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You must hear that one should not buy diamond jewelry without a certificate. Every diamond should be certified to assure the quality and value of that diamond. It’s more like a diamond’s identity. Some of the well-known diamond certificates are GIA AGSL, EGL, IGI, HRD. GIA is considered the best certificate for diamonds. But what about the other certificates? Is IGI Certificates Reliable?

Let’s know everything in this article.

The International Gemological Institute (IGI) is a very large institution and reputable lab which grades the quality of diamonds. They are the largest independent gem lab and its headquarters are located in Antwerp.

IGI consists of 650 gemologists along with other jewelry experts who are working hard to make IGI a reputable and reliable diamond grading institute.

IGI Diamond Grading Scale

We already know that IGI grades the quality of the diamond. But do you know on what basis they are grading diamonds?

IGI grades diamonds based on four C’s namely Color, Clarity, Cut, Carat. Carats are the term that is used to refer to the weight of the diamond.

The color of the diamond is usually graded on a scale from D to Z. Here, D represents the Colorless diamond and Z represents the diamonds with yellow hues.

The Clarity of the diamond is based on a scale of 0 to 10. In Clarity, I represent the visible flaws whereas FL represents the flawless quality of the diamond. Generally, gemologists use 10X magnification to identify the clarity of the diamond.

The final and most important quality of the diamond is Cut. The cut usually determines how well the diamond is polished and its symmetry and proportions. The cut is rated from Poor, Fair, Good, Very Good, Excellent, Ideal. Whenever you buy a diamond, always make sure to buy the best Cut.

IGI Grading Services

Now we are going to see all the grading services provided by IGI.

Loose diamond Report

This IGI report consists of the characteristics of diamonds like their 4 C’s, Shape, Polish, Symmetry, and Fluorescence.

Heart and Arrows diamond Report

Nowadays, these diamonds are so popular. GIA does not provide any specific details about this diamond. Mostly IGI only grades these types of diamonds.

Colored Diamond report

IGI also provides services to grade colored diamonds. Usually, this report has details about the diamond’s origin, grade, and distribution.

Is the IGI certificate reliable?

The IGI is a reliable institute but it doesn’t have a strict diamond grading system as GIA. They are not consistent. As they are profitable institutes, they sometimes manage to be on the Seller side than buyers. This makes them inconsistent with the diamond grading. So these certificates are not as reliable as GIA but better than certificates like EGL.

Advantages of IGI Certificates

The costs of this certificate are lower and processed quickly when compared to the other certificates.

Disadvantages

As I said before, they are inconsistent in diamond grading.

Even though IGI is not as reliable as GIA, they are still one of the reputed Gem Institute of the World.