In June, the GIA announced that it would change the language used to describe lab-created diamonds in certificates to better distinguish them from natural diamonds.
The organisation will begin issuing certificates with the new updated format on 1 October, using the terms ‘premium’ and ‘standard’ to describe lab-created diamonds, rather than traditional nomenclature.
These ratings will be determined by the clarity, colour, and cut of the diamonds. Discussing these changes, new CEO Pritesh Patel emphasised that the GIA’s work should reflect market conditions.
“Using descriptive terms for the quality of laboratory-grown diamonds is appropriate, as most fall into a very narrow range of colour and clarity,” he said.
“Because of that, the GIA will no longer use the nomenclature created for natural diamonds to describe what is a manufactured product.”
To qualify for the ‘premium’ label, lab-created diamonds must be D colour and have a minimum clarity of VVS with excellent polish and symmetry. The ‘standard’ label will be used to describe diamonds with a colour range of between E to J with VS clarity. They must also have a polish rating of ‘very good’, as well as additional symmetry requirements.
Every diamond that meets the GIA’s criteria for a certification will have a laser inscription using the term ‘laboratory-grown’ along with a quality-assessment number. Diamonds that don’t reach the requirements for ‘standard’ will not receive a report.
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