IGI Certification

[Matilda]

My understanding from the GIA website is NO they do not grade mounted diamonds
Maybe the jeweller does not want to pay for all 20 diamonds to get a report, as this would be a significant percentage of the cost of one of the diamonds. So say one 0.2ct F vS1 costs $350 or so, the GIA report would be over 10% of its value, at least that isn how I estimate it. The jeweller may however add on this cost to the price of the bracelet. I do not know however if you can submit all 20 loose diamonds and get reports for all of them for a reduced price.

https://www.gia.edu/doc/GIA_DtoZServices_100117_USD.pdf


AGS does grade mounted diamonds. Although as stated above by other posters the report will not be as detailed or precise.

At the end of the day, do you trust your jeweller to make you a bracelet with E/F VS1 diamonds?
I think the fastest way to get reassurance, if you trust the jeweller, would be to get an independent appraisal.

 

[sledge]

My understanding from the GIA website is NO they do not grade mounted diamonds
Maybe the jeweller does not want to pay for all 20 diamonds to get a report, as this would be a significant percentage of the cost of one of the diamonds. So say one 0.2ct F vS1 costs $350 or so, the GIA report would be over 10% of its value, at least that isn how I estimate it. The jeweller may however add on this cost to the price of the bracelet. I do not know however if you can submit all 20 loose diamonds and get reports for all of them for a reduced price.

https://www.gia.edu/doc/GIA_DtoZServices_100117_USD.pdf


AGS does grade mounted diamonds. Although as stated above by other posters the report will not be as detailed or precise.

At the end of the day, do you trust your jeweller to make you a bracelet with E/F VS1 diamonds?
I think the fastest way to get reassurance, if you trust the jeweller, would be to get an independent appraisal.

Interesting. It appears GIA grades 0.15 carats and above. See screen caps below of the PDF document.

Also, it appears the stones used for the bracelet could be graded under the "batch services" that GIA offers. One looks to be specific for melee in quantity of 500+. However, it appears they have some services for batches (or lots) that are smaller.

 

[rockysalamander]

At the end of the day, do you trust your jeweller to make you a bracelet with E/F VS1 diamonds?
I think the fastest way to get reassurance, if you trust the jeweller, would be to get an independent appraisal.

This the main issue. When I get jewelry made or help others, how much I worry about these tiny diamonds depends on my level of knowledge and trust of the jeweler. If I know them and know they will select well, I just trust them with a note that I'd like to avoid visible carbon inclusions at 10x. That is the sum total of my request. If I'm local, the jeweler will often bring in the melee, make their selection and then invite me to look at them and make sure I am happy with the match.

May I suggest that you work with a jeweler you do trust? We often send folks to ID Jewelry in NYC or David Klass in LA asking for PS quality. If you really want a high degree of comfort, I'd reach out to one of the super-ideal vendors we know (Whiteflash, Brian Gavin, High-Performance Diamonds) and ask for their super-ideal melee. If I was buying a bangle with modern rounds, I'd be looking from one of these three vendors.

 

[Matilda]

@sledge awesome!!! I was trying to find the collection of diamond service or 'batch' service.

 

[John P]

For fun, let me turn this around. Imagine for a moment you have your own lab, the GIS (Gemological Institute of Sledge). You founded the GIS in Singapore. You're crushing it in Malaysia, with several top clients using GIS reports. You've visited jewelers in India, the Philippines and even Australia who are now using GIS reports. Cut-focused sellers love your super-ideal 'eGeek' report providing measurements for all facets and an Ideal-Scope image printed right on the report (Garry licensed this for a nominal fee). You're presently in negotiations with @bmfang to manage a second lab location and school of gemology in Melbourne. Everything is coming up roses, but to sustain growth you need a diamond producer to adopt your reports, and to do that you MUST gain some penetration in the USA market. How would you propose to do that?

Let's be clear. Your graders maintain GIA standards for color-clarity. You even added an additional 'transparency' grade to penalize haze, tint or optical issues beyond 10X, and your celebrated 'eGeek' report undeniably separates the best cut rounds and cushions for shoppers. You have reputability in several foreign markets. You have great people and a diverse range of offerings.

Now: How would you propose to penetrate the USA market?

Reminder to @sledge . I am sincerely interested in the plan you might propose. The above wasn't written rhetorically. I spent time creating a viable scenario (with a humorous twist, hopefully, but also with a practical set of conditions) in order to get non-industry perspective from someone I consider intelligent, educated on the topic and motivated to help.

