When it comes to diamond grading, gia vs igi has long been known for having stringent standards; however, IGI has recently been found to employ less stringent standards when it comes to grading standards.
Both labs specialize in grading laboratory-grown diamonds; however, GIA was the pioneer for doing so and remains the premier lab today for this task.
1. GIA is a U.S.-based lab
A diamond grading report provides an evaluation that verifies the cut grade, clarity and carat weight of natural or lab-grown diamonds gia vs igi, along with additional details such as polish symmetry fluorescence characteristics.
The Gemmological Institute of America is an authoritative name in diamond grading laboratories around the world, known for their 4C diamond grading system used by gemmological laboratories worldwide.
GIA diamond grading standards can often lead to undervalued diamonds; thus it’s wise to shop from reliable retailers like James Allen that sell GIA and IGI certified stones.
2. GIA is more expensive
GIA is one of the premier diamond laboratories, with their standards being higher than other labs’ grades. Because of this, their diamonds tend to be more costly.
However, this doesn’t make GIA diamonds unaffordable; when shopping with a reliable retailer who uses legit GIA reports they may offer you comparable diamonds at more reasonable prices.
Lab-grown diamonds follow this same logic; while some labs may be more reliable than others, each lab will have their own grading standards that may lead to overly generous grading that leave you paying for D colours when G reports should have been given instead. Therefore, when choosing lab diamonds always opt for ones certified by GIA as this ensures maximum clarity of report and transparency for you as a consumer.
3. GIA is more reliable
Diamond dealers and jewellery professionals give more consideration to GIA grades than IGI certificates, due to the latter’s reputation for lax grading processes that sometimes result in stones receiving lower grades than they should receive – such as when an IGI SI2 clarity diamond may actually appear to be eye-clean and command higher prices than it would under GIA certification.
GIA is known for their rigorous standards, which is why so many jewellery vendors only carry diamonds that have been certified by them. Because GIA initially refused to grade lab-created diamonds, IGI became the leading laboratory that specializes in their grading. Their lab-grown report includes plot diagrams, measurements and details that mimic that of a GIA report while not including colour scale information.
4. GIA is more comprehensive
GIA provides comprehensive diamond grading reports for both lab-grown and natural diamonds. In addition, mini reports and dossiers for smaller diamonds are also provided – these may be beneficial when creating jewellery pieces containing multiple small stones.
IGI, on the other hand, only offers mini-reports for smaller diamonds and does not grade entire jewellery pieces. Additionally, this certification authority has an unfavourable track record when it comes to lab created diamond clarity grading.
Gemmological Science International, or GSI for short, is a relatively new grading company. However, they’ve already earned the trust of major chain jewellery retailers like Jared The Galleria of thanks to lower prices and faster certificate turnaround. However, they remain inconsistent when it comes to their grading standards compared to GIA.
5. GIA is more trustworthy
If you have been shopping for diamonds, chances are you have come across a gem lab which issues certificates for the diamonds it grades. But is every gem lab created equal?
The Gemmological Institute of America is widely acknowledged for being more stringent when rating diamonds than any other certification agency, leading to more valuable diamonds being certified by them than those with alternative certifications.
Conclusion
However, that does not indicate all GIA-graded diamonds are of superior quality. As part of the “Grading the Grader” study conducted by researchers, diamonds were sent to different labs and examined to see who had more stringent standards; results revealed GIA and IGI were both stricter than their competitors.
