New York—Responding to a surge in reports concerning lab-grown diamonds falsely labeled with report numbers for natural stones, two prominent grading labs have unveiled same-day verification services at their New York facilities.
Both institutions made formal announcements regarding the introduction of this service within the current week.
On Tuesday, the International Gemological Institute (IGI) revealed a strategic collaboration with the Diamond Manufacturers and Importers Association (DMIA) to facilitate same-day verification for diamonds, be they singular stones or parcels. This includes diamonds with or without inscriptions, as well as various types and sizes of jewelry. Currently, this service is exclusively accessible to DMIA members, who can initiate the process by completing a designated form available through DMIA or at the IGI intake counter located at its New York office.
IGI has extended the service to DMIA members at a reduced rate, with plans to subsequently offer it to other segments of the diamond industry, albeit for a fee, once fully established.
Concurrently, the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) declared the initiation of a parallel service at its New York laboratory on the same Tuesday.
GIA’s offering encompasses the same-day confirmation of diamonds, both with and without inscriptions, ensuring they align with their corresponding GIA reports. Existing clients with an active GIA client agreement can avail this service by requesting the “Report Confirmation Service” analogous to any other GIA service. While the submission of the original GIA report or a facsimile is encouraged, it is not mandatory.
For a limited time, this service incurs no cost. GIA welcomes both walk-in and courier submissions for same-day service, with an assurance that walk-in clients will experience expedited processing.
The anticipated service times for walk-in clients, subject to alterations based on volume, are as follows: 15 minutes for one loose diamond, one hour for two to five diamonds, and 24 hours for more than five, as per the lab’s specifications. Additionally, GIA accepts mounted diamonds for confirmation, though it acknowledges that verification for jewelry may necessitate a more extended timeframe.
Following its debut in New York, GIA intends to progressively extend this service to other locations in a phased rollout later this month.
For those not currently affiliated with these labs, the client application process for the service is available here.
