Multiple international laboratories “grade” diamonds, providing lab certifications with professional third-party opinions as to the quality of the diamonds you purchase. At David Craig Jewelers (DCJ), we depend on three of these prestigious institutions, the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), the American Gemological Society (AGS) and Forevermark.

After decades of research and experience, we feel these three institutions adhere to the strictest standards and offer the best criteria when it comes to the objective grading of diamonds, a practice that measures the 4Cs – carat weight, color, clarity and cut. While all diamond grading is somewhat subjective, DCJ feels that you can feel confident in a certification from one of these top institutions:

American Gemological Society (AGS)
Like the GIA, the AGS Laboratories, founded in 1996, are tops in their field. They pioneered the ideal cut grading for round brilliant diamonds. Based in Las Vegas, AGS gave a new outlook and attribute to diamond grading for professionals like David Craig Jewelers (David was a founding partner BTW!). They developed an alphabetical rating system from “Poor” to “Ideal” in terms of cut, “Fancy Yellow” to “Colorless” in terms of color, and “Included” (usually seen only under a microscope) to “Flawless” in terms of clarity.

Forevermark (De Beers Group)
Forevermark labs, based in Antwerp, Belgium and, more recently, Surat, India, are unique in that they only grade their own diamonds, but the brand itself is highly valued. Forevermark studied other labs and even hired AGS to help them with their grading standards. Each of their diamonds pass through a rigorous set of more than 30 steps with a team of experts and a meticulous screening process before it’s called a Forevermark diamond.

Forensic gemologist and certified gemologist appraiser David Craig Rotenberg and his seasoned team of jewelry professionals are here to answer any of your diamond-grading questions. We operate an AGS-certified gem lab right on our premises. Call us for more information on this process, or with any diamond or other gemological questions you have—we’re here to provide expert advice!