Big news just came out in the diamond world. Starting 10/01/2025, GIA will no longer grade lab grown diamonds using the traditional four c's. Instead, they'll use a brand new scale of premium or standard. I'm Melanie Casey, fine jewelry designer and founder of Melanie Casey Jewelry. We specialize in diamond engagement rings, and we work with GIA and IGI grading reports all the time.

So let's talk about what this change really means and why, honestly, I don't care. Here's the background. For decades, GIA has been the most respected lab in the world for diamond grading. They set the bar. Their clarity and color standards are the toughest, and their reputation is unmatched.

That's why when we have an important natural diamond, it goes to GIA every time. Up until now, GIA graded all lab grown and natural diamonds for the free for the four c's. The only difference was that the certificate noted the stone was grown in a lab. But starting this October 2025, that's changing. GIA is eliminating the four c's for lab grown diamonds.

Instead, they'll limit grading to just premium or standard. And here's the kicker, the only way to get a premium grade is if the diamond is a d color, which is the absolute top color grade possible. High color is the hardest thing to achieve in lab grown diamonds. In the early days of this technology, most stones were visibly warm and rarely graded higher than g color. The industry has come a long way, and now lab grown diamonds are found in all the bright white colors with a select few reaching d.

But with this new scale, nearly every lab grown diamond will be labeled standard, which means for clients, getting a GIA report on a lab diamond will be a waste of time and money. You might ask, why are they making this change? By changing how they grade lab grown diamonds, GIA is trying to separate lab from natural. They're drawing a line, making sure the two aren't seen as equals. Why?

Because natural diamond prices are currently in freefall as demand shifts from mined to lab grown. By downplaying lab and making it impossible to compare quality from one diamond to the next, GIA is trying to protect the value of mined diamonds. So why don't I care? Because nobody in the industry is sending lab diamonds to GIA anyway. We all use IGI.

They're less expensive, just as reliable. And after this change, IGI will be far superior to GIA for lab grown grading. IGI still uses the four c's, and their reports remain the industry standard. And let's be honest. A standard grade from GIA doesn't tell you much.

It just tells you the stone is lab grown, but we already know that. We don't need a report for it. This change makes headlines in the jewelry industry, but for you as a client, nothing changes at all. IGI remains the best choice for lab grown diamonds. Thanks for listening to this quick industry update on the engagement ring podcast by Melanie Casey Jewelry.

I'm Melanie Casey, and I'll see you in the next one.