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Diamond lab grading

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Chelsea Palmer

Rough_Rock
Joined
Mar 8, 2023
Messages
87
Can anyone venture a guess as to why supposedly reputable and knowledgeable gemstone vendors refer to diamonds as CERTIFIED? GIA, AGI, AGL, etc., GRADE diamonds. They do not certify diamonds. A diamond tester will certify that a gemstone possesses the qualities that make it a diamond. It really irks me when I see a jeweler advertise lab-certified diamonds. I can see a lay person mistaking a lab report for a certificate, but I cannot understand why jewelers continue to misidentify diamonds as being certified by a grading lab. I would think these folks would want to get this right and educate their consumers. Makes me doubt their credentials.
 
I gave up that fight 20 years ago.
Its not something that one can win unless a gov gets involved..
 
I've pointed this out countless times here.
It's bad enough diamond retailers get away with this fraud, but many experienced prosumers here on PS use the term certified even though they must know better.

Like Karl, I've given up being a lone voice in the wilderness.

Ignorance isn't just bliss; it's rampant.
Sad. :knockout:
 
I always have to stop myself from typing "certified" and enter "graded". I'm sure I haven't always caught it because I'm
so used to hearing "certified". If I can slow myself down long enough to think about what I'm typing I make sure I
enter "graded".
 
Going back 25 years...we were one of the first websites selling diamonds.
I was using the term "GIA certified"....not to defnd it's use, but this was a long time ago and things were different.
Anyway, GIA's legal council sent us a registered letter- telling us to cease and desist using that term.
I immediately realized the implications and stopped using that term.
At the same time, I sent back pictures of all the neon signs on 47th street advertising "GIA CERTIFIED DIAMONDS"
I became part of the solution at that point:)
 
tyty333 said:
I always have to stop myself from typing "certified" and enter "graded". I'm sure I haven't always caught it because I'm
so used to hearing "certified". If I can slow myself down long enough to think about what I'm typing I make sure I
enter "graded".
Click to expand...
Wont have to look hard to find to find me posting "cert" when I mean grading report. I dont catch it all the time.
 
Karl_K said:
Wont have to look hard to find to find me posting "cert" when I mean grading report. I dont catch it all the time.
Click to expand...

me too. I do it alllllll the time
 
same here.
 
Just an old habit that is hard to break! Not sure anyone hangs their hat though on the difference in terms. I realize it is incorrect but there are far worse problems in the industry than that one. Just my two cents!
 
I mean, "cert" is also short for "certificate", which is a term often used to describe a grading report.
 
Probably a majority of diamond dealers of every level of the diamond industry don't speak English as their native language. I suppose many don't begin to understand the nuances of this word that we apply to it. The case is clear that it is a word that is incorrect for what these documents are, but it is understood by millions of people as a word which to them means "a formal document". I won't use the word incorrectly, but spending time on splitting other peoples hairs is unwelcome and like swimming against the tide.

There are many words meaning specific things that have become appropriated by modern users to mean other things. You could fill a book with alternative meanings. Think of the old fashioned dictionary loaded with long lists of what every word may mean in various uses or contexts. Use the word correctly yourself. Use the word correctly in all of your advertising. Over time, you can make the word take on the correct meaning and help end the misuse. In the meantime, take a deep breath and don't let it get to you. Buy all the certs you need and sell them as as reports.
 
oldminer said:
Probably a majority of diamond dealers of every level of the diamond industry don't speak English as their native language
Click to expand...

This is probably an "old guy- GET OFF MY LAWN" sort of sentiment....but you are 100% spot on. And it's way more than the language.
We grew up in a world of diamonds that no longer exists.
Other markets have emerged and in the process, the entire industry has shifted.
The biggest issue I see is the lack of opportunity.
Oligarchs now own the industry. The poor schmucks working on the street nowadays have ZERO chance of actually elevating themselves.
Sad.
/rant
 
Dreamer_D said:
I mean, "cert" is also short for "certificate", which is a term often used to describe a grading report.
Click to expand...

That’s the whole point. A certificate is not a grading report. A certificate attests to the veracity of something. So a diamond certificate would in essence be saying the stone in question has been certified to possess the qualities that make it a diamond. That is not the same as a grading report.
 
I think we all understand the point. Even though the language might be incorrect, most folks get the purpose of the grading report even if they call it a cert. Clearly, this error has been pervasive in the diamond world and will take much time to correct - if ever.
I do not think that people are trying to mislead or debunk the public with the names. People understand that the grading report is an industry standard regarding weight, color, clarity and specs of a diamond. In terms of GIA, it is a gold standard in the world of diamonds that the grading report states these facts to be measured and true. While there are human elements regarding color and clarity, you won’t find many arguing against a GIA grading report.
 
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My point is that it is futile to argue with common language usage. Language is a living entity with consensual meanings. And in common diamond talk, cert, lab report, grading report, and certificate are used to mean the same thing.

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Chelsea Palmer said:
That’s the whole point. A certificate is not a grading report. A certificate attests to the veracity of something. So a diamond certificate would in essence be saying the stone in question has been certified to possess the qualities that make it a diamond. That is not the same as a grading report.
Click to expand...

I think you are missing her point.
 
My original post was asking specifically about supposed jewelers not knowing that a report is not a certificate. That was my concern. I find it difficult to trust a "jeweler" that doesn't even know that labs don't "certify" diamonds.
 
Chelsea Palmer said:
My original post was asking specifically about supposed jewelers not knowing that a report is not a certificate. That was my concern. I find it difficult to trust a "jeweler" that doesn't even know that labs don't "certify" diamonds.
Click to expand...

Well, that is your prerogative. I wouldn’t throw the baby out with the bathwater so to speak over that issue. Trust is an important issue so find someone that you trust to work with for your needs.
 
The Jeweler may have been diffentiating from "Non-Certified" Diamonds (diamonds without 3rd party grading reports) - and GIA Dossier Reports and the others do state if Natural Origin or Labratory Grown...
 
No one would sell a non-certified diamond. Because it’s clearly not a diamond if it hasn’t been certified to possess the qualities that make it a diamond.
 
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