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GIA vs AGS Clarity Difference?

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Jyt1022

Rough_Rock
Joined
Apr 20, 2021
Messages
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Hi - Would the inclusions in a GIA report be at the same standard as an AGS report? For instance, I'm looking at a GIA SI1 and note there are some inclusions per their report (see link below). I compared this to several AGS Ideal 000 SI1 stones and it seems like the AGS stones have way more inclusions noted in their reports. Is this just a different standard between the two reports or is the GIA SI1 just a cleaner SI1?

GIA SI1: https://www.gia.edu/report-check?reportno=6371583538https://www.gia.edu/report-check?reportno=6371583538 - I saw this one in person and couldn't really notice the inclusions from the naked eye. I know it's above the 1.3 number on the HCA scale but this was for sure my favorite stone in person
AGS SI1: https://www.whiteflash.com/pdf/104109307001.pdf ; https://www.whiteflash.com/pdf/104110484032.pdf - here are a couple examples that are AGS stones with SI1 clarity. The reports make it seem like they have way more inclusions. Perhaps the inclusions aren't as pronounced? Curious from other's experience.

Any help will be greatly appreciated
 
I would say the biggest difference between GIA and AGS grading is that AGS has a much stricter cut grading system which uses 3D scan technology which GIA uses 2D. Also some people believe AGS is softer on color grading but thats debatable. As far as clarity grading I think both would be equal and note inclusions in order of importance.
 
Got it - so it sounds like it may just be coincidental that the GIA SI1 link above looks cleaner than the AGS SI1 stones as there shouldn't be any material difference in grading.
 
"more inclusions" does not necessarily equal "more visible inclusions" on a grading report. The AGS stones you've linked mostly have cloud and a few twining wisp inclusions, with crystal inclusions off near the edges. The GIA report shows mostly crystals with one under the table (more easily visible). So the AGS reports show the inclusions that are seen more easily by most people off to the edges, where the facets make them hard to see, and the harder to see inclusions under the table, where it is easier for people to spot things like crystals. And the GIA one is the opposite.

If anything, I've heard that AGS is stricter on their clarity grading than GIA, and have seen GIA VS2s that were AGS Si1s.
 
Also want to point out that a clarity plot diagram with " busy " inclusions can be cleaner to the eye IRL compared to a similar stone and grading with a less busy inclusion plot.
 
si with one inclusion have a hugely higher chance of not being eyeclean.
si showing no inclusions .. run.
 
You cannot use two different stones to draw these type of conclusions.

By nature, each stone will have it's own set of inclusions & color grade. A "fingerprint identity" if you will. And in this case, these stones were graded about 14-15 months apart (12/2019 vs 2/2021).

If you want to test your theory you need a SINGLE stone that was graded by BOTH laboratories and then compare their certs to one another. There are a few cases where this has occurred and it's been documented here if you want to search for them.

Both labs are high quality, and their graders go through rigorous training & monitoring. Despite all that, color & clarity are subject to human analysis so slight variances can occur. Industry standard is that color & clarity would not vary by more than 1 grade between the different labs.

With clarity, another issue can present itself. It is very unusual to have a SINGLE stone submitted to multiple laboratories at the "same" time for grading. Many times a stone may be purchased with GIA documentation and then later re-certified as AGS (or vice versa). Because of the time lapse, it is possible a stone could be subjected to damage in that time period which may contribute to a difference in clarity grading.

One vendor that DOES provide multiple certifications at the time of purchase is HP Diamonds (HPD). IMO, this would be your best comparison to see how the SAME stone may yield different results at the different labs.

https://hpdiamonds.com/diamonds

More Info on Clarity & Color Grading:
https://www.whiteflash.com/diamond-education/ags-diamond-clarity-grading
https://www.whiteflash.com/diamond-education/ags-color-grading

Screen Shot 2021-04-28 at 12.14.31 AM.png
 
Thanks for the clarification all. I'll need to do some more research about the different types of inclusions so I can get a better idea of what is eye visible vs. not. My confusion was the more "busy" the stone's inclusion, the more likely you'll see visible inclusions which sounds like this isn't always the case.

Just based on the various GIA and AGS reports, do these inclusions seem noticeably visible to the naked eye? I looked at the GIA stone in person and while there were inclusions, they weren't super noticeable to me but then again, I don't know what I don't know as someone who has only seen a total of 20 stones.
 
Jyt1022 said:
Thanks for the clarification all. I'll need to do some more research about the different types of inclusions so I can get a better idea of what is eye visible vs. not. My confusion was the more "busy" the stone's inclusion, the more likely you'll see visible inclusions which sounds like this isn't always the case.

Just based on the various GIA and AGS reports, do these inclusions seem noticeably visible to the naked eye? I looked at the GIA stone in person and while there were inclusions, they weren't super noticeable to me but then again, I don't know what I don't know as someone who has only seen a total of 20 stones.
Click to expand...

My guess would be you would be less likely to see the inclusions in the two AGS stones. As for the GIA one, I can usually spot small clear crystals under the table in an si1 in certain lighting - but this is from like less than ten inches away - for me that would still be an acceptable inclusion to have because I probably wouldn’t see it unless I was specifically looking for it.
 
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