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GIA vs EGL

Diamond Certification

Gia Certification

This blog post is meant to educate you on the importance of knowing who graded your diamond, so you know exactly how much trust to put into the certification. However if you read till the end you’ll see an amazing certification trick to get a great diamond at a substantially lower price.

Whether you are in the market to buy a new diamond, diamond stud earring, or a unique engagement ring diamond certification is an extremely important topic to learn about. In fact, I would say that diamond certification is just as important to learn about as the 4 C’s of diamonds.

Unless you are a professional diamond grader, which you are probably not, you need diamond certification in order to understand exactly what it is that you are buying. Without it, you are leaving yourself open to getting taken advantage of. In fact, a huge part of learning about diamonds is so that you can understand what is on a diamond certificate.

Different Diamond Certification Can Mean Different Results

Most people shopping for diamonds understand the importance of buying a diamond that has been certified by a trained, qualified professional. (Gemologist) Any reputable jeweler will tell you the importance of buying a certified diamond. However you need to know that Diamond Certification is performed by using different methods, with different standards, by different people, and by different companies. SO YOU ALSO NEED TO KNOW WHO CERTIFIED THE DIAMOND, in order to know how much trust you should place in the certification.

GIA & AGS Certified Diamonds Are Graded With The Highest Standards

At one time in history, there was no universal method for grading diamonds. Jewelers often times had their own system. At least today, there is a universally accepted manner in which to grade diamonds called the 4 C’s. The 4 C’s are Color Grade, Clarity Grade, Cut Grade, and Carat Weight. Even though this would be considered a good thing by most people, the problem lies in the fact that diamond grading is still open to interpretation. Unfortunately, only diamond professionals know that “not all diamond certificates” are created equal. For instance, GIA and AGSL are 2 organizations that are considered extremely reliable and accurate. That is also why you will pay more for a diamond graded by these companies, as opposed to many other organizations such as EGL-Israel. (assuming the diamonds have the same grades) It is generally accepted by diamond professionals, that an EGL-Israel graded diamond may be “off” by 2-3 grades, as opposed to GIA or AGS graded diamonds. This means that if you are buying a diamond with a D color grade from EGL-Israel, it might be as low as F or G color grade by GIA or AGS standards. The same thing holds true for the clarity grade.

EGL-USA Is Different Than EGL-Israel

An important thing to know about EGL diamond grading labs, is that they can vary as well. EGL has offices in several different countries that issue diamond grading certificates. Any diamond graded in the USA by EGL, is considered by diamond professionals to be very close to GIA and AGSL standards. These USA Lab certificates can be from EGL-USA, EGL-NY (EGL New York) or from EGL-LA (EGL Los Angeles). Since these diamonds are graded with more accuracy, just like AGSL and GIA, the cost is similar to AGSL and GIA. Diamonds that carry certificates from EGL-Israel, EGL-Belgium, EGL International, EGL-Hong Kong, or any other location outside of the USA, will be less accurate, and less expensive as a result. If a jeweler is trying to charge you the same price for these diamonds as their GIA, AGS or EGL-USA counterparts, you might want to ask them why?

You Don’t Have To Buy GIA or AGS To Get A Beautiful Diamond. Great Tactic to get a better deal on a Diamond.

Although GIA and AGS are more strict in their grading of loose diamonds, you don’t necessarily have to pay the higher prices that these diamonds will carry. You can still buy a very beautiful diamond that is full of life and sparkle, even if it has been graded by EGL’s international laboratories. The point is not that you shouldn’t buy one of these diamonds, but rather don’t expect them to be graded with the same standards as AGSL and GIA. There is a reason why GIA and AGSL diamonds are more expensive, and that’s because when they say a diamond is a certain color grade, or certain clarity grade, you can be much more certain of their accuracy. However there is no reason why you can’t just buy an EGL-International diamond with a higher color grade or higher clarity grade, to “offset” the difference. For example: If you wanted a diamond with a “G” color grade, buy an EGL-Israel diamond with a D or E color grade instead. The same principal applies to the clarity grade as well. The point is that you still have options regardless of who certifies the diamond, but you do need to be informed of the true differences.

Learn Even More with our

Advanced Diamond Clarity Chart