Igi Vs Gia Reddit
Igi tends to service large volume jewelry chains and therefore issues thousands of reports on commercial quality mass market diamonds.
Igi vs gia reddit. Igi graded a diamond si1 while gia graded it si2. The international gemological institute or igi is also a very large institution and it has been around since 1975. Igi was looser in 4 cases e g. Gia clarity grading summary results of the clarity grade comparison are shown in table 3.
Igi certifications can be as far as three grades off from gia certifications. The biggest problem with the igi is their laxed diamond grading standards. What s nice is the gia report notes what the etched in igi number is so you can be sure they did in fact come up with different measurements for the same stone. Igi is improving but is still not on par with gia the gemological institute of america or gia is the best lab in the world.
A igi h vs1 might be a gia i vs2. One thing to keep in mind with lab grown diamonds from brilliant earth is that they are certified by igi or gcal. After gia they are actually the 2nd most well known lab in the world. Igi graded a diamond vvs2 while gia graded it vvs1.
Like the egl this for profit diamond certification lab is prominent throughout europe but is also popular in the united states. Gia stats estimated as borderline ags ideal but squarely gia very good. As a result igi tends to offer their service at cheaper rates than either gia or ags. Igi also grades synthetic diamonds on a commercial scale.
Igi sells at a discount to gia because their grading standards have more variance. That will account for some of the price difference you re seeing. Igi stats estimated as borderline ags gia ideal excellent. For example a diamond graded to be g color by egl igi might probably be graded as an i color by gia ags.
Igi stands for international gemological institute. Igi reports are considered by some in the trade to be less reliable that gia or ags especially by merchants operating in the us. Igi was stricter than gia in 5 cases e g. Typically clarity and color grades of egl igi diamonds are off by at least 2 4 ratings if the same diamond was to be graded by gia or ags instead.
Igi actually grades a significant amount of polished diamonds in the market and they are prevalent in asian countries. And finally igi is the international gemological institute that is based in antwerp belgium.