IGI vs GIA - The Surprising Truth!

[Texas Leaguer]

Until relatively recently, if you polled American diamond shoppers, 9 out of 10 would probably have told you they prefer a diamond report from GIA (Gemological Institute of America) over IGI (International Gemological Institute). Not that IGI wasn’t already a force – they were - and had already established a solid reputation in the market. But because the GIA literally invented the diamond grading process and has such a dominant presence in the single biggest market in the world, American buyers came to trust GIA as the foremost authority on diamonds, and the most accurate and reliable source of diamond grading. Diamond shoppers in the US and abroad generally demanded a GIA report on any diamond of significant value, considering GIA to be the ultimate arbiter of diamond quality.

But that all started to change when laboratory grown diamonds (LGD) started coming onto the market in large volume. GIA was hesitant at first to be seen as “endorsing” lab grown diamonds and were accordingly somewhat passive in trying to gain market share for issuing reports on them. IGI took the opposite approach, aggressively seeking to fill a surging demand for reports on LGD. As a result they quickly became the industry leader in this emerging field, thereby introducing IGI to a whole new generation of diamond shoppers. A very smart play!

The IGI Advantage
If you are buying a laboratory grown diamond today, an IGI report is arguably a better all-around value than a GIA report. There are several contributing reasons for this.

• Cost - the higher cost of a GIA report combined with the lower prices of LGD make IGI reports more economically viable for manufacturers in a hyper-competitive marketplace.
• More info - IGI reports contain more info of interest to LGD buyers than the most popular GIA report (LGDR- Dossier), including diamond type and growth method.
• Color/Clarity grades have less impact - LGD is a technology product with ample material available in the upper color and clarity ranges in ever larger sizes and increasingly affordable prices. Compared to high priced natural diamonds whose values are predicated on rarity, there is relatively little at stake in a grade or two with LGDs. Thus, even if IGI grading is a bit “softer” than GIA (as some believe) it does not have a significant impact on the value of an LGD.
• 

*Note that the GIA Dossier Report above does not reveal diamond type, growth method, possibility of post growth treatment, or show a stone plot.

IGI Report “AS Grown” with Hearts and Arrows Designation​

The Cut Quality Movement
There are other reasons that many consumers have reason to embrace IGI reports. With cut quality a key factor in the decision-making process of today’s consumer, IGI provides some cut info that GIA does not. In addition to their incorporation of IdealScope into their version of light performance grading, it is also possible to get a hearts and arrows designation on an IGI report. This is an indication that a round diamond has a high level of 3-dimensional facet precision, also known as optical symmetry. This is not only an indication of careful craftsmanship, but a precision cut diamond will enable the full expression of the facet design. *It’s important to note that there may still be some performance deficits in a hearts and arrows diamond due to proportioning or transparency issues.

IGI is also now offering cut grading on fancy shape diamonds. This was rolled out in 2022 and has so far not attracted as many adherents in the manufacturing world. And since it is an optional feature on an IGI report not every fancy shape diamond graded by IGI comes with an overall cut grade. But presumably they will in time.

Overall, IGI is having its big moment in the sun thanks to the surge in lab grown diamonds in the market. And they seem to be taking full advantage of it and adding positively to their brand awareness. Having managed their growth while adding new features and maintaining a solid reputation in the market, there will undoubtedly be a positive carryover effect for IGI with regard to reporting on natural diamonds. In fact, that seems to already be happening online as more consumers are considering natural diamonds of some significance with IGI reports.

GIA is NOT Standing Pat
GIA may be a large and conservative organization that proceeds very deliberately (translated: slooowly), but they are clearly not satisfied with maintaining the status quo. It took them a long while to finally add an overall cut grade to reports for round diamonds. The American Gem Society Laboratories (AGSL) beat them to that punch by 10 years, and actually came out with their revolutionary light performance grading system about the same time as the GIA released their broad and forgiving parametric system, thereby leapfrogging them once again. But GIA recently made the bold and strategic move of acquiring that technology from AGS and every indication points to their intention to use it to improve and expand their cut grading services. Though they had never put an overall cut grade on a report for a fancy shape diamond before this, GIA now offers an AGS Ideal report on any diamond that qualifies as AGS 0, including fancy shapes.

