I am more than certain that you've bought a diamond before, and if not you've at least walked by the display case in the store. Have you ever wondered what the salesperson meant by G.I.A. certified? Today, G.I.A.'s D-Z color-grading scale and GIA's Flawless–I3 clarity-grading scale are recognized by virtually every professional jeweler and savvy diamond buyer in the world. What on earth is the G.I.A., and what do they do there?
The G.I.A, or the Gemological Institute of America is a non-profit institution that's sole purpose, according to their mission statement, is the research and education of people in the field of gemology. It's sort of like Jewelry 101. The G.I.A. is the place responsible for making it so easy to buy the perfect ring for any occasion. The scale they have created to bring you the best quality possible is based upon the four Cs, Cut, Clarity, Color and Carat weight. Even though they are world renouned in the diamond world, they also work in colored gemstones and even pearls.
The G.I.A., founded in 1931 by Robert Shipley has now gone global with 11 locations arossed the world. They offer several vocational programs to train their students to be the absolute very best in what they do. Although the work is complex, the program in itself is very simple, and takes only a short six months to complete. Upon completion of the six month program you will be awarded the Graduate Gemologist diploma designated by the initials "G.G." after a person's name. If you do not have the time or are unable to visit a campus location they have a virtual program that can be completed in the same ammount of time with the same results.
The G.I.A. also wants to help train the public to know what to look for when diamond shopping to avoid unhonest sales people or to discover a “gem” of a stone at home. This is done through several of their quarterly publications which are sent around the world.
You will want to start paying more attention to the G.I.A. scale. On January 1, 2007 the Gemological Institute of America will start grading synthetic diamonds. This was not a decision taken lightly. There has always been sugifficant difference in natural diamonds and labrotory grown diamonds. This difference rejects many beautiful lab diamonds, but hopefully this new reporting system will solve the problem.
