There are many factors which determine the quality of a diamond. We normally refer to the four C’s (color, cut, clarity, and carat). While all of these are important, it is also crucial to remember that identity of the stone itself will be determined by a professional grading report. This is often performed by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).
A typical GIA diamond certificate will contain several crucial pieces of information. These include the exact measurements of the stone, the four C’s mentioned earlier, the cutting style, the origin of the diamond, and any treatments that may have been observed. Such a certificate is critical in terms of determining the value of the stone in question.
However, what if you have accidentally lost your GIA certificate? What options do you have? Let’s examine the answers to this understandably important question.
Finding Your Original GIA Certificate Number
Thankfully, it is normally possible to retrieve a report if you are able to find the GIA number associated with the stone itself. There are three possibilities in this case:
- Refer back to the original purchase invoice.
- Contact the dealer who sold you the diamond (or jewelry).
- Find the number on the side of the diamond.
While the first two suggestions are straightforward, the third should be highlighted in a bit more detail. GIA-graded diamonds will have a number inscribed along the side; generally on the edge. This series of numbers can be viewed under magnification. The only possible issue is that there can be times when the claws from a setting may obscure this number. In such a case, it is once again wise to contact the original dealer.
Obtaining a New GIA Diamond Certificate
Assuming that you have found the original number, the remainder of the process is quite simple. However, we should first mention that the GIA does not offer duplicate reports. You can instead navigate to this official GIA page in order to request a copy of the original.
Be sure to fill out all of the required information and to check that the certification number does not contain any errors or omissions. Once this process has been completed, you can download and save a copy of the GIA report to your hard drive. The report will normally be made available in a PDF format.
Keeping Your New Copy Safe
While obtaining a lost GIA certificate is not a lengthy process, it can still be frustrating. This is why you should make it a point to save an electronic copy of this documentation and to place the physical version in a secure area. As a growing number of individuals are now turning to the Internet when purchasing quality certified diamonds, it only stands to reason that reports may be lost on occasion.
This type of documentation is similar in some ways to the “birth certificate” of your diamond. So, feel free to bookmark this page so that you can refer back it when obtaining a replacement certificate.
