Diamond Grading Report

The Diamond Grading Report is more commonly called a diamond certificate. This report, which any buyer should require before purchasing a diamond, comes from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).

A diamond certificate allows a prospective buyer to verify the color, cut, carat, weight, and clarity of a diamond. It relieves the worry of a diamond dealer saying anything less than the truth because the certificate comes from the GIA rather than the dealer. Some sellers require the buyer to absorb the cost of the certificate, but the cost is usually low. In many cases the certificate helps the buyer to negotiate a better price on the diamond or prevent them from purchasing an undesirable diamond, making the certificate well worth the expense.

Diamond certificates come in especially handy for people who buy a high quality diamond, and then later decide to sell the diamond. Not only will it help them be sure to get a good deal when buying, but it can make selling easier as well, since most buyers will expect a diamond certificate. Furthermore, the Diamond Grading Report can be used to look up the current wholesale value of the diamond in question. The guide used by the diamond cutting industry should be used as a reference.

There won't be any doubts when trying to purchase a diamond with a diamond certificate. It makes it easy to find out what the diamond is worth. This prevents the buyer from overpaying, and can prevent a seller from undercharging as well.

When insuring a diamond a copy of the Diamond Grading Report should be given to the insurance company. If it ever becomes necessary to file a claim over the theft of the diamond, having the diamond certificate on file with the insurance agency provides absolute, unquestionable proof of the value of the diamond. Insurance companies cannot argue with the report itself.

Any diamond dealers that seems reluctant to provide a certificate should be avoided. Also avoid sellers that claim a certificate diamond will cost more--the only additional cost should be the relatively small cost of the certificate. If a dealer doesn't want to provide a certificate, then doing business with that dealer is extremely hazardous.

The GIA is the only gemological laboratory that certificates should be accepted from. There are many gemological labs these days, but many are disreputable and may issue inaccurate or blatantly false certificates. The GIA is not only the oldest lab, it has been established as the most respectable and trustworthy as well. Dealers that don't want to use GIA for certification purposes are not likely to be honest dealers.

The extra cost of the certificate should be expected when buying an expensive diamond. If a dealer tries to push the sale without the certificate, or if they want to use a company other than GIA, the buyer should assume the dealer has something that they are trying to hide and refuse to conduct business with that dealer.