Beautiful. Cherished. Rare.
Each diamond is unique and is a miracle of time, place, and change. And each has specific qualities that establish its value. Until the middle of the twentieth century, there was no agreed-upon standard by which diamonds could be judged. GIA created the first, and now a globally accepted standard for describing diamonds: Color, Clarity, Cut, and Carat Weight. Today, the 4Cs of Diamond Quality is the universal method for assessing the quality of any diamond, anywhere in the world. The creation of the Diamond 4Cs meant two very important things: diamond quality could be communicated in a universal language, and diamond customers could now know exactly what they were about to purchase. As a creator of the Diamond 4Cs and the International Diamond Grading System™, GIA is not only a global authority but the world’s trusted source for the unbiased assessment.
Diamonds are essentially a crystallized carbon with its atoms stacked neatly. Pure - Colorless diamond crystal is translucent, as it is composed only of carbon atoms. A chemically pure and structurally Perfect Diamond has no hue, like a drop of pure water. Colorless, Flawless Diamonds are extremely scarce and consequently, have a much higher value.
Before GIA created the 4Cs of Diamond Quality and the International Diamond Grading System™, there were as many ways to describe diamonds, as there were methods for evaluating their quality.
Then in the 1940s and 50s, GIA transformed the way diamonds were bought and sold by doing three things:
• Creating a common language for diamonds. The 4Cs and the GIA International Diamond Grading System™ provide a consistent way to describe a diamond’s characteristics.GIA’s innovations have been adopted universally. In every corner of the world, virtually every diamond is described using the language GIA developed.
The GIA Diamond Grading Report contains scientifically determined information on diamond shape, color, clarity, cut, carat weight, proportions, and finish. It also identifies any known treatments.
Other reports from other entities have since made their way into the marketplace, but GIA is recognized as the original and unrivaled source for accuracy and integrity in diamond grading.
As an added security measure, GIA also offers optional laser inscription with its reports (included with the Diamond Dossier and Diamond Focus Report) where the diamond’s report number is inscribed on the diamond’s girdle. GIA can also inscribe customized messages, dates, text and symbols that not only personalize the diamond but allow for easy identification.