IGI vs. GIA

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GIA Graded

The Gemological Institute of America was established in
 1931, almost ten years after Robert M. Shipley conceived the idea. In the early
 1920s, Shipley was one of the most successful jewelers in the US. However, he
 was concerned about the unfortunate state of the industry. At the time, there
 were no professional bodies to set and regulate industry standards, which is
 why unethical business practices were rampant.

Shipley resolved to bring about the much-required sanity
 into the industry. He flew to Europe, where he took up a gemological
 correspondence course in the Great Britain National Association of Goldsmiths.
 He then traveled back to Los Angeles and started a preliminary training program
 in gemology on 16 September 1930. The primary mission of this program was to
 train and certify jewelers.

Shipley reckoned that by doing so, dishonest merchants
 would be done away with. All certified jewelers maintained close ties,
 assembling and forming a national jewelers’ guild that sought to offer
 professional jewelry services to diamond buyers. Instead of the traditional
 sales-based approach, merchants focused on providing their buyers with invaluable
 information. The term “certified gemologists” was also born on account of this
 newly developed conduct. Diamond buyers were keen on trading with duly
 certified jewelers, and this is how the GIA was established.

The GIA’s main objective is to set and maintain the
 standards used in the evaluation of gemstone quality. Presently headquartered
 in Carlsbad, California, the association aims to protect diamond buyers and
 sellers from illegal business practices. It boasts 11 campuses and four
 research centers, all spread across 13 countries. Besides, the GIA has nine
 laboratories dedicated to diamond testing and grading.<a href="https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/all-diamonds/?a_aid=5c83f22427304" target="_blank"><img loading="lazy" class="img-responsive" src="https://backend.petragems.com/public/api/Images/img-1687674586.webp" alt="James Allen Diamonds" width="379" title="James Allen" height="212"></a>

GIA's History

1931 – The GIA is established.

1937 – The company patents the first gemological
 microscope, a historic milestone that allows gemologists to examine their gems
 more closely.

1953 – The GIA coins the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.petragems.com/education/4cs-of-diamond/">Four Cs</a>&nbsp;which remain a globally-recognized formula used to determine the quality
 of diamonds.

1955 – The company issues the first grading reports that
 subsequently received worldwide recognition.

1956 – The association devises an ingenious way of
 detecting such diamonds as are irradiated for color enhancement.

1960 – The company publishes the first diamond dictionary,
 another significant milestone for aspiring gemologists.

1987 - The Liddicoat Gemological Library &amp; Information
 Center becomes the first library to amass the highest number of books on
 gemology.

1991 – In line with the GIA’s social corporate
 responsibility, the company hosts its first Career Fair.

1999 – The GIA introduces HPHT treatment in the diamond
 industry. The industry can now use this high-pressure, high-temperature
 technique to establish the value of decolorized diamonds.

2003 – The firm invented a technology used to detect
 sapphires made using beryllium-diffusion techniques. Besides, the
 company is also now able to identify diamonds that are made from chemical vapor
 deposition.

2005 – The GIA comes up with a method for grading the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.petragems.com/education/round-cut-diamonds">round brilliant diamond cuts</a>&nbsp;using
 the D-to-Z color range.

2007 – The organization introduces the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.petragems.com/blog/man-made-or-lab-created-diamonds/">Synthetic Diamond</a>&nbsp;Grading
 Report, making it easy to establish the quality of <a href="https://www.petragems.com/education/lab-grown-diamonds/">lab-grown diamonds.</a>

2014 – It comes up with Diamond Check technology through
 which traders can distinguish between natural and lab -grown diamonds.<a href="https://www.petragems.com/diamonds/" target="_blank"><img loading="lazy" class="img-responsive" src="https://backend.petragems.com/public/api/Images/Picture44.webp" alt="GIA Grading Report" width="715" height="560" title="GIA certificate"></a>

Significant Milestones for GIA

1. Research

As mentioned, the GIA primarily researches diamonds and the
 area of gemology at large. The lion’s share of the studies is focused on
 diamond identification and strives to help traders around the world distinguish
 between real and synthetic diamonds, especially when such a distinction is
 impossible to make with the untrained eye.

The GIA also advances research on the various other aspects
 of diamonds, and after introducing the concept of the Four Cs, it did not stop
 there. It continued to investigate other elements of diamonds, such as
 fluorescence, all in a bid to establish the right methodologies for determining
 diamond quality. Besides spearheading research on diamonds, the GIA also
 researches rubies and sapphires.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gia.edu/research" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Click
 here</a>&nbsp;to learn more about the company’s ongoing research
 projects.

2. Education

In addition to research, the GIA also offers holistic
 education programs. The company has 12 campuses around the world. However, most
 courses are offered online via an interactive eLearning model that renders the
 online programs nearly as practical as the on-campus ones. The GIA campus-based
 programs are accredited by the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.accsc.org/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Accrediting
 Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC)</a>. Moreover, the
 online programs are accredited by the Accrediting Commission of the Distance
 Education and Training Council (DETC).

One notable course that the company offers is the Graduate
 Gemologist diploma. Some of the skills that can be learned under this program
 include:

<ul type="disc">
 <li class="MsoNormal">Jewelry design,</li>
 <li class="MsoNormal">Casting,</li>
 <li class="MsoNormal">Mold making,</li>
 <li class="MsoNormal">Wax carving,
 and</li>
 <li class="MsoNormal">CAD/CAM.</li>
</ul>

The program covers the full spectrum of how diamond
 processing works, from exploitation at the mines to production at the
 factories. The various aspects of diamonds and how those aspects influence the
 latter’s quality are also covered therein. Also, there are units on how to use
 gemological equipment safely and effectively.