 

[Sakuramickey]

Interesting. It appears GIA grades 0.15 carats and above. See screen caps below of the PDF document.

Also, it appears the stones used for the bracelet could be graded under the "batch services" that GIA offers. One looks to be specific for melee in quantity of 500+. However, it appears they have some services for batches (or lots) that are smaller.

This is great info. Since they do offer batch service, is this the reason why they issue only one certificate for the batch they evaluate?

 

[Sakuramickey]

Interesting. This is the first time for me that I have heard that GIA will issue a grading report on a finished piece of jewellery containing multiple stones.

Sorry if I wasn’t clear in my reply. My jeweler confirmed that the GIA report will be issued before mounting

 

[John P]

While some color difference can be seen from the top, the majority of color is seen in the side (or pavilion) of the diamond. When grading, diamond are turned face down and then compared to a certified master set of stones to identify their true color.

@sledge the image you posted at the top has the potential to give an erroneous positive impression, because the cut-quality of those Whiteflash samples promotes light-transmission in a manner which improves their face-up color appearance. That is not the case with the majority of diamonds.

• Average cut diamonds will not enjoy face-up color improvement.
• Face-up color-appearance may also become lowered due to cutting choices.

This is why diamonds are color-graded from the side, where the influence of its cutting geometry does not influence the grade.

• When rays of light enter and exit on short paths the body color of the material is less apparent and the diamond can look whiter in the face-up position than other diamonds of same color.
• When rays of light bounce around inside a diamond, or pass through it (leakage in rounds, aka windowing in fancy shapes) the body color of the material is illuminated and becomes more apparent.

This is why the cutting-goals for fancy-colored diamonds are essentially the opposite of diamonds in the D-Z color range: Colored diamond producers fashion their stones proportions which do not return light quickly, but permit rays to bounce around within the diamond and illuminate the body color. Fancy-colored diamonds are also judged face-up, rather than from the side, for this reason.

All this to say: Color grading is done from the side. The face-up appearance may correspond, or it may be something different. The diamond must be seen in-person to judge decisively.

 

[blueMA]

has the potential to give an erroneous positive impression, because the cut-quality of those Whiteflash samples promotes light-transmission in a manner which improves their face-up color appearance. That is not the case with the majority of diamonds.

Thank you for elaborating this. I hate seeing beginner shoppers jumping to K for a larger size assuming there won't be much difference in color.

 

[John P]

This is great info. Since they do offer batch service, is this the reason why they issue only one certificate for the batch they evaluate?

The page being posted above is a summary. The melee services referenced are largely for the purpose of synthetic identification. For details, click here and scroll down to batch services.
https://www.gia.edu/gem-lab-service/diamond-grading-report-service

 

[John P]

Thank you for elaborating this. I hate seeing beginner shoppers jumping to K for a larger size assuming there won't be much difference in color.

Right. The real world is quite different than Pricescope. We frequently hear of color-improvement due to cut here, but the opposite also happens IRL. Last year a colleague believed a diamond he'd acquired OTC was overgraded. The color grade was J, but his entire staff judged it K or below in the mounting. I asked what the proportions were (GIA VG) and told him to unset it and look again. Sure enough, it was a solid J in the color card. Those proportions helped it finish 2.00 carats, but were also causing more color to be seen from above than from the side.

 

[blueMA]

but were also causing more color to be seen from above than from the side.

@John Pollard - in your expert opinion, even with the Whiteflash samples above that show significant color improvement with the direct face up appearance, at what minimum tilt would the diamonds start showing the color difference where it starts illuminating the body color?

 

[sledge]

Reminder to @sledge . I am sincerely interested in the plan you might propose. The above wasn't written rhetorically. I spent time creating a viable scenario (with a humorous twist, hopefully, but also with a practical set of conditions) in order to get non-industry perspective from someone I consider intelligent, educated on the topic and motivated to help.

Just wanted to pop in and let you know I have every intention of responding back. I've been running most the day with a few hit & miss posts on here. Trying to knock out a little work remotely right now in prep of an early AM meeting tomorrow. I will try to respond to you this evening.

 

[John P]

@John Pollard - in your expert opinion, even with the Whiteflash samples above that show significant color improvement with the direct face up appearance, at what minimum tilt would the diamonds start showing the color difference where it starts illuminating the body color?

