A diamond certificate represents independent verification that the stone purchased has all the qualities of cut, color, clarity, shape, and weight expected. It is a further indication of the condition and value of that diamond. Such certificates are issued by several agencies employing highly trained gemologists and provide an unbiased and accurate evaluation of the diamond. These gemologists scrutinize each stone to analyze its dimensions, clarity, cut, color, finish, symmetry, and other details.

The major indepemdent certification bodies are:

American Gem Society Laboratories (www.agslab.com)

Gemological Institute of America (www.gia.org)

International Gemological Institute (www.igiworldwide.com)

Shopping for certified diamonds allows you to make an informed choice about your selections. You can compare one diamond with a particular weight and quality with other diamonds of similar weight and quality to determine which is the better value.

If a jewelry shop offers to sell you diamond without a certificate, keep in mind that it means you are buying the diamond based only on the salesperson's claim about its quality, and that a trained gemologist or even other jewelers may disagree with the salesperson's assessment.