Laboratory-grown diamond jewellery

Lab-grown diamond jewellery, graded as it is worn.

IJI examines finished rings, earrings, pendants, bracelets and necklaces set with laboratory-grown diamonds. Every diamond in the piece is identified and graded as the mounting permits, and the report states in words, on its front, that the diamonds were grown in a laboratory.

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Anatomy of a jewellery report

One piece, four things recorded.

Values from report IJI-J-120025266

  1. 1Origin

    Every diamond identified.

    Each diamond in the piece is identified, and the origin is stated in words on the front of the report.

    Origin
    Laboratory Grown Diamond
    Stated
    On the front, in words

  2. 2Shape and total weight

    All the stones, as one weight.

    Set stones can’t be weighed loose, so the report gives the shape and cut and a total weight, estimated in the mount.

    Shape & cut
    Oval
    Total est. weight
    1.434 Carat
    Diamonds
    Fifty

  3. 3Colour and clarity

    Graded as ranges.

    Grading is done as the mounting permits, so colour and clarity are given as ranges rather than single grades.

    Colour
    D-E
    Clarity
    VVS

  4. 4Description

    As declared by the client.

    The article, metal and gross weight are recorded as purported by the client, with the style number.

    Article
    Earrings
    Metal
    White Gold/14KT
    Gross weight
    2.050 g
    Style
    #ER001025

Disclosed, in words.

“Laboratory Grown Diamond” is printed in words on the front of the report, and the online record says the same.

Open report IJI-J-120025266

Recently issued

Real reports, open to anyone.

The latest finished jewellery reports. Open any of them to see the record the institute holds.

Who it’s for

From the bench to the buyer.

The same report serves the people who make a piece, the people who sell it and the person who wears it. Each reads it for something different.

01 · Brands and manufacturers

Submit a production run.

Every piece leaves with its own numbered report and its style number, written the same way across the run.

One report per piece
02 · Retailers

Receive stock you can check.

Every piece arrives with a numbered report. Check it against the register before the piece goes on the shelf.

Verify on receipt
03 · People who bought a piece

Know what you are wearing.

Type the number from your report. The record shows the description, the total weight, the colour and clarity ranges, and that the diamonds were grown in a laboratory.

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Services

Jewellery first, stone by stone.

Most of what comes through take-in is finished lab-grown diamond jewellery. Loose stones, natural diamonds, coloured stones and pearls are graded to the same standards.

Three white metal diamond rings standing side by side on a dark reflective surface: a round solitaire on a pavé band, a pear-cut stone inside a halo, and an emerald cut in a plain four-claw setting.
Rings
A pair of yellow gold hoop earrings, each set with a row of round diamonds.
Earrings
A diamond necklace of alternating pear, emerald and round stones laid out in a grey suede case.
Necklaces and bracelets
A white metal solitaire ring with a diamond-set band, standing upright on a pale stone ground.

Finished jewelleryIJI-J

Lab-grown jewellery reports

Rings, earrings, pendants, bracelets and necklaces examined as finished pieces.

  • Every diamond identified
  • Total weight estimated in the mount
  • Colour and clarity as ranges
  • A photo of the piece on the record
Diamond-set bands in white and yellow gold stacked on a dark reflective surface.

For brandsIJI-J

Production runs, piece by piece

A production run is reported piece by piece. Each piece carries its own numbered report with its style number.

  • One numbered report per piece
  • Style number on every report
  • The same fields across the run
A round brilliant held in tweezers above a tablet showing a laboratory-grown diamond report.

Loose stonesIJI-L

Lab-grown diamond reports

Loose laboratory-grown diamonds, graded on the same scales as natural diamonds.

  • Carat, colour, clarity, cut
  • Origin stated on the front
A gem spectrometer on a laboratory bench, a stone mounted in its holder and an absorption spectrum on the attached display.

IdentificationAll pieces

Lab-grown or natural, every diamond

Every diamond in a piece is identified as the mounting permits, not a sample of them.

