Is the SI2 grade more relaxed now

[ajoh3142]

Do any of you feel that lab graded diamonds are today graded, in general, more favorably than years ago? I ask this in specific relation to the SI2 clarity. I recently took an old graded SI2 (20 years ago) to a jeweler whose comment was, "This is absolutely one of the cleanest SI2's I've ever seen - are you sure it's not SI1." I have also looked at the Diamond Grading ABC book, and the SI photos in that volume appear, to me, cleaner than current SI2's on the market, and that book is dated 1993. Does anyone have any observations or conclusions of their own to share?

 

[John P]

Do any of you feel that lab graded diamonds are today graded, in general, more favorably than years ago? I ask this in specific relation to the SI2 clarity. I recently took an old graded SI2 (20 years ago) to a jeweler whose comment was, "This is absolutely one of the cleanest SI2's I've ever seen - are you sure it's not SI1." I have also looked at the Diamond Grading ABC book, and the SI photos in that volume appear, to me, cleaner than current SI2's on the market, and that book is dated 1993. Does anyone have any observations or conclusions of their own to share?

I don't think you're crazy to ask this.

A lab administrator once described the accuracy of subjective grading like this to me: Imagine you're in your shower. For a time the water is "just right" but after a while it gets a little too warm or cool. You turn the handle to correct things and it gets better, but you may have turned it a bit too far, so then you have to adjust it back the other way until it's right again.

Borderline calls, whether it's dozens of graders at one lab, or hundreds of graders in multiple locations across different continents, will constantly be under scrutiny. If the graders get feedback from their bosses saying they're too far one way there will be a logical adjustment in the other direction. Project that over months and years and you'll have a lot of similar borderline calls which have landed (respectively) on different sides of the line.