Twenty-three years ago, I began working in NYC’s infamous Diamond District. Those were exciting times. Back then, only a small percentage of customers asked for a diamond grading report when purchasing a natural earth-mined diamond; a jeweler’s word on the diamond quality was satisfactory. Approximately fifteen years ago, a shift began to happen and “smart” customers were asking for diamonds with a diamond grading report. Those requests were mostly made by customers purchasing 1ct or larger, requesting a higher quality and combination of the 4 C’s.

Approximately ten years ago, another shift ushered in a “new normal” in the industry with the younger crowd especially wanting diamond reports for their engagement ring center stones. They were using the internet to do research on diamonds and came in the stores with their smart phones, questions, research on the 4 C’s. You would now be hard pressed to find someone who wants to buy a stone of over 1 carat unaccompanied by a grading report. Emily Bukucuyan from Pico Jewelry states that “no one questioned the various lab reports but 2 years later, no one wanted anything but GIA reports (Gemological Institute of America). Everyone does not have a machine to test lab grown diamonds, so the diamond report protects the store as well as the client.”