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GIA's 2 (plus none) new Lab diamond grades

Garry H (Cut Nut)

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Posted in natural diamonds also:
Dear GIA Laboratory Client,

The revised GIA laboratory services for D-to-Z laboratory-grown diamonds will launch on October 1. Current GIA laboratory services for D-to-Z laboratory-grown diamonds will be available until September 30. This update to our services was announced in a GIA press release on June 2.

These changes to our service reflect changes in the production of laboratory-grown diamonds. Most diamonds entering the market fall into a very narrow range of color and clarity. Therefore, it is no longer appropriate for GIA to use the terms developed to describe the broad range of color and clarity found in natural diamonds to describe the quality of a manufactured product.

The GIA Laboratory-Grown Diamond Quality Assessment will use descriptive terms rather than the GIA-developed nomenclature for natural diamonds. The laboratory-grown diamonds will be described as ‘Premium’ or ‘Standard’ based on an overall assessment of their clarity, color and cut.

Laboratory-grown diamonds that meet all the following criteria will be classified as ‘Premium.’

Clarity – Very, Very Slightly included and higher
Color – D
Polish, symmetry - Excellent
Cut grade – Excellent (round brilliant cut diamonds only)
Laboratory-grown diamonds that meet any combination of the ‘Premium’ criteria and the following criteria will be classified as ‘Standard.’

Clarity – Very Slightly included
Color – E-to-J
Polish – Very Good
Symmetry – Very Good (or Good for fancy shapes only)
Cut grade – Very Good (round brilliant cut diamonds only)
Any diamond that does not meet all the minimum criteria for ‘Standard’ will not receive a GIA assessment.

The fee for GIA Laboratory-Grown Diamond Quality Assessment is US$15 per carat, with a minimum of fee of US$15. Submissions that do not meet the minimum criteria for assessment will be charged a US$5 evaluation fee. The minimum size for submission is 0.15 carats. Each submitted stone’s girdle will be laser inscribed with the term “Laboratory-Grown” and the GIA quality assessment number.  A printed document with the assessment results will be returned with each laboratory-grown diamond.
 
Thanks for sharing Gary. Out of curiosity how do the GIA LGD report fees compare with IGIs? I tried to find the pricing info my on the IGI website to no avail. It appears that you can't get a fee schedule without filling out a submission form.
 
Thanks for sharing Gary. Out of curiosity how do the GIA LGD report fees compare with IGIs? I tried to find the pricing info my on the IGI website to no avail. It appears that you can't get a fee schedule without filling out a submission form.

Good question. I can't remember what the GIA was charging, but I am sure it was about 3 times that much.
Given that $15 per carat is around 18% to 30% of the wholesale cost pre carat - the GIA will still not get much business.
The IGI has allowed larger manufacturers to do their own in house grading with the IGI apparently auditing and providing reports. That is not as bad as it may sound since they sell B2B. Most large natural businesses grading is more accurate and provide more information than the GIA does anyway.
 
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