I’ve been researching diamonds for engagement rings, and I keep seeing different certifications. What certifications should I be looking for, and what are the advantages of buying a certified diamond?

A certified diamond assures you that it is the best quality you can buy and will never decrease in value. As in all Canadian diamonds, they are inscribed with a tiny polar bear, certifying authenticity. Color really doesn't mean anything to the quality of the diamond, there are yellow and pink, quite rare and expensive, being found in different strata of ores.

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There are 4 c's to a diamond

Clarity
Color
Cut
Carat


The 4 C's of diamonds -- diamond clarity, diamond colors, diamond cuts, diamond weights -- diamond grades for the diamond buyer (http://www.diasource.com/fourcs.htm)

Thanks for the input. I actually looked into it, and I'm definitely not buying an uncertified diamond. A diamond certification guarantees that the 4Cs of your diamond have been evaluated in a laboratory (they can't be assessed using the naked eye). There's a lot of technology out there to alter diamonds, and if I'm paying for a natural diamond I definitely want to know for sure that that's what I'm getting. A GIA diamond grading report seems like the way to go; GIA invented the 4Cs, and it's totally unaffiliated. A diamond is something I want to feel good about buying, so for me it has to be certified.

Diamonds Certificates come from various Independent Gemologial Laboaratories such as GIA, IGI, EGL, AGS, etc. to show the purchaser quality and other criteria like weight, polish, symmetry, proportions, etc. of the diamond.

These independent labs make sure that buyer is getting exactly the diamond they are looking at. Lately these labs laser engrave the certificate number to the girdle of the diamond so with a 10X magnification you can verify it yourself.

When you look at a diamond under a microscope the color and clarity could look different to people so labs become the ultimate authority of the specification of the diamond.

Plus they are very useful when you are getting a diamond insured so that insurance company knows exactly what is insured. Almosy all certificates will not list the value of the diamond, for that you need an appraisal from an independent appraisal service.

Shenoa Diamonds (http://www.shenoadiamonds.com)

The diamond certificate helps with resale of the diamond and recovery or insurance purposes.

The certificate also gives you the assurance that the diamond's 4Cs and other characteristics are truly mentioned by the diamond seller.