Understanding Diamond Certification

Since diamonds are in such high demand and can fetch soaring prices, the temptation to forge them or create them by any other means is inevitably irresistible. Unfortunately so many diamond rings are fraudulent, claiming to be what they are not. And, one of the worst moments for any relationship is receiving the devastating news that one of your prized investments is only worth a fraction of its supposed value, or even not worth anything at all.

Of course, diamond rings should all be about the sentiment, not the monetary value. But finding this out can have an undermining effect and hurt that is best avoided. It is not a good situation if you have saved long and hard only to invest in a fake. This is why real diamonds are certified by an independent laboratory to give you piece of mind when you are making a significant investment.

A typical certificate should unequivocally confirm that the gemstone is a natural diamond. It should also specify the carat weight, the colour, clarity and cut. But then you might ask, how can I trace the certificate to a particular diamond?

The stone does have other information noted about it. For example, the diamond may be fluorescent when exposed to long wave ultra-violet light. Or a laser beam might be used to engrave an identification mark, which is clearly the best way of identifying your diamond.

When you receive your certification, the supplier should always be an expert in the field with years of experience and reputation. Buying second hand could cause major problems if you fail to get the diamond tested beforehand. The organisations that certificate diamonds should also be independent and not related to the company you are buying from. Ideally, certification should be provided by a grading laboratory.

One of the best known diamond institutes in the world is the Gemmological Association of Great Britain, which is abbreviated to Gem-A, for short. It is responsible for educating and granting qualifications to its graduates so that they can adequately grade gem stones. Before the advent of artificial diamonds, this seemed like a luxury, but now with such pressure to tell natural gems apart from real ones, it has become an essential course in the arsenal of any serious gem retailer.

Because so many diamonds originate from developing countries Gem-A quickly became an international organisation and is even now a registered charity. This enabled them to educate a huge variety of peoples from a growing number of countries to minimise the possibility that unethical means might be used to acquire the diamonds such as slave labour or endemic corruption.

Once a student has passed the Gem-A courses they can then be elected to become a member of the Fellowship Of The Gemmological Association. If you are looking into the qualifications of a gem specialist, locating the letters FGA or alternatively DGA after their name is a sign that they have passed the relevant courses and have a trustworthy grasp of diamond specifics.

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