Looking for an engagement ring and heard the alphabets GIA, EGL, AGS, XML, CGI ... Confused what in the world are these alphabets???

Buying a diamond is not the task for the faint-hearted. Not only are you going to making a lifetime decision, you also are making a very valuable purchase. So before you get into buying one realise what you need to take to the battlefield.

So What Is A Gem Laboratory?

A Gem Laboratory an independent organisation which grades diamonds or gemstones. In other words, they are a third party profit or non-profit organisation that does an unbiased grading and evaluation of a loose diamond or loose gemstone. The final printout of the grading is called a "Certificate" or a "Grading Report". It is an honest and educated opinion of the stone. At the end of the examination they issue a report for the item. There are several diamond grading as well as gemstone grading laboratories. More prominent among them are

• GIA - Gemological Institute of America (New York City and Los Angeles)
• EGL - European Gemological Laboratories (New York City, Los Angeles, Vancouver & Toronto)
• AGSL - American Gem Society Laboratory Services (AGS is a sister concern of GIA, Las Vegas)
• HRD - Diamond High Council (Antwerp, Belgium)
• Gubelin Labs in Lucerne, Switzerland; Does mostly R & D
• IGI - International Gemological Institute (Worldwide)
• Several other local labs like AGA, GCAL, etc. are not included in this list

My personal favorite in the order of preference is GIA, Gubelin, AGSL and HRD. Out of all, I am particularly fond of the GIA, mainly because I finished my GG diploma at their Carlsbad, CA campus. They are only interested in giving their honest and straight forward certification of the actual gradings and do not involve in the money wars of appraisals and monetary evaluations.

On the other hand, I am not a big fan of EGL, IGI or any local labs since their gradings usually tend to be softer. Most times, I do not agree with their grading and tend to grade them lower than the certificate. Sometimes they will give an additional appraised value of the stone, which might I add is balderdash. A gem laboratory should never give a value or appraisal to a stone. That in my opnion just seems wrong. What's more important though is the grading. If the grading is wrong or should I say linient then the value is going to be higher than what the actual value of the stone is! This in my opinion is misrepresentation. Anyways, I do not want to get started on that aspect.

GIA vs EGL!

I will choose GIA anytime! If I was to buy a ring for my fiancee, I will choose a GIA certified diamond. GIA certified diamonds tend to be right on the money with the clarity, color and the cut grading. However, since they have such a good reputation, GIA certified diamonds are more expensive. They also are more expensive to be certified and laser inscribed. Moreover, they look cool. Don't get me wrong, I sell EGL certified diamonds, but do so only after I have personally checked the stone and agree with the gradings. There are some EGL diamonds that are absolute blingers and cost slightly less.

So Would You Buy a Certified or an Uncertified Diamond?

The main purpose of a certificate in my eyes, is safety. Yes! A certificate comes with a plot or a map of the diamond, which points out the inclusions relative to what you would see under magnification. That is the whole purpose of a certificate. This way, you do not have to trust the seller. All you need to do is look at the diamond and look at the plot. The actual inclusions in the diamond coincide somewhat with the inclusions marked on the plot, then you have the same stone.

I always recommend my customers that if they trust me enough then buy an uncertified diamond since they cost less. I give them a plot of the diamond which helps them identify their diamond and in some cases Laser inscribe the girdle with my stock number. This will help them identify their diamond in a stash of diamonds.

Although, I prefer to sell certified diamonds (playing a devil's advocate) since it gives me peace of mind. Truth of the matter is that there are scrupulous sales people out there whose only interest is to earn commission. It is best when customers are equipped with a GIA certificate. They will automatically understand the ultimate goals of an uneducated sales person.

Now that you know the difference, you decide which one's the best for you! Afterall, a certificate is just an educated opinion!!!