The next step would be for them to roll out cut grading for fancies that do not meet that exceptionally high standard. Consumers do want this information, even if the stone they choose is not Ideal cut. The acquisition of AGSL light performance grading technology has given GIA the tools to finally meet the market demand for overall cut grading of fancy shapes. And indications are that they intent to do just that. So, don’t count the GIA out; although they are playing catch-up again in the cut grade space, their reach and reputation give them a platform to quickly retake a leading position in cut grading globally.

IGI’s Rising Star – Will it Continue to Shine?
IGI is a great organization and they have been moving apace to expand and add features and benefits to their reports. Lab grown diamonds have given them a rocket fueled boost and they have taken full advantage. It could be that lab grown diamonds will eventually be marketed without laboratory reports. The product may soon be sold primarily with grading descriptions provided by the vendor. If so, this would amount to a significant loss of revenue for IGI, and it will be important for them to continue to grow their market for natural diamonds in order to stay on the current trajectory. Only time will tell how that plays out, but right now IGI is cooking!

So what are your thoughts? The Pricescope community is never shy about opinions on lab grading of diamonds!

 

[kenny]

Thanks for the great update, Bryan.

 

[MissGotRocks]

I think anything that helps consumers make informed decisions is a plus. As with all new things, I guess IGI will have to spend some time being consistent so that consumers will find them reliable. There have always been other grading labs around but their color and clarity grading have been doubtful. It takes time to build consumer confidence. As with natural diamonds, there are nuances with lab grown diamonds that don’t make them all equal and the cut quality can be questionable as well. I am not a buyer of lab grown but if I were, I would really have to delve into the sources that I would consider trusting and purchasing from today. If IGI can give those consumers some modicum of confidence and GIA follows suit, it can’t be a bad thing.
It seems pretty clear to me in looking at inventories from various sources, that lab diamonds clearly have a large percentage of the market. I can’t determine if the lack of natural diamonds available is due to scarcity, or if vendors are not willing to invest money in them because they might not be selling as readily as they once were. If labs are going to dominate the market, then any and all assurances about what consumers are buying should be greatly appreciated.

 

[AllAboardTheBlingTrain]

Interesting read, thank you for posting! In the Indian market (where I live) IGI is considered quite reputable even for natural diamonds. GIA is still the gold standard, and IGI/HRD trade at a bit of a discount to GIA, but more and more I hear people say that they think the "GIA premium" isn't a necessary evil anymore and that IGI and HRD colour/clarity grades are at par with GIA, so why spend the extra money for a GIA?

I also have noticed a shift in perception where earlier it used to be GIA>HRD>IGI in terms of preference for a lab report, but now it's GIA>HRD/IGI (with those two kind of at par). I wonder if we'll see a trend reversal with IGI reports being preferred over HRD here eventually.

 

[Texas Leaguer]

Thank you for that perspective!

 

[oncrutchesrightnow]

Any thoughts about IGI’s current or future ability to grade fancy color diamonds? It seems like consumers have access to more and more variations in fancy color LGD. Instead of all the pink LGDs being orange-pink, now we have purple pink and really light and really deep options. Notwithstanding the fact that fancy color LGDs are cheaper than fancy color earth grown diamonds, I as a consumer would still appreciate a report and consistency in color grading fancy color LGD because at the very least it mitigates the photography lighting tricks some vendors use.

 

[Texas Leaguer]

Any thoughts about IGI’s current or future ability to grade fancy color diamonds? It seems like consumers have access to more and more variations in fancy color LGD. Instead of all the pink LGDs being orange-pink, now we have purple pink and really light and really deep options. Notwithstanding the fact that fancy color LGDs are cheaper than fancy color earth grown diamonds, I as a consumer would still appreciate a report and consistency in color grading fancy color LGD because at the very least it mitigates the photography lighting tricks some vendors use.