Cool question. I've assessed this aspect as an extension of loose diamond grading, but it may be the reverse of what you're asking.

Beginning with the diamond in profile (table-up) against a white/grading background, I rotate the table toward myself, gradually bringing face-up appearance into view. The positive influence of cut on color becomes noticeable by the time the girdle-reflection leaves the table 40-50 degrees into the rotation. Reversing that implies the influence of cut on face-up appearance presents itself through approximately half of a diamond's 90 degree range of tilt to any side. But I must admit that my process is imperfect. The presence of tweezers on the girdle is a definite confounder. My aim also seems opposite your query. I'm rotating from profile to table to see where the influence begins, rather than ends. And while logic suggests the commutative property applies here I'd like to try it before saying that.

What I describe above it pretty clinical. I find the face-up color of a diamond to be dominant in 'normal' conditions: Mounted, worn against human skin through a variable panorama of illumination scenarios what you see face-up is what you largely get. You'll generally need to remove a diamond from hand/neck/ear/wrist/etc and examine it in profile against a white background to view its color as the lab graded it (for D-Z) or see how it appears au naturel (for fancy-colored diamonds). In many or most cases there is little difference. The face-up mimics the lab grade. But in those cases where cut has a positive or negative influence that difference can indeed be teased out.

 

[blueMA]

Cool question. I've assessed this aspect as an extension of loose diamond grading, but it may be the reverse of what you're asking.

Beginning with the diamond in profile (table-up) against a white/grading background, I rotate the table toward myself, gradually bringing face-up appearance into view. The positive influence of cut on color becomes noticeable by the time the girdle-reflection leaves the table 40-50 degrees into the rotation. Reversing that implies the influence of cut on face-up appearance presents itself through approximately half of a diamond's 90 degree range of tilt to any side. But I must admit that my process is imperfect. The presence of tweezers on the girdle is a definite confounder. My aim also seems opposite your query. I'm rotating from profile to table to see where the influence begins, rather than ends. And while logic suggests the commutative property applies here I'd like to try it before saying that.

What I describe above it pretty clinical. I find the face-up color of a diamond to be dominant in 'normal' conditions: Mounted, worn against human skin through a variable panorama of illumination scenarios what you see face-up is what you largely get. You'll generally need to remove a diamond from hand/neck/ear/wrist/etc and examine it in profile against a white background to view its color as the lab graded it (for D-Z) or see how it appears au naturel (for fancy-colored diamonds). In many or most cases there is little difference. The face-up mimics the lab grade. But in those cases where cut has a positive or negative influence that difference can indeed be teased out.

Thank you for conducting the clinical test along with providing a detailed answer as always. I suppose the result of the experiment would also vary dependent on the type of lighting and where the facets illuminating light sources are. I take that the bottom line is - do not jump to J or K hoping one to look like the above sample photo (looking not so different from the H), since a slight tilt and lighting condition will tend reveal the true color in most stones.

 

[sledge]

How it was allowed? Long story. The short version is GIA enjoys an insurmountable home-field advantage in the USA. Any foreign lab trying to gain a place in the USA market must find a foothold. EGL International's foothold was overgrading, which eventually got exposed for the fraud it was and destroyed them. IGI's foothold is finished-jewelry grading, mentioned above. EGL USA is ironically serving markets outside the USA, with little to no foothold here. In fact there are a number of good labs around the world offering loose-diamond reports. How can they possibly expect to break into the US market?

For fun, let me turn this around. Imagine for a moment you have your own lab, the GIS (Gemological Institute of Sledge). You founded the GIS in Singapore. You're crushing it in Malaysia, with several top clients using GIS reports. You've visited jewelers in India, the Philippines and even Australia who are now using GIS reports. Cut-focused sellers love your super-ideal 'eGeek' report providing measurements for all facets and an Ideal-Scope image printed right on the report (Garry licensed this for a nominal fee). You're presently in negotiations with @bmfang to manage a second lab location and school of gemology in Melbourne. Everything is coming up roses, but to sustain growth you need a diamond producer to adopt your reports, and to do that you MUST gain some penetration in the USA market. How would you propose to do that?

