How does IGI compare with GIA?

[mrs-b]

I've been looking on the James Allen website, and I see they offer GIA, AGS and IGI certification. The IGI stones are considerably less expensive. So I wondered, how does IGI grading compare with GIA and/or AGS? The colors *seem*, in some instances, to be warmer. But some seem the same.

Anybody familiar with IGI and how they grade?

Thanks!

 

[oldminer]

Diamonds are really valued by color, clarity, weight, shape outline, and the all important quality of their cut, light return, and beauty. Labs don't change anything, but the most well recognized labs provide reasonably consistent grading and which vastly increase the ability of dealers and consumers to trade the bulk of diamonds nearly sight unseen with a good level of confidence.

When you have a diamond graded by a lab that is not on the "A" list, a dealer may not even bother to consider buying it just for the lack of convenience and the wasted shipping costs. This attitude leads to discounting to help encourage dealers to consider the diamond. It might be perfectly well graded, but history shows that "B" level labs may not be exactly where "A" level labs are when it comes to grading.

Overseas, in places such as India, IGI is highly recognized and very accepted. In the USA, IGI is huge and widely used by mass marketing retailers. IGI from a world view is an "A" firm from size, professionalism and their large teaching role. From our smaller, US perspective, IGI appears on the "B" chart. That's the why there is some discounting. The grades may be a bit weaker, but not always. However, the conviction of accuracy is not as strong as with GIA, so while reliable, there are lingering doubts.

As a consumer you should set your budget and look at diamonds within your budget without a great deal of regard for which lab, "A" or "B" did the grading. If you select an IGI report diamond at your full budget level with grading higher than you might get with GIA, you likely will get a similar diamond from either lab for similar money, but the grading on the two reports may not necessarily agree. Does it really matter? It is a mind issue, not a physical issue of diamond grade for the most part. When the prices agree, the diamonds tend to make sense of it all. The reports can be all over the place, but the underlying value adjustments are there with or without reports.

 

[mrs-b]

Thanks, @oldminer - I appreciate the input.

I'm specifically interested in the color differences. I've been looking at various color grades, and comparing between the two (GIA and IGI). On occasion, the colors seem to match, but as often as not, the IGI stones seem more tinted - especially as you go further down the color grades. I suspect they converge as you go up the color grades. I just wondered if anyone who has a lot of experience handling both, has found that IGI and GIA's mean points of comparison for color are different, and if IGI in general is warmer.

For those of us who purchase on the internet, this is helpful knowledge; it can save us from a lot of returns.

ETA Agree that it's a mind issue. Unfortunately, I've gotta live with this head!

 

[oldminer]

If you want a GIA grade, a specific grade, then use a GIA report and get what you want without the doubt. No one can clear the doubt factor when it is so personal.

 

[Karl_K]

Generally softer than GIA with a few exceptions.
Lets say you hunt one down that is properly graded to GIA standards, you have an insurance claim and the insurer is going to want to replace it with the cheapest IGI stone that meets the specifications. That most likely will not be one that matches GIA grading.
They are best knows in the US for the US lab issuing deceptive valuation reports with hugely inflated values on them.

 

[flyingpig]

Many experts say IGI is a 2nd tier lab, while others say it is a well respected in some Asian countries (not in South Korea. GIA rules) and their grading is consistent.
Google "IGI PRICESCOPE". @oldminer basically wrote the exact same thing here he did in 2014.
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/igi-grading.19571/

As a consumer, I always ask this question. GIA/AGS stones are traded at a premium. If you are a cutter and have a well cut stone, why would you not use GIA/AGS to grade and market your stone, and lose potential profit by going with IGI or other labs? Just to tackle India/China/Hong Kong markets, and ignore North America market? It does not make too much sense to me.