Not really sure, but they do grade fancy color LGD. From the IGI website:

The IGI Fancy Colored Diamond Report includes the gemstone’s description, natural or laboratory grown, as well as its shape, cutting style, measurements, fancy color and other relevant gemological details.

Fancy Colored Diamond Reports may also include a graphic representation of the diamond’s proportions, a diagram of its clarity characteristics and a comment about its laser inscription, if one is present.

All laboratory grown diamonds for which IGI issues a report will have the prefix ‘LG’ laser-inscribed on the girdle ahead of the report number, and noted in the comments section. The cover of a laboratory grown diamond report will be yellow.

 

[Rockdiamond]

Great summary of what’s going on @Texas Leaguer .
Our experience is in line with IGI being the “rising star”
As it’s currently structured, the cost of GIA has a large impact on the cost of lab grown diamonds. We find that fewer and fewer consumers are willing to pay the higher costs associated with GIA.
Lab diamonds have proven how much value the dealer adds.

It seems pretty clear to me in looking at inventories from various sources, that lab diamonds clearly have a large percentage of the market. I can’t determine if the lack of natural diamonds available is due to scarcity, or if vendors are not willing to invest money in them because they might not be selling as readily as they once were

This is very perceptive. The market for natural diamonds is in disarray. That’s putting it mildly.
With Rappaport ignoring the actual market conditions the list has become pretty much irrelevant. Dealers don’t know how to properly price the goods. Bit of a mess

 

[Rockdiamond]

Any thoughts about IGI’s current or future ability to grade fancy color diamonds? It seems like consumers have access to more and more variations in fancy color LGD. Instead of all the pink LGDs being orange-pink, now we have purple pink and really light and really deep options. Notwithstanding the fact that fancy color LGDs are cheaper than fancy color earth grown diamonds, I as a consumer would still appreciate a report and consistency in color grading fancy color LGD because at the very least it mitigates the photography lighting tricks some vendors use.

This is an area where IGI is, unfortunately, falling far short.
The minuscule market share enjoyed by FCD’s makes it seem unlikely that IGI will make the large investment necessary to achieve anywhere near GIAs consistency with FCDs. But maybe I’ll be proved wrong

 

[LilAlex]

The minuscule market share enjoyed by FCD’s makes it seem unlikely that IGI will make the large investment necessary to achieve anywhere near GIAs consistency with FCDs

I'm an amateur but this seems like the niche where GIA's hegemony will be best defended over the long term. It's the converse (inverse?) of the LGD argument where a few bucks on the report meaningfully impacts the retail price. The stakes for FCD, value-wise, are incredibly high and a few hundred bucks extra for a gold-standard report is unlikely to move the needle. I think the FCD model is much more like the fine untreated corundum market where reliable and reproducible subjectivity (not ever-finer increments in objective metrics) is the key.

 

[Karl_K]

My opinion is that IGI fancy colored diamond reports are ok for comparing one IGI stone to another and for finding colored diamonds but it is not the same as GIA fancy colored diamond grading.
No lab can track the GIA grades for fancy colored diamonds.
They are two different systems.

Disclaimer: I did a lot of contract work on designing the new IGI round diamond cut grading system.
Any comments regarding IGI are my own personal opinions.

 

[Karl_K]

GIA has done everything they can to put down lab diamonds from issuing no reports, to issuing split grade reports, then once they felt threatened by IGI released decent reports but then started hiding important information from consumers.
I really dont like rewarding GIA for anti consumer behavior.
At the same time IGI has been going up and making a ton of improvements and listening to John Pollard as well as others who are pushing them to new heights.

Disclaimer: I did a lot of contract work on designing the new IGI round diamond cut grading system.
Any comments regarding IGI are my own personal opinions.