Let's be clear. Your graders maintain GIA standards for color-clarity. You even added an additional 'transparency' grade to penalize haze, tint or optical issues beyond 10X, and your celebrated 'eGeek' report undeniably separates the best cut rounds and cushions for shoppers. You have reputability in several foreign markets. You have great people and a diverse range of offerings.

Now: How would you propose to penetrate the USA market?

First off, love the creativity. One of the best posts I’ve seen on here, and not just because I have my own lab. Although that is definitely a big perk, lol. This took a little while longer than I wanted to respond, but there was a bunch I could say. I still feel like I short changed the ordeal, but for the sake of brevity, here we go.

Mile high views, I see two primary methods.

1. Enter the market softly. Minimize cost & risk exposure. Do the bare minimum to have a presence in the US and to satisfy the requirements of your diamond producer so you can continue to put your main focus internationally where all your real dollars and foothold exist.

2. Jump head first into the deep end. Focus on quality and customer service realizing this isn’t the most economical entry, but realizing you are sacrificing on the front end to gain on the back end.


I’m not sure option 1 even exists in my DNA. I like to be smart, but I have no desire to be mediocre in anything I do. Yes, I’m competitive which can be a flaw, but also a very valuable strength when you take calculated risks so you enable success.

So for option 2 to work I’d need to consider the following:

a. Ensure I have plenty of financial liquidity and cash resources in-place to fund the operation. Expect 0-2 years to be losses while establishing market share. Hope to be self-staining by years 3-4 with payback beginning to start no later than year 5.

b. Put a strong team in-place that can handle day-to-day decisions of my international operations, as I will want to focus a good majority of my attention to establishing the US market. Also, I will likely be required in the US for frequent and long durations of time.

c. Find a US partner like @rockysalamander that has a passion and drive for diamonds, level headed, technically savvy, personable and trustworthy. A perk would be her family ties to the jewelry business where we may be able to leverage some positioning on existing relationships and/or help form new relationships as a result.

d. Establish the most logical location for our first US office. My initial thoughts are NYC area as that seems to be a diamond hub. Downsides are cost of entry and stiff competition. Property and leases will be costly. Also, existing players will not like our presence and will likely be met with force.

e. Assemble a US lab team with all the latest and greatest toys so they can do their work efficiently and accurately. Likely bring in the lab manager of international operations to work with a new US lab manager to ensure procedures, reports, etc are fluid and continuous between different geographical locations. Ensure our US lab is up to snuff and receives ISO accreditation. Be sensitive to special geographical/cultural needs of US clients and reasonably adjust processes as necessary.

f. Utilize US facility and staff to meet and expedite international overflow needs. This should help keep staff and machines operational while US market share develops and builds in strength.

g. Start knocking doors. Seeing is believing. Lots of facility tours where our new potential clients will be individually selected & invited to bring as many of their stones as they desire. We will walk these clients through various lab processes as we grade and certify their stones to GIS standards for FREE. All while they enjoy a state of the art facility and equipment. Some wining and dining would be part of the experience. Of course there would be a segment where we present the final certifications and explain the differences between ours and the competition. We would present our existing international history in a manner to evidence how consumers seek and desire this report over less informative reports. And ultimately how that level of accuracy, transparency and quality can equal more profit for them.

h. Part of what will make us different is we will setup a video & photo lab that is useful to not only consumers but our trade partners. Think a video shot in an environment similar to JA. A second video similar to the glamour shot of WF. Not only computer generated ASET & IS images, but actual still photos of the diamond and actual ASET, IS and H&A images as well. All part of the price for the certification process. Can you imagine shopping various vendors and being able to compare videos and pictures equally?

i. For those trade partners that elect to utilize our reports on 20% or more of their diamonds, we will offer FREE training to their personnel that is similar to the AJP certification currently offered (and charged) by GIA. Training options would include select on-site options, at our facility or online.

j. Early adopters will enjoy a guaranteed 2 day turn around service, and 20% off normal pricing.

k. Because GIS believes local community and causes are important, we will be active in local events and charities to give back and support the communities our employees and customers work and live in.

l. GIS believes consumer education is top priority and will remain heavily focused on this cause. Efforts will include literature for distribution purposes, responsible marketing campaigns, periodic on-site presentations and participation in trade shows. Recognizing online buying is our future, our website and social media presence will be strong. Information will be presented in a visual pleasing manner, written at a level of depth that is useful while keeping it light enough that anyone can understand. We promise to use mediums (videos, pictures, etc) which are relevant and entertaining to our consumers.

m. Obviously we will partner/participate with diamond industry websites like PS and similar where we can interact with consumers and understand their needs clearly. Possibly having a sub-forum where we an discuss GIS related items and gain valuable customer feedback about products and services offered.

n. Another critical part of consumer education is making changes so our kids are smarter when they go to purchase stones. GIS will create and get accredited an elective course at local colleges that can introduce them to the intricacies of diamond buying in general. Get them familiar with reports. Provide free consumer grade ASET and IS scopes for them to utilize.

