Different diamond grading agencies and certificates
EGL, the European Gemological Laboratory, is the pioneer organization for diamond grading. Founded in 1974, EGL has over the years certified the majority of diamonds and gemstones exported from Israel. EGL has offices all over the world. In November 2009, EGL Asia Laboratory established the East China Business Contact Center in Shanghai, China to become popular in the Chinese market. In addition, EGL identification services are relatively cheap, so they are favoured by small diamond retailers. The structure of the EGL certificate is similar to the traditional GIA report, but the standards are looser than GIA, which has led to the credibility of EGL being questioned.
HRD, Belgium's Hoge Raad voor Diamant, was founded in Antwerp, the famous diamond capital. Antwerp's diamond industry has a history of about 1,500 years. More than 50% of the world's gem-quality diamonds are sold here to all parts of the world. HRD 's laboratory is an internationally standardized gemstone laboratory (ISO./|EC17025 ) • The HRD certificate uses more descriptive language. For example, the colour of diamonds is not divided into D, E, F, etc., but phrases such as "WHITE" and "SLIGHTLY TINTED WHITE" are used, and colour grades below N are no longer distinguished; in addition, HRD There is a quick " Diamond Appraisal Certificate "For diamonds under 1 carat. Compared with its" Diamond Certificate ", the content information is relatively simple. The HRD appraisal process is rigorous and adopts the principle of anonymity to ensure the objectivity of the appraisal results. The HRD certificate has a certain status in Europe and is used by many diamond distribution giants and buyers in Belgium and the Netherlands.
