Gem certification: Get your diamonds tested in JLT

Consumers can get their precious stones graded at world's largest IGI laboratory in Dubai

Dubai: Consumers can now get their diamonds certified at the International Gemological Institute's (IGI) largest laboratory globally which opened its doors in Dubai this week.

The certification comes for as low as Dh228 for a carat of diamond, with the report being ready within 24 hours, said Roland Lorie, CEO of IGI, a globally recognised, independent grading laboratory for gems and jewellery.

Although grading could be done earlier at IGI's modest facility in Deira Gold Souq, the new, 5,000 square foot lab at Almas Tower in Jumeirah Lake Towers has state-of-the-art equipment with more staff to cater to the growing demand for certification in the Middle East, he said.

According to Ahmad Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman of the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre, Dubai alone traded 131 million carats of diamonds, worth over $16 million (Dh59 million), in the first half of 2010. The Dubai Gold & Jewellery Group also reported a 30 per cent growth in sales in the first two weeks of its Dubai Shopping Festival promotions this year.

Millions of carats

"Although the new IGI laboratory will largely cater to wholesale dealers and buyers, anyone can come to us," said Lorie.

"Diamonds and coloured stones are 100 per cent natural. No two diamonds are the same and since there is always a tendency to push their quality up, the consumer needs to be doubly sure," he said.

While most retailers in the UAE are willing to sell loose stones or solitaires with certificates - many of local origin - diamond jewellery largely comes without such reports. As such, the onus lies with the consumer to get them verified. "Twenty years ago, only the ‘happy few' were buying diamonds. They enjoyed a trusted relationship with their family jeweller. In the current shopping generation, more people are buying diamonds and from different countries, including Dubai. Hence the need for certifications," he said.

The IGI diamond grading based on the four Cs -carat, colour, clarity and cut - is based on a scientific analysis and an internationally recognised system, said Nico D'Haemer, Managing Director, IGI Dubai.

Gulf News
Image Credit: XPRESS / Pankaj Sharma