 

[bmfang]

I too like the post that @John Pollard proposed. Because like you @sledge I also got to have a lab in Melbourne (though given I am up in Brisbane, I’d prefer it in the scenario to be up here in Brissie).

The points sledge has raised are probably the way that the market entry into the Australian market would need to work as well (considering the labs that have a foothold here, GIA, IGI, EGL USA, De Beers in-house, Tiffany Gemmological Laboratory).

 

[John P]

@sledge - Wow. This is well worth the wait. Your thoughtful post provides a great foundation for a tangent of dialogue I'm not sure we've seen on PS before: In essence, you're designing a 14-step slingshot hoping to snatch market share from a blithely accepted, entrenched, fattened Goliath.

I very much like this reversal of the usual, boring looking-glass. That said, I am going to keep us rooted in reality so brace for some confounders and challenges in my reply. I'm secretly rooting for GIS, but I'm not going to pull punches. What's real is real.

I'm out flogging diamonds on the road this week so give me the weekend to address your points above. Well done. Let's have some fun.

 

[Karl_K]

I am not a fan of "faces up like a" comments.
Why?
a: In non-fancy colors the face up color does not have a locked in relationship with the face down color grade.
b: When a diamond is returning much light it is not showing you the material color. for this reason the better a diamond is at returning light the less often you see body color.
c: take a piece of rough clone it and cut them into:
1: ideal cut RB
2: steep deep RB with a 41.6 pavilion.
3: a well cut step cut.
4: a crushed ice radiant
None of them even with being cut from cloned rough will have the same face up color but will have the same color grade.
d: the deference from super-ideal to ideal to near ideal in an RB is small to non-existent.
e: tilt it and the color becomes apparent.

To say an I faces up like some G colored diamond while it could be true, it may face up like a crushed ice radiant cut from G color rough it is meaningless because it is still I colored.

 

[Karl_K]

 

[Karl_K]

Tilt,

 

[Karl_K]

The biggest challenge in launching a lab is trust.
You have to trust of the trade and consumers at the same time.
The biggest expense is just getting your name out there both to consumers and the trade.
Remember the only reason anyone in the trade at any level uses a lab is to make the sale of goods easier.
What can you do that can make the sale of goods easier that GIA ot AGS does not do?

 

[blueMA]

I am not a fan of "faces up like a" comments.

I concur, but this phrase has been repeated on PS (and rest of the Internet) like a broken record, especially to promote some superideals.

I was recently reminded how a jeweler lighting can be amazingly deceptive/flattering though - a week ago I went back to a local jeweler because the diamonds on my new pendant ended up with rhodium plating dark gunk stuck underneath and hardly shined looking almost grey in all my day to day normal lighting conditions. I took the pendant out at the store and was shocked how the diamonds sparkled white looking amazing even in that poor state with the optimal light return, a complete 180.

I've always noticed that with a slight tilt or with side/indirect light, I could easily see the body color of diamonds, especially with the larger ones. I'm glad that a few in the trade agree.

 

[Karl_K]

I concur, but this phrase has been repeated on PS (and rest of the Internet) like a broken record, especially to promote some superideals.

I was recently reminded how a jeweler lighting can be amazingly deceptive/flattering though - a week ago I went back to a local jeweler because the diamonds on my new pendant ended up with rhodium plating dark gunk stuck underneath and hardly shined looking almost grey in all my day to day normal lighting conditions. I took the pendant out at the store and was shocked how the diamonds sparkled white looking amazing even in that poor state with the optimal light return, a complete 180.

I've always noticed that with a slight tilt or with side/indirect light, I could easily see the body color of diamonds, especially with the larger ones. I'm glad that a few in the trade agree.

top 5 things impacting diamond performance:
lighting
lighting
lighting
lighting
lighting

 

[bmfang]

@sledge - Wow. This is well worth the wait. Your thoughtful post provides a great foundation for a tangent of dialogue I'm not sure we've seen on PS before: In essence, you're designing a 14-step slingshot hoping to snatch market share from a blithely accepted, entrenched, fattened Goliath.