  • Stone-by-stone identification
  • Origin in words on the front
  • The same origin in the online record

Also graded

  • A loose round brilliant diamond resting beside an open jeweller’s loupe on a pale ground.
    Natural diamondsIJI-D · graded on the four Cs
  • An oval blue sapphire and an oval red ruby standing side by side on a white bench, a loupe behind them.
    Coloured stonesIJI-C · identification
  • Loose white pearls set out on a card ruled for lustre, surface and shape, with tweezers and a loupe alongside.
    PearlsIJI-P · identification
  • A stack of bound reports on a bench beside a pen and a rough crystal tied into a paper parcel.
    Descriptive recordsIJI-R · for insurers; never a value
All services

Impartiality

No interest in the outcome.

The institute grades to published standards and has nothing to gain from any grade. Four rules keep it that way.

01

No trading

The institute does not buy, sell or broker gem materials or jewellery, and takes no commission.

02

No valuation

Reports carry no price, and no fee is tied to the grade a piece receives.

03

Blind intake

Goods are anonymised at take-in. Graders see a parcel number, never a brand or client name.

04

Consensus grading

Colour and clarity are set by graders working separately. Disagreement sends the piece back for a further opinion.

Method

How a piece is examined.

The same four steps for a single pair of studs or a production run of rings.

  1. A client hands a transparent bag of jewellery, sealed with a security label, across a counter to gloved laboratory staff.

    Take-in and photography

    The piece is photographed and sealed in front of you. You get a signed receipt with a parcel number; from here, graders see only that number.

  2. A spectrometer with a diamond mounted in its holder, an absorption spectrum drawn on the screen beside it.

    Stone-by-stone identification

    Every diamond in the piece is identified as laboratory-grown or natural, as the mounting permits.

  3. A gemmologist seen from behind at a stereo microscope, a stone held in tweezers under the lit stage.

    Grading in the mount

    Shape and cut are recorded, the total weight is estimated in the mount, and colour and clarity are given as ranges by graders working separately.

  4. A finished grading report lying on a bench with a loupe resting on it, its clarity plot and grades visible.

    Report issued, record filed

    Grades are reconciled, the record is written to the register with a photo of the piece, and the report is printed.

The laboratory-grown report: a paler masthead, and a solid bar across the front reading “laboratory-grown diamond”.

Origin disclosure

Lab-grown is diamond. The report says so.

  • Same scalesLaboratory-grown diamonds are graded on the same colour, clarity and cut scales as natural diamonds.
  • On the frontOrigin is stated in words on the front of the report: “Laboratory Grown Diamond”. Not a code or a footnote.
  • Every diamondEach diamond in the piece is identified, as the mounting permits, not a sample of them.
  • In the registerThe online record states the same origin, so every lookup shows it.

Laboratories

Five laboratories, one standard.

Control stones travel between all five, so a piece graded in Toronto reads the same as one graded in Surat.

  • A long row of grading benches seen down its length, gemmologists at microscopes along a window wall in bright daylight.

    Surat

    Principal laboratory

  • An archive room lined with numbered record cabinets and a barred strongroom, a grading bench and microscope in the foreground.

    Mumbai

    Laboratory and archive

  • A compact high-floor laboratory with benches on three sides, city towers close outside the windows.

    New York

    Laboratory

  • Gemmologists working under bench lamps at dusk, lit apartment towers filling the window behind them.

    Hong Kong

    Laboratory

  • A quiet laboratory in pale wood and white, trays of coloured stones on the bench and snow-covered ground beyond the windows.

    Toronto

    Laboratory

Master stones
Colour master stones recalibrated every year.
Round-robin
Control stones circulate between the five labs each quarter.
Graders
Re-examined every year and rotated between benches.
Review
Any client may ask for a review grading by graders who did not see the piece.
Records
Searchable online by report number.
Addresses and take-in hours