available in digital format. The cost of certification is the same as the current cost for earth-mined grading certificates as the grading process is identical irrespective of the diamond source.
An article on JCK online quoted GIA CEO describing the change of policy as an evolution to the new consumer demand.
“We want to make sure that consumers are educated, that we can protect their trust in the gem and jewelry industry as well as the products they are buying. As consumers adopt this new category, it’s important that we evolve with the new consumer.”
In 2018, The U.S Federal Trade Commission amended its jewelry guides stating that a diamond should be treated a diamond, whether it is grown in a lab or extracted from the earth. Just last year, GIA dropped using the misleading word “synthetic” in describing lab-grown diamonds.
Earlier this month, American Gemological Society (AGS) laboratories announced the resumption of grading lab-grown diamonds after stopping the practice for nearly seven years.
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