What Is Diamond Certification?

Purchasing a diamond is often considered an important investment, similar to buying a house or car. Large purchases such as these should never be based on emotion or impulse alone. It’s important to have paperwork verifying quality and value so that you know your money is being well-spent.

Diamond certification provides you with the details you need to purchase your diamond with confidence. Understanding what is in a diamond certificate allows you to enjoy the beauty of your diamond while knowing that your investment was worthwhile.

What is diamond certification?

Diamond certification is documentation that includes diamond grading, the process through which a diamond’s quality and value is identified. A certified gemologist starts by grading a diamond based on the 4Cs — cut, color, clarity, and carat. They then record the results of their evaluation in their report.

The 4Cs determine a diamond’s worth — the larger the carat weight and the higher quality of cut, for example, will make a diamond more valuable. This is important information to have when purchasing your diamond, as well as insurance for your diamond.

A diamond certificate will have diamond grading listed alongside other pertinent information describing the diamond.

Is diamond certification the same as diamond grading?

Diamond certification and diamond grading are often used interchangeably as both refer to evaluating the quality and value of a diamond.

At VRAI, however, a diamond certificate goes beyond documenting a diamond’s quality and value based on the 4Cs. VRAI diamond certification includes country of origin — all of our diamonds are sustainably grown in the United States. We also guarantee the grade of your diamond with our Full Lifetime Warranty.

Discover the VRAI difference

From the moment the diamonds are grown to the moment they reach our customers, they never leave our hands. Sustainably grown in America’s beautiful Pacific Northwest without the environmental toll of mining, our diamonds are then cut and polished internationally to the most exacting standards by master craftsmen in our workshops.

A Diamond Certificate accompanies our engagement rings featuring diamonds 1/2ct and above and fine jewelry designs featuring diamonds 1ct and up, outlining and guaranteeing the details of that specific stone.

With the help of advanced equipment and scientific techniques, our foundry is in a unique position to assess the quality of every diamond they create and provide to us. By utilizing technology to aid in the grading process, our diamond foundry has been able to measure and store more than one billion data points about each carat of diamond grown. Progressing the same widely-used industry standards, our foundry has created a comprehensive data advantage for judging the quality of a diamond crystal.

At VRAI, we utilize a carefully-selected group of GIA-trained gemologists who are certified to be diamond graders. We empower them with our data and technical advantages to create accurate diamond grades for our diamonds. The result is a GIA Gemologist Grading Report Warranted by VRAI.

While other diamond reports, including those from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), do not contain guarantees or carry disclaimers, our Diamond Certificate offers a GIA Gemologist Grading Report, and guarantees the grade of your diamond, backed by a Full Lifetime Warranty.

In the unlikely case that your diamond turns out not to meet or exceed a grade stated on its certificate, our foundry will accept the return of the diamond and provide you with a refund of the full purchase price or replace the diamond with a new diamond that meets or exceeds the graded characteristics.

What does a diamond certificate look like?

Not all diamond certificates look alike. Various institutions or brands will have slightly different diamond certificates. The most important information to look for, however, is a diamond grading report based on the 4Cs.

At VRAI, our diamond certificate includes the following:

Certificate Number

The certificate number is exclusive to your diamond and will correspond to the diamond’s unique inscription number

GIA Diamond Grading Scale

This is the standard scale used to determine a diamond’s 4Cs

GIA Gemologist Grading Report

This reflects all of your diamond’s distinct characteristics including the shape, origin, and inscription number of the diamond, as well as the diamond proportions, 4C grading results and any additional grading

Shape

This identifies the shape of your diamond (Round Brilliant, Emerald, or Pear, for example).

Country of Origin

This confirms your sustainably created diamond was grown in the United States at our foundry in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

Date

This is the date the Diamond Certificate was issued.

Inscription

This is your diamond’s unique identification number, guaranteeing its Diamond Foundry authenticity.

Diamond Proportions

This identifies the depth, crown height, crown angle, pavilion height, pavilion angle, table diameter, girdle and measurements of your diamond.

Carat Weight

This identifies the weight of your diamond to the hundredth place.

Color Grade

This identifies the color of your diamond by the GIA Color Scale (D-Z) and references its absence of color.

Clarity Grade

This identifies the clarity of your diamond by the GIA Clarity Scale (Flawless-I) and references the visual purity of a diamond.

Cut Grade

This identifies the cut and quality of your diamond and references the arrangement of a diamond’s facets.

Polish

This identifies the quality of the placement of the facet shapes and outside finish of your diamond.

Symmetry

This identifies how precisely the various facets of your diamond align and intersect.

Fluorescence

This identifies any glow in your diamond emitted under UV lighting on a scale from Very Strong to None. Please note that the presence of fluorescence is neither good nor bad, but a question of personal taste.

Gemologist Certification

This identifies the in-house GIA Certified Gemologist responsible for grading your diamond.

Certification

This guarantees your diamond’s authenticity and grading with an exclusive foundry warranty.

Can lab-grown diamonds be certified?

Yes, lab-grown diamonds can and should be certified.

All diamonds should go through a grading process that considers the 4Cs, no matter their origin. The 4Cs contribute to a diamond’s overall value and serve as the standard across all jewelers and grading agencies. Whether mined or sustainably grown, higher grade diamonds carry a higher value because purity is difficult to obtain.

Diamond certification will document your diamond’s grade so you can be assured of its value.

Speak with our diamond experts about diamond certification

Speak with our diamond experts to receive more in-depth diamond education and personalized guidance through our diamond inventory.