The Gemological Institute of America (GIA)

In 1953, GIA created the International Diamond Grading System™. Today it is the standard recognized by virtually every professional jeweler and diamantaire in the world.

The GIA Gem Trade Laboratory uses this system to grade the vast majority of the world's fine diamonds, regardless of size.

GIA Gem Trade Laboratory grades diamonds of all shapes and sizes, and is noted for grading some of the most famous in the world

GIA Gem Trade Laboratory (GTL) Reports are regarded throughout the gem and jewelry industry worldwide as the hallmark of integrity, reliability, and consistency in gemological services and research. GTL has literally set the industry standard for diamond grading and gemological identification. Today, the GIA Diamond Grading Report™ and GIA Diamond Dossier® serve as the international gem and jewelry industry's benchmark credentials.

The Laboratory's Principal Services And Reports:

• GIA Diamond Grading Report™
• GIA Diamond Dossier® (for diamonds weighing less than 1.00 carat on the GIA D to Z color grading scale)
• Colored Diamond Grading
• Colored Diamond Identification and Origin
• Gemological Identification
• Pearl Identification
• Laser Inscription
• Independent, Impartial, and Internationally Respected GIA Gem Trade Laboratory's sole affiliation is with the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), the world's largest and most respected nonprofit educational and research organization serving the gem and jewelry industry.

GIA Makes No Compromise On Excellence. All procedures are designed for optimum consistency and accuracy. Record keeping and routing techniques are meticulous to ensure each item is accorded superior security and care in handling. Most important in the equation for excellence is the training and experience of the Laboratory's graders. The diamonds are carefully checked and re-checked by numerous professionals in order to assure maximum accuracy and grading consistency.

Regarded Around the World as the one of the Laboratories of the Highest Authority, headquartered in the heart of New York's famed diamond and jewelry district, with a second state-of-the-art laboratory in Carlsbad, California, GIA Gem Trade Laboratory has established itself as the world's foremost gemological laboratory, serving the gem and jewelry industry worldwide.

The Diamond High Council (HRD)

Diamond certificates have become an essential part of the diamond trade. Originally, diamond certificates were mainly required by professionals, but in recent years consumer demand is growing steadily too. After all, buying a diamond is something special. Each diamond has its own personality; it is a unique work of art, made partially by nature and by human hand. To fully appreciate a stone, information is needed and this can be found in a diamond certificate. A certificate is of course only useful if it is reliable. The HRD certificate enjoys an excellent reputation for objectivity and quality. The objectivity of the grading results is guaranteed by preserving the strictest anonymity. When a diamond is brought in for examination at the reception of the Certificates Department, all data are introduced into the computer. The stone then receives two numbers: an external number for use of the client, which is printed on the receipt note, and an internal number to follow the stone in the lab. The graders who perform the examination never know to whom a stone belongs, which is a guarantee for absolute objectivity. Where quality is concerned, all possible efforts are made. The main factor in grading a diamond remains the diamond expert, in other words the grader. The HRD Certificates Department pays much attention to training new graders: only after six months of intensive theoretical and practical training a new employee is actually integrated in the certification process. Each diamond is examined by several graders, so that the opinion of the less practised persons can be compared to that of experts with years of experience. In this way, the grading results mentioned in the certificate always reflect the judgement of several graders, thus ensuring a high level of reliability. The laboratory where the examinations take place is equipped with very sophisticated machinery, such as spectrophotometers, Dia-Mension systems, cathode luminescence apparatus, The graders all work with a special diamond microscope. Originally, the HRD Certificates Department mainly designed and manufactured microscopes for its own use, starting from its extensive practical know-how in diamond grading. Today, the microscopes are also increasingly in demand on the market. The HRD microscopes, standard equipped with built-in illumination and an ingenious gem manipulator with vacuum system, are very valuable tools in diamond grading.