 

[MissGotRocks]

Great summary of what’s going on @Texas Leaguer .
Our experience is in line with IGI being the “rising star”
As it’s currently structured, the cost of GIA has a large impact on the cost of lab grown diamonds. We find that fewer and fewer consumers are willing to pay the higher costs associated with GIA.
Lab diamonds have proven how much value the dealer adds.



This is very perceptive. The market for natural diamonds is in disarray. That’s putting it mildly.
With Rappaport ignoring the actual market conditions the list has become pretty much irrelevant. Dealers don’t know how to properly price the goods. Bit of a mess

Very frustrating for natural diamond buyers! You can’t sell what you don’t stock though so money is slipping away. Can’t price the goods because they are trying to be competitive with pricing? Seems to me that you know what you pay for a diamond, add your markup and voila! Clearly, it is not that simple these days is it? Any idea as to when the natural market might settle down?

 

[smitcompton]

Very frustrating for natural diamond buyers! You can’t sell what you don’t stock though so money is slipping away. Can’t price the goods because they are trying to be competitive with pricing? Seems to me that you know what you pay for a diamond, add your markup and voila! Clearly, it is not that simple these days is it? Any idea as to when the natural market might settle down?

Hi,

Got Miss Rocks this is not in any way aimed at you personally. But I must ask why you are asking the dealers and the vendors the questions relating to the new concerns in the diamond industry. They kept quite silent about this for the last several years. You praise TL for posting about IGI and GIA. He has done nothing to pat him on the back about. This has been discussed by others on here. He is just as slow as GIA to respond to questions on Pricescope. In fact I saw avoidence from him.

Vendors interests differ from consumers. Garry handles himself usually considering the interest of the consumer first. I have come to admire Garry for the HCA and Ideal scope and his so candid and honest replies to our questions and comments. Rock Diamond also tried to help the consumer. Karl as well, but not Whiteflash.

I have some empathy for vendors, but I'm for lower diamond prices where ever the consumer can find them. Dealers send their stones to GIA so they can charge more for them. Its a sorry industry at times.

This is supposed to be a consumer forum, which I have my doubts about.

Read an article a few weeks ago that said Brilliant Earth was selling 1.01ctw diamond D color vs1 for $4,300.00 --super ideal.. I looked today it was not there but many interested diamonds D,E.F. G seemed well priced..

Salute to IGI, who makes the world of diamonds better.

Thanks Karl.

 

[MissGotRocks]

Hi,

Got Miss Rocks this is not in any way aimed at you personally. But I must ask why you are asking the dealers and the vendors the questions relating to the new concerns in the diamond industry. They kept quite silent about this for the last several years. You praise TL for posting about IGI and GIA. He has done nothing to pat him on the back about. This has been discussed by others on here. He is just as slow as GIA to respond to questions on Pricescope. In fact I saw avoidence from him.

Vendors interests differ from consumers. Garry handles himself usually considering the interest of the consumer first. I have come to admire Garry for the HCA and Ideal scope and his so candid and honest replies to our questions and comments. Rock Diamond also tried to help the consumer. Karl as well, but not Whiteflash.

I have some empathy for vendors, but I'm for lower diamond prices where ever the consumer can find them. Dealers send their stones to GIA so they can charge more for them. Its a sorry industry at times.

This is supposed to be a consumer forum, which I have my doubts about.

Read an article a few weeks ago that said Brilliant Earth was selling 1.01ctw diamond D color vs1 for $4,300.00 --super ideal.. I looked today it was not there but many interested diamonds D,E.F. G seemed well priced..

Salute to IGI, who makes the world of diamonds better.

Thanks Karl.