Upon completion, participants of the course receive the
 Graduate Gemologist diplomas, besides the Graduate Colored Stones and the
 Graduate Diamonds diplomas. They are considered certified gemologists at this
 point and can become any of the following industry members:

<ol start="1" type="1">
 <li class="MsoNormal">Jewelry Merchant,</li>
 <li class="MsoNormal">Pawnbroker,</li>
 <li class="MsoNormal">Diamond
 Sorter/Grader,</li>
 <li class="MsoNormal">Diamond
 Appraiser,</li>
 <li class="MsoNormal">Diamond Auction
 Specialist,</li>
 <li class="MsoNormal">Inventory
 Control Specialist,</li>
 <li class="MsoNormal">Estate Jewelry
 Dealer, and</li>
 <li class="MsoNormal">Gemological Lab
 Technician.</li>
</ol>

The best part is that professionally trained and certified
 gemologists administer the courses. Apart from these two learning models, the
 GIA also provides corporate training programs.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gia.edu/gem-education/program-graduate-gemologist#apply" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Follow
 this link</a>&nbsp;to apply.

Laboratory facilities are also some of the GIA’s flagship
 services. The organization offers professionally prepared diamond grading
 reports that typically analyze the four parameters—<a href="https://www.petragems.com/education/diamond-cut/">cut</a>, carat weight, <a href="https://www.petragems.com/education/diamond-color/">color</a>,
 and <a href="https://www.petragems.com/education/diamond-clarity/">clarity</a>—used to determine the quality of diamonds. Usually, there are two
 types of reports: (1) the Diamond Dossier report, a less thorough, less
 expensive version of the detailed report, and (2) the comprehensive report
 known as the Diamond Grading Report.

If possible, always go for the detailed report because it
 analyses the various elements of the diamond in detail. The Diamond Grading
 Report will highlight the stone's specific carat weights and specify its color,
 country of origin, and&nbsp;cut. Above all, the report will state if the stone has
 any inclusions. Remember, a diamond may look all eye-clean, but too many
 inclusions could affect its clarity score. A GIA report seeks to highlight the
 details that would otherwise escape the attention of the undiscerning buyer.

In most jurisdictions, a seller must issue their buyers a
 Diamond Grading Report for any sale of 0.5 carats or over; a buyer ought to
 insist on getting the report even if a purchase is lower. A merchant that
 issues a GIA Grading Report is likely to be reputable.<a href="https://www.bluenile.com/education/diamonds/buying-guides?a_aid=5c83f22427304/" target="_blank"><img loading="lazy" class="img-responsive" src="https://backend.petragems.com/public/api/Images/img-1687677013.webp" alt="Diamond Cheat Sheet Blue Nile" width="300px" title="Diamond Cheat Sheet"></a>

GIA is Known For

The GIA is a non-profit organization and works
 independently. This means that there is no interference from the government,
 other gemological agencies, or diamond merchants. When seeking expert opinion
 on diamonds or gems in general, prefer a company that works independently, guaranteeing
 no conflict of interest. Since, as mentioned before, the GIA is not a
 profit-seeking organization, its services are primarily geared toward helping
 diamond traders.

The company has set and maintained high standards in the
 industry, mainly due to these two factors. It does not matter whether one is a
 diamond dealer seeking to have their diamonds certified or a diamond buyer
 looking for appraisal services; their best bet is to consult the GIA.

Besides being an independent and not-for-profit agency,
 another factor that makes the GIA stand out from most gemological institutes is
 the massive resource of information. The company seeks to educate members of
 the public on all matters that pertain to diamonds. To that end, the GIA runs
 rigorous outreach programs through periodical publications, one example of
 which is Gems &amp; Gemology.

Additionally, the organization runs an online Gems
 Encyclopedia that contains many of the terms commonly used in gemology. Whether
 considering taking up a course in gemology or trying to start up a diamond
 store, one can invest in the Gems Encyclopedia to learn about some basic terms
 and jargon used in the industry. Some of the terms the encyclopedia tries to
 explain include diamond cuts.

If based in Carlsbad, the Richard T. Liddicoat Gemological
 Library &amp; Information Center might be a go-to resource center. The center
 is still the world’s largest and most diverse gemological library and houses
 over 38,000 books, 700 international magazines, 80,000 digital images, 1,000
 videos/DVDs, and 300 maps. Besides, the library features over 6,000 original
 jewelry-design renderings. Most of these works are older than the library
 itself. What is more, the center has reference staff who are always happy to
 answer every diamond-related question.

Indeed, the GIA is a trailblazer in initiating and
 fostering the best practices in the diamond industry.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gia.edu/locations" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Visit this link</a>&nbsp;to check if they have a location
 nearby.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gia.edu/ContactUs" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Click here</a>&nbsp;to
 contact them for any general queries and clarifications on diamonds and gems.

Why GIA

The diamond industry is highly lucrative, one reason why
        its sanctity and integrity must be safeguarded at all costs. A common challenge
        this in

GIA Diamond Certification: Is it Legit?