When shopping for a diamond you hear the term certified used when describing a diamond that has been graded by an independent Gem Lab. However, if you look closely at these documents the word “Certified” is nowhere to be found. Why? Because these documents are in actuality reports which give information about the diamond, not any guarantee that the information is correct. By definition the word Certified means to …confirm that something is true and correct. However, a Report is, in reality, a good faith effort by a trained professional to determine the quality of a diamond. Not to guarantee that the information is true or correct. Most people shopping for diamonds assume that a diamond Report is guaranteed to be accurate. It’s not; in fact any lab Report is only going to tell a part of the story.

Have you ever looked at the reverse side of a Gem Lab Report? If you check the GIA Reports the first six words say it all. “This Report is not a guarantee…..GIA has made no representations or warranty regarding this Report…. ”
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Now how can that be, on one hand this report is produced by the industries most reputable diamond grading company, in fact GIA invented the diamond grading system we use today, the only flaw in the system (if you’ll pardon the pun) is that grading diamonds is subjective. In other words, the grade of the diamond is determined by one person's opinion, remember no two diamonds are alike, so the person grading the diamond will use their judgment in determining the grade. It is explained this way on EGL’s disclaimer“Gemstone grading is not considered a science, and opinions may reasonably vary depending on many conditions such as lighting, grading techniques, type and condition of equipment, and/or the ability and experience of the gemologist.”
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