@smitcompton I take no offense to your comments. I enjoy hearing your perspective as well.
I appreciate hearing about changes and up and coming businesses in the diamond world - grading labs included. The more information, the better. PS is a consumer forum with occasional input from vendors. They are only going to share as much information as they feel comfortable sharing. They are businesses and must also protect their own interests. However, when people don’t know the truth or see the whole picture, they tend to make up their own truths. That is where the danger from consumers comes from and vendors depend on consumers for their well being. A bit of a double edged sword.
Since the pandemic of 2020, the diamond world has had to absorb many punches. Consumers have had to endure these punches too and I can certainly understand frustration in both camps. Hurry up and wait can only carry any of us for so long.
I have been a Whiteflash customer for several purchases. I have never received preferential treatment, but have always felt that my business was appreciated. They offer a product at a price and the choice is mine to accept or not. No pressure to buy, no scare tactics that the diamond is being pursued by three others, no hounding to make a decision. That has not always been my experience in the diamond world. They have been gracious and accommodating and that has been the business model always presented. Those experiences mean more to me than what a vendor may or may not share on a public forum. That is what I base my judgment upon.
I continue to hope that you find the diamond that is perfect for you at a price you consider fair and reasonable. Thanks for the conversation!

 

[Rockdiamond]

Seems to me that you know what you pay for a diamond, add your markup and voila!

That does seem to be a simple solution, I agree.
But from a theoretical perspective.
I like to describe what's going on as "an interesting economic experiment" (as in- may you live in interesting times)
Basically, a lot of dealers are hesitant to invest in diamonds.
Less actual trades make it far more difficult to accurately gauge the market.
There's an asking price, and actual sales prices.
With the market the way it is, it's harder to figure out the difference.

Fancy Colored diamonds are an interesting "control" in this experiment.
FCD's represent a tiny sliver of the market in total.
In that way, they are a "boutique" product. They are trading pretty much where they've been over the past 12 months in terms of actual pricing.
Sapphires rubies and emeralds are also trading at levels pretty much consistent over the past 12 months- even increasing in some cases.
This is all based on NYC market experience, YMMV

I'm sure companies that carry "Super Ideal" diamonds ( the real ones) are also trading at prices consistent over the past year.

 

[Rockdiamond]

The stakes for FCD, value-wise, are incredibly high and a few hundred bucks extra for a gold-standard report is unlikely to move the needle. I think the FCD model is much more like the fine untreated corundum market where reliable and reproducible subjectivity (not ever-finer increments in objective metrics) is the key.

My prior post is relevant to this....If one wanted to purchase a Vivid Yellow IF, no fluorescence, with delicious color, the price would be astronomical as it was last year. and 2 or 10 years ago.
I underlined "delicious" because the GIA FCD color system, while the best there has been so far, is still inadequate.
Two stones with identical ( and arguably correct) FCD color grades can have two totally different desirability- therefore price. For example, slight shade differences between a "Canary" and a stone that's vivid, but almost "Deep" Yellow.

The lab FCD market is currently nowhere near the colorless market in terms of reliable representation.
Part of the difficulty in grading FCDs is the fact it's so subjective and face up.
The lighting you're viewing them under really changes the broadcasted hue. A stone might look quite pink under one sort of lighting, and brown under another.
It does make grading challenging.
But when it comes to representation, it's wide open license to misrepresent.
I've always taken a lot of pics in different lighting to try to capture the color but that's not practical in the real world of millions of diamonds.
99% of all the diamond imagery online is done in boxes, using cameras and software that can be programmed to make a diamond look pretty much any color you want.
I've seen pics of stones online that I was familiar with in real life that looked nothing like the actual diamond. Commonly.

