The American Institute of Gemology was founded in 1931 and is one of the most prestigious centers for valuing diamonds, precious stones and pearls in the world. GIA has been established with the aim of supporting the gemstone industry and works in areas such as education, research, testing and quality determination of precious stones. It can be said that the most important mission of this non-profit organization is to gain the trust of individuals. The GIA helps buyers and sellers to buy and sell all kinds of jewelry and precious stones with ease by determining the value of gems and jewelry with precision instruments, based on up-to-date knowledge and by providing a valid identity card.

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Of course, a common mistake with GIA is that some people use the terms "GIA approved" or "GIA approved diamond". But the fact is that both of these statements are technically incorrect. This is because the GIA does not endorse or certify any diamonds or gemstones, but grants those points and grades. In fact, most people around the world mistakenly refer to GIA-rated diamonds as "GIA-approved diamonds," which is incorrect. For more information about this institute and how it works, go to the end of the article along with the Amin jeweler blog until the end of the article .

What is the American Institute of Gemology (GIA)?

The American Institute of Gemology (GIA) was founded on February 15, 1931 by Robert M. Shipley. Shipley was a gold and jewelry retailer who, with his savings at the time, founded the GIA in CARLSBAD, Southern California.

Currently, there are 9 branches of the GIA Center in 4 continents. These centers teach jewelry, design and sell professional jewelry. The complex also has research and training centers on artificial stone production methods and new discoveries. The institute's diploma is called Graduate Gemologist and is known by the acronym GG diploma. The focus of this diploma is on the identification and grading of precious stones, which is the highest industrial certificate of this institute.

The GIA is also a leader in global gemology research and uses its findings to support consumers. As a large number of new products and processes enter the jewelry market every year, the specialists at this institute test thousands of samples annually with advanced devices. The JIA Institute of America itself is the largest manufacturer of gemstones, whose products are used by jewelers around the world.

How does the American Institute of Gemology work?

The GIA, a non-profit organization that has long been recognized as the world's top diamond valuation organization, uses the most rigorous and accurate methods for grading diamonds. When a diamond is sent to GIA laboratories, the piece is subjected to multiple tests in several very precise steps, and ultimately determines the purity of the diamond.

What does GIA certification mean?

We also mentioned at the beginning of this article that the terms "GIA Certified", "GIA Approved" or "GIA Approved Diamond" are not technically correct but are used by most people. The correct word for these terms is "GIA Diamond Report". This report means that the diamond in question has been thoroughly tested and examined by the GIA Institute and its quality has been determined based on existing standards.

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What are the benefits of certified gems?

The main advantage of GIA-certified gems is that they have value and credibility all over the world. Because it is clear that it has been carefully evaluated in terms of color, cut, weight and cleanliness, and its specifications are quite reliable. In fact, the diamond certificate is priced according to the components based on the standards in the Rappaport list. This builds trust and confidence for the buyer.

What is Rappaport?

Rappaport is actually a list of priced diamonds created by Martin Rappaport in 1978. This list is updated and published every Tuesday. The purpose of such a list is to set the initial pricing of diamonds based on four main factors, including color, cut, purity and weight. Rappaport list helps to establish a standard for determining the price of diamonds in the international market. This is because prices are not absolute in international markets, and these prices change based on the volume of traders' purchases and the way they are settled.

How is a diamond valued?

We mentioned above that the initial pricing of diamonds is based on 4 main factors including color, cut, purity and weight. The American Institute of Gemology uses the same components. The quality of all types of diamonds is determined by the 4 letters C in English or in fact 4C. Each of these C letters is a word: the first for Cut means cut, the second for Color meaning color, the third for Clarity for transparency, and the last for Carat meaning carat.

Of course, there are more specialized factors that affect the change in the value or price of diamonds. But the main components of 4C diamond valuation are that we have briefly explained to you below. To be fully acquainted with these factors, you can read everything you need to know about the types of diamonds and their cuts.

Diamond cutting is done in different shapes such as marquise, diamond, emerald, princess, heart, tears, oval and so on. For example, a round cut (diamond) is a standard cut of a diamond. A round diamond has 58 cutting faces and is divided into three parts. The highest part of this gemstone is called the "crown", which is the largest smooth surface of the stone. Or, for example, the princess cut diamond is square in shape and in many ways, has a stunning beauty. A diamond that has a princess cut has more depth due to its wide surface. Or marquise beard with two sharp and delicate ends has been a favorite of diamond lovers for centuries and is their favorite choice.

The more accurate these chips are and the closer the angle of the surfaces is to the standard, the greater the brightness, light reflection and refraction of white light, and the greater the production of diamond rainbow spectra (sparks).

Second C for Diamond Color:

Diamond colors have a very wide range, which is represented by the Latin letters from D to M. Group D is the most colorless and expensive color spectrum of diamonds. White diamonds are very valuable because of their colorlessness. In fact, the closer the diamond is to colorless, the more valuable it is in the market. The M spectrum approaches a burnt brown color. Color grade M is usually the lowest color grade offered by diamond sellers.

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Diamond colors are generally divided into six categories: completely colorless, colorless, very pale yellow, pale yellow, yellow and brown, and bold brown. Of course, there are also diamonds in fancy colors that are very rare in nature. Like pink, purple, blue, red and even black.

Third C for Clarity / Diamond Clarity:

One of the methods of valuing diamonds is to study and pay attention to the amount of impurities in it and how to place these impurities. A magnifying glass with 10x magnification is used to detect these impurities. The purest diamond is displayed with the FL symbol.

Fourth C for diamond weight (Carat):

The unit of measurement for diamond weight is carats (CT). Each carat equals one-fifth of a gram. That is, one gram is equal to 5 carats. It is quite obvious that the heavier the diamond, the higher its price. Of course, the price increase is calculated exponentially. This means, for example, that a 2-carat diamond may be several times more expensive than a one-carat diamond and may not necessarily be twice as expensive. Because weight is not the only factor in valuing a diamond, the three factors we have written about above also affect its final price.

For those who wish to attend GIA courses in the United States, they can attend these classes in absentia. Part-time gemology course using educational resources in four sections over a period of 39 months with a tuition of about $ 6060 for the theory and practical classes for the diamond course in 5 days (35 hours), colored stones in 3 days (21 hours) and identification The gems are held in 5 days (35 hours) with a total tuition of about $ 4480.

Of course, the institute also has a separate part-time course for diamonds, which is held over a period of 18 months for the theoretical part with a tuition of about $ 1920 and the practical part for 5 hours for 35 hours (7 hours a day) with a tuition of about $ 1689.

At the end of the course (in-person or out-of-person) the GG certificate is presented. All people who have completed GIA courses are registered in a member association and their credentials are registered there.

Full-time gemology courses are also available in the UK (London), Thailand (Bangkok), India (Bombay and New Delhi), China (Hong Kong), USA (New York), Taiwan (Taipei) and Japan (Tokyo and Shanghai) is held.