Grading Labs

Below is quick description and opinions of the top grading labs.

		HRD - Hoge Raad Voor Diamant (The Diamond High Council). The officially recognized representative of the Belgium diamond trade and industry. HRD headquarters are located in Antwerp, World Diamond Center.		Excellent- Grades all shapes and sizes of diamonds
		GIA -Gemological Institute of America. Founded in 1931 in Los Angeles, the GIA created and introduced the international grading system. .		Excellent- GIA is the industry standard with years of experience and valuable reputaion.
		AGS - American Gem Society Founded in 1934 by Robert M. Shipley who also founded the GIA. The AGS is based in Nevada, USA.		Excellent- Specializes in the "Hearts & Arrows" certificates. To read more on this cut please click here.
		IGI - International Gemological Institute. The oldest institute of its kind in Antwerp. Set up in 1975 with labs in New York, Bangkok, Mumbai and Tokyo.		Good- For the most part this lab has kept up with the industry changes but is being replaced with HRD for Europe
		EGL - European Gemological Laboratory. EGL was originally opened in Antwerp in 1974, and now has laboratories in Antwerp, New York Los Angeles, Johannesburg, Paris, London, Israel and Seoul.		Good- EGL is a solid lab but we do warn you to not compare a diamond graded by GIA with a diamond from EGL. The difference can be as much as one grade different.