My experience with IGI on FCD's is that, while not as consistent as GIA on intensity, they provide value to the consumer.
If anyone from IGI is reading this, I'd also suggest adopting GIA's attitude about blue HPHT diamonds. IGI currently grades them with letter grades- and notates the presence of blue on the comments.
When a diamond has that even a slight amount of perceptible blue, GIA will grade it on the FCD scale ( Faint Blue, Light Blue, Fancy Light Blue, etc)
I estimate GIA would grade a diamond like the one referred to in the IGI report as "Fancy Light Blue"


GIven the complexity of FCD color grading, the small market share- and also the resources IGI is expending on super valuable cut grading, which impacts a far larger percentage of the market...doesn't seem likely worth IGI's time....but who knows, maybe IGI can come up with a much more consistent system.
As it stands now, GIA is still the only game in town for high-value, natural FCD's IMO

 

[MissGotRocks]

That does seem to be a simple solution, I agree.
But from a theoretical perspective.
I like to describe what's going on as "an interesting economic experiment" (as in- may you live in interesting times)
Basically, a lot of dealers are hesitant to invest in diamonds.
Less actual trades make it far more difficult to accurately gauge the market.
There's an asking price, and actual sales prices.
With the market the way it is, it's harder to figure out the difference.

Fancy Colored diamonds are an interesting "control" in this experiment.
FCD's represent a tiny sliver of the market in total.
In that way, they are a "boutique" product. They are trading pretty much where they've been over the past 12 months in terms of actual pricing.
Sapphires rubies and emeralds are also trading at levels pretty much consistent over the past 12 months- even increasing in some cases.
This is all based on NYC market experience, YMMV

I'm sure companies that carry "Super Ideal" diamonds ( the real ones) are also trading at prices consistent over the past year.

Thanks for your response. I have felt that there has to be a hesitation with vendors buying diamonds due to price instability. Nothing worse, I am sure, than investing money in a stone that you can’t get your money back out of - let alone make a profit. As with all markets though, you expect a leveling off at some point. Perhaps it will but where it ends is anyone’s guess. It is clear that the advent of labs has created lots of instability.

 

[tyty333]

FYI...For anyone interested (I know I was), here is one of Brilliant Earth's Super Ideals. Very hit or miss but mostly major misses.

 

[MissGotRocks]

FYI...For anyone interested (I know I was), here is one of Brilliant Earth's Super Ideals. Very hit or miss but mostly major misses.

It is too bad that they can sling the term super ideal around without anything to back up the claim. Brilliant Earth can fool a lot of people that way!

 

[smitcompton]

Hi,

Got Miss Rocks,

I just want you to know I am not looking to buy a diamond. I had a surprise cash inflow from property taxes that was unexpected and so thought maybe an inexpensive diamond would be nice. The funds have been reallocated, so diamonds are off the table.

I realize that vendors are not responsible for informing pricescopers about changes in the industry. even earth shattering changes like falling diamond prices and sales. My disappointment is at a high level as pricescope claims its informative, and educational. and will meet the needs of consumers. My opinion is they failed in their responsibility to keep abreast of what was going on. So it is really not the vendors that I ought to chastise, but blame Pricescope itself. One cannot miss for two years events in the diamond industry. There is no one at the wheel here. It certainly is not the consumers job.

I used to think Pricescope was great. The prosumers are great. The vendors are fine. Hangout has become sickbay/Drs-quite awful really. I don't want to be here any more. Yes, I coud just not come back, but I can still have my say, today. will ask to be removed from pricescope tomorrow.

I wiah you all well, really.

Annette

 

[MissGotRocks]

Hi,

Got Miss Rocks,

I just want you to know I am not looking to buy a diamond. I had a surprise cash inflow from property taxes that was unexpected and so thought maybe an inexpensive diamond would be nice. The funds have been reallocated, so diamonds are off the table.

I realize that vendors are not responsible for informing pricescopers about changes in the industry. even earth shattering changes like falling diamond prices and sales. My disappointment is at a high level as pricescope claims its informative, and educational. and will meet the needs of consumers. My opinion is they failed in their responsibility to keep abreast of what was going on. So it is really not the vendors that I ought to chastise, but blame Pricescope itself. One cannot miss for two years events in the diamond industry. There is no one at the wheel here. It certainly is not the consumers job.

I used to think Pricescope was great. The prosumers are great. The vendors are fine. Hangout has become sickbay/Drs-quite awful really. I don't want to be here any more. Yes, I coud just not come back, but I can still have my say, today. will ask to be removed from pricescope tomorrow.

