better cut certification than AGS or GIA?

[JulieA]

I am in S. Africa and have been told here that the African certified diamands use a much stricter system than GIA ir AGS because each stone is evaluated by 5 different people or something like that. I have been told that under this stricter certification (sorry, can''t remember the name) that in ideal cut rated stone- with ideal proportions of table/ depth can still have a cut rating of only "very good" using their cert. grading. Can this be right? Won''t a AGS or GIA certified stone with an ideal or excellent cut rating be a better diamond than anything in the African grading that is only "very good." Or should we judge mostly based on table and pavillion proportions because supposedly the cerification system here is more strict so a very good will look as good as a ASO ideal? What are the most important stats that I should get on the stone in order to ask advice here on pricescope before I buy? Thanks!

 

[WorkingHardforSmallRewards]

Well, I don't know anything aobut it. but my first thoughts are the old quanity verses quality issue. In the end what is REALLY important is not so much how MANY people review the diamond but WHAT they are looking for.

If me and a bunch of buddies took out a yellow banana an eraser, some badge paint and some white paper and a quartz crystal we could create a system of color grading and have 100 of us look at it. I bet you it would fall right in the category that it deserves, there would certainly be CONSISTENCY but being consistent is different than being strict.

thus the first thing I would do is go and compare or look at some color and clarity grades and see how you feel about them, review and research how strict those grades are.

Then for cut grade find out what angles they require, what percentages they require, what the graders are looking for exactly and what the grader's qualifications/education are/is.

Perhaps five poorly trained individuals are judging light performance based on their opinions. That would then create a cut grade that would be inconsistent, unscientific, and perhaps biased by the marketplace, along with alot of other negative factors.

thus, you need more information on the scientific analysis and procedures that the lab actually uses before you can begin to compare.

 

[oldminer]

Although it is tempting to believe that more graders make for a better judgement, it may be that one has to question the quality and integrity of the graders involved. There are experts in many markets who are well qualified to make solid judgments of cut quality all by themselves. There are many large labs which use multiple judgements to increase their confidence in giving a result. Many times the results of a single knowledgeable grader is equal or better than the group judgement process. It depends on the lab. Both GIA and AGS use multiple graders and have systems in place for making decisions. No doubt, other labs and individuals from many parts of the world know how to make equally excellent grades and judgements.

In the end, consumers choose a diamond they prefer for many reasons. Grade quality is a part of the decision process, but value, price and appearance all play into the final choice.