Diamond Certification Australia, Where to Get a Diamond Certificate Worldwide & Why DCLA Leads

 

Whether you’re buying an engagement ring, insuring a family heirloom or selling a stone, one document matters more than any other: an independent diamond grading certificate. It is the diamond’s passport, the record of its identity, quality and origin. But not all certificates carry equal weight, and where your diamond is graded can shape its value, its insurability and its resale prospects for decades.

Where to Get a Diamond Certificate Worldwide

Diamond certification is offered by a number of laboratories around the world. In the United States, the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and the American Gem Society (AGS) are widely known. In Europe, Antwerp is home to HRD Antwerp and the headquarters of the International Gemological Institute (IGI), which also operates extensively across India and Asia. Each has its own strengths, and each serves markets primarily in its own region.

For Australian buyers, sellers and jewellers, however, sending a diamond overseas for grading introduces real complications: international shipping, insurance limitations, customs, weeks of waiting and, most importantly, no chance to see who is grading your stone or ask them questions. That is why a locally based, internationally accredited laboratory matters.

DCLA: 25 Years of Independent Diamond Grading in Australia

The Diamond Certification Laboratory of Australia (DCLA) was established in 2001 in Sydney, marking a quarter of a century serving the Australian diamond trade and public. From its laboratory at Suite 901, Level 9, Citisite House, 155 Castlereagh Street, Sydney, DCLA has become the benchmark for diamond certification in the country. Learn more about DCLA.

International Accreditation: CIBJO, WFDB and IDC

A certificate is only as credible as the standards behind it, and DCLA’s credentials are recognised at the highest levels of the international diamond industry.

CIBJO (The World Jewellery Confederation). DCLA is the official CIBJO laboratory for Australia and holds the CIBJO C2 AU Diamond Masterset for colour comparison. The Masterset is the reference set of stones against which diamond colour is graded, so every DCLA colour grade is anchored to an international standard.

IDC (International Diamond Council) and the WFDB. DCLA is a recognised IDC laboratory, as noted in the WorldFed Newsletter No 6. The IDC is the grading standards body established by the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) together with the International Diamond Manufacturers Association, representing the world’s diamond bourses and manufacturers. DCLA’s grading protocols align with CIBJO and IDC standards, so its reports are directly comparable to certificates from other internationally recognised laboratories.

Listed on IDEX and RapNet

Credibility in the trade is measured by acceptance in the global marketplace. DCLA is listed on RapNet and IDEX, the two leading international diamond trading platforms. Diamonds carrying a DCLA report can be listed and traded by dealers worldwide, giving owners of DCLA-certified stones access to international markets, not just local ones.

What Sets DCLA Apart

A written full-replacement guarantee. DCLA is the only laboratory in Australia offering a written full-replacement guarantee on every report. Read about the DCLA Diamond Certificate.

Complete independence. DCLA is privately owned and operated, with no trade funding, influence or conflict of interest.

Transparency you can see. Every diamond is graded on-site in Sydney by qualified gemmologists, and clients can meet the team who grade their diamond. Your stone never disappears into a distant facility. See the technology and grading process.

Uncompromising standards on treatments and colour. DCLA screens every diamond for enhancements and issues grading certificates only for diamonds of natural colour origin. Learn about colour authentication and diamond treatments.

Natural and lab-grown expertise. DCLA certifies both natural and lab-grown diamonds, with clear origin disclosure. Understand synthetic diamonds.

Trusted where it counts. DCLA reports are relied on by jewellers, insurers and courts in Australia and beyond.

Beyond the Certificate

Owners can check a certificate online, protect their stone with cold laser inscription, and use diamond verification and traceability services. DCLA also provides diamond and jewellery valuations, rough and uncut diamond services, bespoke jewellery and independent advice on selling a diamond.

New to diamonds? Start with The 5 C’s of Diamonds, explore diamond shapes, or browse the glossary and picture library.

How to Get Your Diamond Certified in Australia

DCLA services are open to both the public and the trade. All diamonds submitted for grading must be loose, not set in jewellery. Stones can be submitted in person at the Sydney laboratory or by courier, with Secure National Couriers used within Australia and Brinks for international clients. See how to submit a diamond.

The Bottom Line

There are many places in the world to get a diamond certificate. For anyone buying, selling or insuring diamonds in Australia, DCLA offers what overseas laboratories cannot: CIBJO and IDC accreditation, acceptance on IDEX and RapNet, a written guarantee, and the chance to meet the gemmologists grading your stone. After 25 years, DCLA remains Australia’s foremost authority in diamonds.

Have questions? Read the FAQs

Trade Groups Sign Deal on Lab-Grown Diamonds

The World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO) and the International Grown Diamond Association (IGDA) have agreed to collaborate to protect consumer confidence around synthetic diamonds.

The organizations have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) calling for the pair to develop standards, operating principles and terminology for lab-grown diamonds, they said Monday. IGDA president Joanna Park-Tonks will sit on CIBJO’s laboratory-grown diamond committee, which has created a “Laboratory-Grown Diamond Guideline” governing standards for trading and handling synthetic stones.

The honest and accurate presentation of sustainability issues is a current focus for CIBJO’s laboratory-grown committee and was an element during the discussions between CIBJO and IGDA, the organizations said.

“We have had open lines of communication for some time already, and IGDA did participate in the public review before we released the ‘Laboratory-Grown Diamond Guidance’ document in 2021,” said CIBJO president Gaetano Cavalieri. “Over the past several years, the laboratory-grown diamonds sector has grown into a large and a prominent part of our industry, and we all have a vested interest in each other’s success.”

