The diamond industry can let go of its collective breath: GIA's long-anticipated Diamond Cut Grading System for round brilliant diamonds is ready for the trade to put into practice. This will result in greater consumer confidence and further uphold GIA's mission to serve the public trust.

GIA executives announced details about the Institute's new GIA Diamond Grading Report and GIA Diamond Dossier®, and the tools that will help cutters and manufacturers estimate cut grades, at a press conference held Aug. 1 at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York City.

Although the Diamond Cut Grading System is in place, new reports will not be issued until Jan. 1, 2006. This will give the industry generous lead time to study the system and understand the benefits it offers.

"We have worked very hard to develop a cut grading system that is both scientifically sound and practical in its use and application," said GIA Laboratory CEO Thomas C. Yonelunas. "We want to make the transition to the new system as smooth as possible for all individuals in the trade."

GIA will provide a single, comprehensive cut grade on every Diamond Grading Report and Diamond Dossier® it issues for all standard round brilliant diamonds falling in the GIA D-to-Z color scale and Flawless-to-I3 clarity scale. The reports will provide a single overall cut grade: Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair or Poor.

The reports will also contain expanded proportion data in a graphic representation of the actual proportions of the diamond, and consumer-friendly descriptions of the 4Cs on the inside of the report covers.

The GIA Laboratory has collected the necessary proportion information on round brilliant diamonds it has graded since Jan. 1, 2005, so, in most cases, it will not be necessary for clients to send diamonds back to receive a new report with the cut grade.

Reports will be reissued or updated upon request following these parameters:

Diamonds graded between Aug. 1 and Dec. 31, 2005: There will not be a reissue fee and diamonds do not need to be returned to the Laboratory, although original reports need to be submitted.

Diamonds graded between Jan. 1 and July 31, 2005: There will be a nominal reissue fee, and some diamonds may need to be returned to the Laboratory to obtain updated measurement information.

Diamonds graded before Jan. 1, 2005: A service to update the grading information to include a cut grade for reports will be provided.  

Trade Can Estimate Cut Quality

GIA has developed a number of tools to help cutters and manufacturers estimate cut grades. The GIA Facetware™ Cut Estimator is proprietary software that can estimate a diamond's cut grade for over 38.5 million proportion combinations. Users of this software can estimate the cut grade for a given round brilliant diamond, look at the potential impact of different proportion values for an existing diamond, and explore the possibilities for diamonds still in the planning stages of fashioning.

GIA offers three versions of Facetware™, so whether you're online, at your desk, or on the road, you can easily and conveniently estimate cut grades.

•  On the Internet: A free online version of GIA Facetware™ is available at

www.diamondcut.gia.edu. Simply enter the parameters where indicated, and Facetware™ provides your estimated cut grade.

• Embedded: Optical measuring devices embedded with the GIA Facetware™

Cut Estimator Database automate the cut grade estimation process for polished

diamonds, with the added benefits of providing instant options for re-cutting polished diamonds or planning the manufacture of polished from rough. These measuring devices are available from several leading manufacturers.

• Print: GIA's Facetware™ Quick Reference Guide is an abridged version of the Facetware™ Database that is ideal for use on the road or when Internet access is not available.

Additional Support Available

There is also additional support to help the trade understand and use the system:

•  GIA's Diamond Dock™ offers a standardized lighting and viewing environment that provides a proven balance of diffused and spot lighting for displaying and assessing face-up cut quality.
• GIA's Multi-Purpose Gemological Reticule can be inserted into most standard gemological microscopes to measure all the necessary proportions of a diamond. With this reticle, you can measure diamond proportions when an automated optical measuring device is not available.
• GIA will present educational seminars on its Diamond Cut Grading System at major trade shows, cutting centers and other locations around the world. The Institute will also incorporate the system into GIA coursework starting in 2006.
• GIA's microsite on the Diamond Cut Grading System is the central resource for more information. It includes a summary of the research done, an explanation of cut grades, information on the new Reports, GIA Facetware™ and information on upcoming presentations and seminars. Check www.diamondcut.gia.edu for more information.

Editor's note:

GIA relies on financial and volunteer support to further its nonprofit research and education mission.  Over the last 16 years, numerous organizations and individuals from the gem and jewelry industry have offered time, expertise and financial support as our researchers methodically pursued information leading to a system for grading the 4th C. 

The first charitable gift to GIA's Diamond Cut Research Project was from the Schachter & Namdar Group in 2000. This generosity was followed by many others who gave of themselves by participating in focus groups, seminars and observation testing.