Your client wants an answer today, and the stone looks right on the listing. Before you quote, take five minutes with the grading report. It is the document your client will rely on, and the one that protects you if a question comes up later.
1. Confirm the report is real
Enter the report number on the lab's own website (GIA, IGI and other major labs offer online verification). The details online should match the PDF exactly: shape, carat weight, colour, clarity and measurements.
2. Match the stone to the report
Most graded diamonds carry a laser inscription on the girdle with the report number. Ask for it to be checked under a loupe when the stone arrives. A lab-grown stone should also be identified as laboratory-grown, on the report and usually in the inscription.
3. Read past the 4Cs
- Measurements. