GIA Moves signals clearer divide between grading Lab-Grown Diamond  and Natural Diamonds

The world’s leading authority in gemology is redefining lab grown diamond grading by dropping the traditional 4Cs system, further emphasizing the growing divide between natural diamonds and man-made diamonds.

In a landmark decision that will reverberate through the global diamond industry, the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), the world’s foremost authority in gemology has announced it will no longer use its internationally recognized 4Cs grading system for laboratory-grown diamonds. Instead, beginning later this year, lab-grown diamonds submitted to GIA will receive simplified descriptors categorized broadly as either “premium” or “standard” or no grade at all if the quality is subpar.

While GIA’s move to redefine lab grown diamond grading might sound like a simple nomenclature change, it’s much more than that. This move marks a definitive moment in the ongoing separation of natural diamonds from lab-grown diamonds. It confirms what many in the industry have long known: lab-grown diamonds are not the same as natural diamonds and should not be treated as such.