I very much like this reversal of the usual, boring looking-glass. That said, I am going to keep us rooted in reality so brace for some confounders and challenges in my reply. I'm secretly rooting for GIS, but I'm not going to pull punches. What's real is real.

I'm out flogging diamonds on the road this week so give me the weekend to address your points above. Well done. Let's have some fun.

Maybe I really should consider taking some courses from the Gemmological Association of Australia as a valuer suggested I do after talking with her while her watchmaker husband was checking out a mechanical movement in one of my timepieces. That was a week and a half ago. Then at least I’d be potentially one step closer to this ideal scenario that @John Pollard and @sledge are running through.

In the meantime, I suspect JP’s answer will arrive in the wee small hours of the morning here in Australia, so I’ll go charge up the new lithium ion batteries in my newly acquired Nitecore so that when it does arrive, I’ll have light (without disturbing my wife and kid) to look at it and I’ll make sure that the popcorn is ready as well.

 

[John P]

First off, love the creativity. One of the best posts I’ve seen on here, and not just because I have my own lab. Although that is definitely a big perk, lol. This took a little while longer than I wanted to respond, but there was a bunch I could say. I still feel like I short changed the ordeal, but for the sake of brevity, here we go.

Mile high views, I see two primary methods.

1. Enter the market softly. Minimize cost & risk exposure. Do the bare minimum to have a presence in the US and to satisfy the requirements of your diamond producer so you can continue to put your main focus internationally where all your real dollars and foothold exist.

2. Jump head first into the deep end. Focus on quality and customer service realizing this isn’t the most economical entry, but realizing you are sacrificing on the front end to gain on the back end.

Thanks for the high praise. And for your patience, everyone.

I’m going to take this in a series of succinct replies and questions. Forgive me if they don’t seem to incorporate the deep thought you’ve provided @sledge (yet) because first comes a more looming challenge. Before you can execute the Xs and Os of your playbook, no matter how brilliant, you have to get your team onto the field. That means getting at least one foot past the 800 pound GIA gorilla who’s blocking the stadium entrance - and then trying to leverage that foothold.

So my first reply/question -

1. Enter the market softly.

or

2. Jump head first into the deep end.

Either choice is fine. The question is with who, and how?

Specifically: Name an entity you would target, the GIS service offered and how it will make them more profitable. Be specific. I believe you, and a few prosumer-Jedi posters like you, know the landscape well enough to know the players and the game.

As a topical example: IGI approached upstream-suppliers (like Diamour, UniDesigns) and commercial retail parents (like Sterling, Sam’s, Macy’s, Kohl’s). They came with an alternative to loose diamond grading for lower-cost jewelry. Instead of the delay and expense of loose grading IGI sold them on a condensed report covering an entire finished piece. They executed for less than half a GIA diamond dossier and 4X faster turnaround. In practical terms this meant department stores could produce a three-stone 0.75 center w/ 0.25 sides for $200 less. Where it sold at $1,700 with GIA dossiers, now it could sell for $1,500. Or maybe $1,600 to bring $100 more profit (etc). Now multiply that $200 savings/profit across an order of a half-million pieces. That’s how IGI won business in the USA.

So let’s play “Shark tank.” Name the first company you will approach, the GIS service you will offer to them and the way it will instantly increase their profits. That company can be an upstream-supplier, commercial retail parent or high-street player.

As for your Xs and Os: What you said in C and H above may relate to your choice of target, service and profit-promise. Likewise, I and J may help with cost. But the meat of your answer will be “who” you first target, “what” you’re selling and “how” their profitability is assured.

By the way, K, L, M and N are really, really terrific. Really. On those, you had me at hello, Jerry McGuire. But for the moment you will have to set them aside. Such beneficiation could matter once you’re rocking and rolling. But those dreams won’t matter in your first sales-meeting with any target client. They can only follow initial success and reputability. I’ll point again to the example of IGI. Their international gemology schools have outpaced what’s offered in the USA in their other worldwide locations. But they haven’t had enough success and reputability here to get traction.

I look forward to your Shark Tank pitch. I live near Mark Cuban, btw. Maybe we approach him together?