

They were the most popular gem lab for the major jewelry chains in the US and Canada (Kay, Zales, etc.) The IGI started out as the blue color workhorse of the diamond business. We feel that an IGI certificates do not deliver that. ) The point of buying a diamond with an independent certificate is to get peace of mind that the diamond is the quality they claim. James Allen does sell IGI certified diamonds as well, but we never recommend those. Only purchase from reputable vendors that sell diamonds certified by these labs (such as Blue Nile & Brian Gavin Diamonds. We recommend only buying a GIA or AGS certified diamond. Likewise, Dateline raised serious questions about IGI’s integrity in 2005 as pertains to their appraisal values. Certificates from any other sources are often questionable and should not be relied upon by insurers.” These reports are not appraisals and do not carry valuations.

These are the most respected labs, known for their accuracy and professionalism. You may be tempted when you see a seemingly fantastic deal like this on Amazon, but its important to dig a bit deeper.Įven the largest jewelry insurance underwriter writes: “The most reliable diamond certificates (also called diamond reports) come from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and the American Gem Society (AGS). While they may not be as terrible as some of the others, we feel that their grading is definitely more lax and less consistent than the standard bearers in the industry. IGI bills itself as a top-of-the-line laboratory, but in our opinion sadly that is not the case. We recommend sticking with these two types of certified diamonds at Blue Nile or James Allen. The best diamond certifications are GIA and AGS. For more information, check out our Lab Grown Diamond Certificate article. We will delineate our issues with IGI’s certification but this is not how we feel about IGI certification for Lab Grown Diamonds.

*Important note: This article is focused on IGI certification for natural diamonds. We get commissions for purchases made from our affiliates through links in this article.