US consumers' perception on IGI diamonds and IGI diamonds' pricing in comparison with GIA/AGS diamonds have not changed for the last 15~20 years. IGI is still considered as a 2nd tier lab and GIA/AGS stones are traded at a higher premium. I don't think that will change in the foreseeable future, regardless of how consistent and accurate IGI actually is today. I remember IGI used to be everywhere in North America. Unfortunately, they degraded their own reputation. In the world of luxury goods, once your brand drops to the 2nd tier, you will never get back to the 1st tier.

 

[oldminer]

Many diamonds are cut with a mind to sell them in places outside the USA. Having had a large operation in India for a long time, I understand the game is international and can be played by many sets of rules. I have no bias, pro or con IGI, but know how successful they are. Flyingpig is right about maximizing profits and speed of return on the investment, too. if you want GIA/AGS grading, then only depend on those labs for the grading you want to obtain. If a dealer wants to sell merchandise faster and for the best money possible, then they use the lab(s) in the market of their choice which prompt the best outcome. This might be IGI or HRD outside the US or GIA/AGS in the US.

 

[Emeraldsaremyfavorite]

How many grades in color and clarity would you all guess IGL is? If you find a stone for considerably cheaper, graded by IGL, maybe have it graded by GIA? I don’t know if that would be a cost savings or not

 

[Emeraldsaremyfavorite]

For example... if you are hoping for a H GIA, buy a F IGI...

 

[mrs-b]

If you want a GIA grade, a specific grade, then use a GIA report and get what you want without the doubt. No one can clear the doubt factor when it is so personal.

Yes - got it. But I must not have been clear; I'm not asking about buying a specific stone. I'm trying to find out if there are general trends between labs. For example, AGS is generally seen as somewhat softer on color. I wondered if IGI is also.

@Karl_K - thanks! That answered it in a nutshell.

@flyingpig - direct and straight to the point.

 

[pyramid]

For example, AGS is generally seen as somewhat softer on color.

Yes but harder on clarity, that is in the studies and what people have said.

 

[pyramid]

IGI are seen as respectable in UK, but then GIA is until fairly recent an unknown. The A stands for America, so not UK or European. HRD is second to IGI I would say in UK. There are also Anchor Certificate which is trustworthy. People here are not into certificated diamonds so much as they don't prefer large diamonds and see them as too showy. More reserved people here.

AGS, I have only heard of on this board, never seen anything AGS in UK. Have maybe seen about 4 diamonds with GIA. So people outside USA would question a report that was not IGI or HRD as oldminer said and most diamonds are being sold outside of America. That is why IGI are massive compared to GIA as their company is worldwide and massive.

 

[pyramid]

If you want to buy from your own country by all means stick to GIA but there are more to choose from outside of America and so better deals on bigger stones.

 

[Diamond_Hawk]

I am enjoying the careful and deliberate answers being given in this thread. Factual and objective statements, for the most part, without stating a personal preference or bias from the posters. It is a good read!

 

[Katya DXB]

I had been asking myself similar questions and eventually decided to send my IGI graded studs to GIA. You can see the results on the photos - one diamond came with a lower color grade and both went down to V. Good on cut. Interestingly, I used to think the main risk with buying an IGI graded stone would be the color, since I can always run the numbers through GIA facet ware or GIA/AGS cut grade tables to estimate the cut quality based on their standards. But that assumption turned out to be wrong due to all the differences in specific measurements between the two reports.

 

[Katya DXB]

Forgot to add - it didn’t change the look of the diamonds of course , but the local retail price would have been about a thousand dollars less had we been buying J/I with a very good cut as opposed to I/I with an excellent cut

 

[ChristineRose]

IGI is okay, nowhere near the various EGL and certainly not the lab in the back of the store with a misleading set of initials. (GAI. GLA. ADS.) But most of the time there is not reason to consider them as you can get a GIA stone.

I would warn against playing the soft grading game. IGI is not so much soft as it is sloppy. The dealer will know the GIA grade, and will not put a price cut on a stone that is properly graded.