I wiah you all well, really.

Annette

Oh, I am sorry to hear that you are leaving! Would you perhaps consider taking a break and reevaluating later? All things in life change; change is the only constant we can count on. I think we can all feel a bit disillusioned at times about anything that we frequently frequent. It helps me sometimes to just take a step back. I am in no way trying to disqualify your feelings, and will respect whichever course you take. You have always offered a no nonsense take on things and your perspective would be missed!

 

[oldminer]

Back on topic.

I looked over IGI's parametric tables for fancy cut diamond cut grading requirements. They are VERY close to the depths, angles, percentages and parameters I proposed back in the later 80's and early 90's in my AGA Cut Class parameters for well cut to poorly cut fancy shapes.

IGI intends to only use such charts for screening out diamonds which fall outside of these parameters on their new charts and to grade as ideal fancy shape diamonds only diamonds that remain within the uppermost parametric boundaries of the top cut configurations.

There is good reason for their decision. Most fancy shapes are made from rough that won't cut to a round shape efficiently. Many fancy shapes make beautiful diamonds but far from ideal in their light return. Yet, such stones have their own individual charm, beauty and value. While there is little excuse for buying and highly compromised cut round diamond, there are many reasons to consider non-ideal fancy shapes because choosing an overall look, outline shape and performance level is the customer's choice, not just dictated by light performance.

IGI is making GIA work harder and testing its ability to keep up with goals that are important to the diamond industry as well as those who wish to buy a variety of diamond types and shapes. No doubt, there will be winners and losers in the fluctuating market.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

It's actually great to know that IGI is more trustworthy than we used to think. It's amazing to see what has happened with lab diamonds over the last few years. I have mixed feelings because many young couples couldn't afford much in the way of natural diamonds, but they could get their dream engagement ring with a lab stone. It wasn't that long ago that lab diamonds didn't come in large sizes, but now they do and the prices have fallen significantly. IGI apparently saw an opportunity and were smart to pursue grading lab diamonds.

Just one more comment regarding a statement above. Obviously I have been a WF customer for a long time, but I have always found Texas Leaguer to be very helpful and kind on these forums. This post is a great example of the informative posts he makes.

(Hello to all...it's good to see you! I am still around, just very busy the last couple of years and trying to wear the jewelry I have without being constantly tempted on here!! ! )

 

[MissGotRocks]

It's actually great to know that IGI is more trustworthy than we used to think. It's amazing to see what has happened with lab diamonds over the last few years. I have mixed feelings because many young couples couldn't afford much in the way of natural diamonds, but they could get their dream engagement ring with a lab stone. It wasn't that long ago that lab diamonds didn't come in large sizes, but now they do and the prices have fallen significantly. IGI apparently saw an opportunity and were smart to pursue grading lab diamonds.

Just one more comment regarding a statement above. Obviously I have been a WF customer for a long time, but I have always found Texas Leaguer to be very helpful and kind on these forums. This post is a great example of the informative posts he makes.

(Hello to all...it's good to see you! I am still around, just very busy the last couple of years and trying to wear the jewelry I have without being constantly tempted on here!! ! )

Good to see you! You are certainly missed!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Good to see you! You are certainly missed!

Thank you! I've missed my old friends, too! I may have more time to check in now that my youngest local grandchild just started kindergarten! But my husband just had triple bypass heart surgery a little over a week ago (he's doing well, thankfully), so it's never a dull moment around here!

 

[MissGotRocks]

Thank you! I've missed my old friends, too! I may have more time to check in now that my youngest local grandchild just started kindergarten! But my husband just had triple bypass heart surgery a little over a week ago (he's doing well, thankfully), so it's never a dull moment around here!

Oh, wow, best wishes to your husband for a great recovery! I surely understand not wanting to be tempted by new pretties but still find it interesting to see what others are buying and enjoying. Hopefully, things will continue to settle down and you will have a bit more free time.