GIA Announces Implementation of Diamond Cut Grading System

The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) announced that it will begin issuing new grading reports on January 1, 2006. For round brilliant cut diamonds in the GIA D-to-Z color range and Flawless-to-I3 clarity range, the new reports will include a Cut grade to accompany the Color, Clarity, and Carat Weight information.

The GIA Laboratory says it has been collecting the necessary proportion information on most of the round brilliant diamonds it has graded since January.

GIA will offer a free reissue service for reports on diamonds graded between August 1 and December 31, 2005, without requiring that the diamond be sent back to the GIA Laboratory. For round brilliant diamonds graded in 2005 prior to August 1, there will be a nominal fee to reissue the reports and only a small portion of these diamonds will need to be returned to the Laboratory for updated measurement information.

During the implementation period, there are two ways for individuals to estimate a GIA Cut Grade. First, they can enter the applicable parameters into the free online version of the GIA Facetware™ Cut Estimator, which can be found at www.diamondcut.gia.edu.

Second, those with optical measuring devices such as Sarin or OGI can purchase from the manufacturer a version of their software with the GIA Facetware™ Cut Estimator Database embedded, with which they can quickly and automatically estimate cut grades for round brilliant diamonds, as well as gain advice on polishing from rough and recutting.

“We have worked very hard to develop a cut grading system that is both scientifically sound and practical to use,” said GIA Laboratory CEO Thomas C. Yonelunas.