Consumers should be aware of various practices in the jewelry industry that are used to unduly influence buying decisions. 

Perhaps the most damaging and certainly most flagrant is the statement that any diamond is “certified” by the GIA (Gemological Institute of America).

As an educational and research institution, the GIA is not allowed to participate in or endorse private business. It must also avoid the appearance of doing so or jeopardize its standing with regulating and accrediting authorities.

Following, is information copied directly from a GIA publication:

It is an unauthorized use of GIA's name to imply that GIA and/or its subsidiaries directly or indirectly, sponsor, or approve any individual or private business include its employees, products, services, or prices. Our policy is clear: GIA does not certify any person, business, or thing. Therefore, GIA does not authorize the use of the word "certify" or any derivative in conjunction with the GIA name and products in advertising.

Examples of unacceptable usage include: GIA Certified; GIA Certified Diamond Appraiser; GIA Certified Diamonds; GIA Diamond; Certified GIA Appraisals; Certified Graduate Gemologist; Member, Gemological Institute of America; Member, GIA Gem Trade Laboratory.

Jewelers may send diamonds to the GIA which will, in turn, create a Diamond Grading Report after carefully examining the characteristics of the diamond using sophisticated instruments as necessary. The Report is not a guarantee, valuation, or appraisal. The recipient of the report is encouraged by the GIA to consult a credentialed Jeweler or Gemologist about the importance and interrelationship of the findings.

Many companies completely ignore the above. Undoubtedly, if you’ve been shopping for a diamond on line or at local stores, you’ve heard the deceptive terms before as a sales tool to induce you to believe that the value and beauty of their stone is more valuable and more beautiful, or cheaper, than their competitors’ diamonds.

Only two things can be assumed from this practice. Either the company or their employees using the misleading language are completely naïve, or worse, they don’t mind employing Deceptive Trade Practice in their quest for sales. And that, according to the Jewelers Vigilance Committee in New York, is illegal!

Either way, is that a company in which you choose to place your trust when making a major purchase? By the way, at Iowa Diamond, it’s a fireable offense!