The signing took place on Sunday during the National Association of Jewellers (NAJ) Summit in Birmingham, UK.

Source: DCLA

‘Grading’ Is Just for Natural Diamonds, Says CIBJO

 

Laboratories should reserve the term “grading report” for natural diamonds rather than lab-grown stones, the World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO) has urged.

Lab-grown diamonds lack the rarity that underpins the concept of grading, CIBJO argued Tuesday. Instead, documents providing details of synthetics should be called “Laboratory-Grown Diamond Product Specifications,” the organization says in a new set of guidelines it released to the trade this week.

The standard grading report implies “a degree of rarity of the product,” a CIBJO spokesperson told Rapaport News. “But on the other hand, the consumer has a right to know what the components of the product are. The important element is that the term ‘grading’ is taken out.”

CIBJO’s board has made its new Laboratory-Grown Diamond Guidance available for review by affiliated companies and national associations, the organization said. The consultation phase is the final stage in a two-year process to create harmonized standards for man-made stones.

The rule book, which is not binding, also calls for laboratories to include extra information such as the name of the manufacturer, the country and method of manufacture (chemical vapor deposition or High Pressure-High Temperature), and information about post-growth treatments. It also recommends that the letters “LG” precede the color and clarity grades on the report to indicate the stones are lab-grown.

The guidelines deal with how to describe lab-grown diamonds and display them at events such as trade shows. They also provide recommendations on how companies should disclose the origin of the stones on invoices and consignment documents, and discuss synthetics detection technology.

“A key principle of the Laboratory-Grown Diamond Guidance is that, to ensure confidence, consumers must receive complete and unambiguous information about what they are buying, so that they can make consciously informed purchasing decisions,” CIBJO explained.

CIBJO’s Blue Book, a separate document on grading standards and terminology, notably kept “natural” in its definition of diamonds even after the US Federal Trade Commission dropped the word in 2018.

Source: DCLA

‘Grading’ Is Just for Natural Diamonds, Says CIBJO

 

Laboratories should reserve the term “grading report” for natural diamonds rather than lab-grown stones, the World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO) has urged.

Lab-grown diamonds lack the rarity that underpins the concept of grading, CIBJO argued Tuesday. Instead, documents providing details of synthetics should be called “Laboratory-Grown Diamond Product Specifications,” the organization says in a new set of guidelines it released to the trade this week.

The standard grading report implies “a degree of rarity of the product,” a CIBJO spokesperson told Rapaport News. “But on the other hand, the consumer has a right to know what the components of the product are. The important element is that the term ‘grading’ is taken out.”

CIBJO’s board has made its new Laboratory-Grown Diamond Guidance available for review by affiliated companies and national associations, the organization said. The consultation phase is the final stage in a two-year process to create harmonized standards for man-made stones.

The rule book, which is not binding, also calls for laboratories to include extra information such as the name of the manufacturer, the country and method of manufacture (chemical vapor deposition or High Pressure-High Temperature), and information about post-growth treatments. It also recommends that the letters “LG” precede the color and clarity grades on the report to indicate the stones are lab-grown.

The guidelines deal with how to describe lab-grown diamonds and display them at events such as trade shows. They also provide recommendations on how companies should disclose the origin of the stones on invoices and consignment documents, and discuss synthetics detection technology.

“A key principle of the Laboratory-Grown Diamond Guidance is that, to ensure confidence, consumers must receive complete and unambiguous information about what they are buying, so that they can make consciously informed purchasing decisions,” CIBJO explained.

CIBJO’s Blue Book, a separate document on grading standards and terminology, notably kept “natural” in its definition of diamonds even after the US Federal Trade Commission dropped the word in 2018.

Source: DCLA

CIBJO and the IDC Agree

The World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO) and the International Diamond Council (IDC) have decided to use the same terminology for describing diamonds, making it easier for consumers to understand grading.

CIBJO agreed to make amendments to its Diamond Book — a guide to grading standards and terminology — following requests by the IDC, an organization that works to ensure consistency in grading across the industry. The IDC’s language will now be “harmonized” with that of the Diamond Book, CIBJO said Tuesday.

“The true beneficiaries of this agreement are the diamond consumers, who will now be able to refer to a single set of rules for describing diamonds,” said CIBJO president Gaetano Cavalieri.

The two organizations finalized the agreement at the CIBJO Congress in Bangkok this week. The International Diamond Manufacturers Association (IDMA), one of the IDC’s founding bodies, has also endorsed the new Diamond Book.

IDC http://www.internationaldiamondcouncil.org

Source: diamonds.net

CIBJO and the IDC Agree

The World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO) and the International Diamond Council (IDC) have decided to use the same terminology for describing diamonds, making it easier for consumers to understand grading.

CIBJO agreed to make amendments to its Diamond Book — a guide to grading standards and terminology — following requests by the IDC, an organization that works to ensure consistency in grading across the industry. The IDC’s language will now be “harmonized” with that of the Diamond Book, CIBJO said Tuesday.

“The true beneficiaries of this agreement are the diamond consumers, who will now be able to refer to a single set of rules for describing diamonds,” said CIBJO president Gaetano Cavalieri.

The two organizations finalized the agreement at the CIBJO Congress in Bangkok this week. The International Diamond Manufacturers Association (IDMA), one of the IDC’s founding bodies, has also endorsed the new Diamond Book.

IDC http://www.internationaldiamondcouncil.org

Source: diamonds.net