Natural Diamonds:Jewelry Expo offers natural diamonds graded by the Gemological Institute of America. The GIA laboratory is trusted by the top professionals in the jewelry and gemological industries. The GIA is an independent, non-profit research institution that is considered the ultimate authority on diamonds and gemstones. They created the international standard for judging diamond quality known as the 4Cs. We cannot stress the importance of a GIA laboratory report enough when considering the purchase of a natural diamond. Not only does this report establish the quality of the diamond but it also serves as a record of its attributes to confirm its identity. In addition to their role as the premier grading laboratory, the GIA is also an elite college offering courses in gemology, jewelry design and manufacturing. At fourteen campuses across the globe the GIA educates the future leaders of the gem and jewelry professions. Their goal is clear in the GIA mission statement, “Ensure the public trust in gems and jewelry by upholding the highest standards of integrity, academics, science and professionalism through education, research, laboratory services and instrument development."
Lab-Grown Diamonds:Jewelry Expo offers lab grown diamonds graded by either the International Gemological Institute (IGI) or the Gem Certification and Assurance Lab (GCAL). Currently the GIA does not provide an equally in-depth analysis of grown diamonds as they do their natural counterparts. As a result, it is industry standard to send grown diamonds to the IGI and GCAL laboratories for grading analysis.