What is Lab Grown Diamond Certification?
A diamond certificate is a report created by an objective third-party laboratory. With no stake in the sale of the diamond, the lab evaluates the diamond on its own merit, describing its appearance and unique characteristics without bias.
Every lab grown diamond should come with a lab certification. Expert jewellers examine and measure the diamond with a loupe or microscope and report their findings on the certificate. This document will outline the various attributes of the stone, including the cut, colour and clarity grade.
What is IGI Certification?
The best certification for lab created diamonds is the IGI (International Gemological Institute), as they provide specific gradings for the four C’s. The IGI is the most popular lab created diamond certifier and is used by most of the lab market, creating a consistency in grading across the lab grown diamond industry. This allows the consumers to easily compare lab grown diamonds and to be assured they’re getting what they’re paying for.
What About GIA Certification?
The GIA (Gemological Institute of America) is the most highly respected diamond grading entity in the world. In the natural diamond industry, the GIA provides consistent gradings and is the gold standard of certification.
However, the GIA has only just begun grading lab created diamonds. For this reason, there are very few GIA-graded lab grown diamonds available and most lab grown diamonds will be graded by the IGI. Since an IGI certification is most common and includes all of the specifications you need to safely compare lab grown diamonds, we recommend looking for an IGI certified lab grown diamond.
At Cullen Jewellery, our lab grown diamonds are exclusively certified by the IGI and will come with an IGI Laboratory Grown Diamond Report. Furthermore, every IGI graded stone is laser inscribed with the report number and the words “lab grown” for your assurance. This inscription is not visible to the naked eye and can only be seen with a jeweller’s loupe, meaning it will not affect your diamond’s quality or light performance.