Many customers shopping for a diamond engagement ring know they should buy from a retailer who only sells certified diamonds, but few understand what distinguishes a certified diamond from a non-certified diamond. To put it simply, certified diamonds are diamonds that have been evaluated by an independent certifying agency, and they’re accompanied by a unique identification number and certificate. Some certified diamonds are laser inscribed with the ID number for your peace of mind.
On the other hand, non-certified diamonds have not been evaluated by an independent certifying agency, and a retailer can only speculate as to the diamond’s quality. If a retailer tells you the clarity, color, carat weight, or cut of a non-certified stone, the retailer is only sharing a best guess.
Certified diamonds aren’t inherently better than non-certified diamonds, but they tend to be higher-quality stones because the retailer has chosen them for their documented quality.
When you shop for a certified diamond that will be the center stone in your custom engagement ring, you remove much of the guess work. Viewing a diamond’s certification can give you peace of mind you might not have if you try to choose from a selection of non-certified stones.
Furthermore, shopping for certified diamonds can educate you about diamonds and give you a better appreciation for them. When you start to understand the various criteria listed on the diamond grading report and then compare grades to what you see with your naked eye, you’ll slowly begin to learn the nuances of characteristics like color and clarity. When you see a D color stone, you’ll be able to appreciate the lack of color for what it is.
Non-certified diamonds are usually used for smaller accent diamonds, but GIA does offer special testing on accent diamonds. For the most part though when purchasing our special larger diamonds, certified diamonds is the way to go.
