Why You Should Not Buy GIA Certified Diamonds

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March 3

Blue Nile is a well known online retailer of diamonds, which claims to sell “GIA Certified Diamonds” at the “Guaranteed Best Price.” This statement may intend to appeal to price conscious diamond buyers searching for GIA Certified Diamonds online.

However, experienced diamond buyers know that the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) does not issue “diamond grading certificates.” That's because the GIA does not “certify” anything. Rather they issue “diamond grading reports “which “report” the characteristics of the diamond which they observed at the time the diamond was submitted for grading.

Diamond Clarity Affects the Price of Blue Nile East West Solitaire.

East-West Solitaire Special Blue Nile.

Under those circumstances, you should not buy a GIA Certified diamond because they do not exist. Therefore the technical answer to questions like "Are Blue Nile Diamonds GIA Certified?" is no, but they are GIA-graded. Consequently, there also is no such thing as a Blue Nile Diamond Certification because they also don't certify anything. However, Blue Nile Astor diamonds are dual-graded by the GIA and GCAL, the latter of which is a certification.

Why Promote GIA Certified Diamonds if they don’t exist?

The reason why diamond grading laboratories, such as the GIA and American Gem Society Laboratory (AGSL) do not “certify diamonds” is because the characteristics of a diamond could change after being graded, and thus the quality of a diamond can not be certified…

As you might imagine, the whole “certified diamonds” thing is a pet peeve of mine because it is basic diamond knowledge that every diamond professional should know, and the largest online retailer of diamonds graded by the GIA should certainly be aware that the GIA Laboratory does not certify diamonds, but rather merely reports their characteristics as observed at the time of grading.

Arguably diamond professionals which promote the misnomer of GIA Certified Diamonds, either do not know the basic practices and common use terms of their industry, or they might be preying upon the emotions of consumers who are looking to protect themselves, or their marketing department is completely out of touch with their diamond buying division.

That might just be the case in this particular instance, but whose to say since none of us are privy to the inner workings of Blue Nile and other diamond companies which continue to promote the fallacy of GIA Certified Diamonds through their use of the term in their marketing material.

It goes without saying that it is likely that companies will continue to promote “GIA Certified Diamonds” on the consumer level, because doing so enables them to appear to be selling a certified product and that is a concept which seems to make people feel comfortable when buying something as valuable as a diamond.

However it is just as likely that consumers who are more savvy about the correct terminology and practices of the diamond industry will turn away from companies and sales people who incorrectly use standard industry terms and misrepresent the nature of the product which they are selling by making statements such as Blue Nile: Certified Diamonds and Fine Jewelry which is the exact wording which they provide affiliates like myself with to promote their brand and product.

There is no such thing as GIA Certified Diamonds:

Brian Gavin Exposes the Myth of GIA Certified Diamonds

Brian Gavin Signature Diamonds.

So why do companies like Blue Nile continue to promote the concept of GIA Certified Diamonds and use this phrase in their online marketing? Quite simply because it is one of the most popular search terms used by people who are shopping for diamonds online.

However, I feel that there is a better way to attract people who happen to be searching for GIA Certified Diamonds to your web site. Specifically, that way is through the proper use of page titles and headings for the purpose of Search Engine Optimization…

Case in point: the word “certified” appears only one time on the page inviting you to Buy Loose Diamonds online from Brian Gavin and it is within the breadcrumb menu option which appears in small print towards the top of the page where the word certified is highlighted on the graphic in orange for your reference.

It is obviously not intended as any type of promotional material beyond the purpose of ensuring that the web site ranks for the term “certified diamonds” in the search engines, so that people who are searching for that sort of thing will find the web site and be directed to a list of diamonds which are graded by the GIA and AGS gemological laboratories.

About the Author

Dive deep into the glittering world of diamonds with Todd Gray, the CEO of Gray Matter Development, LLC. Todd has 35+ years of experience as a diamond buyer and trade consultant. He ghostwrites content for several online vendors and is an avid Freediver, currently exploring the Cenotes of Yucatan, Mexico. Dive into brilliance with Todd Gray!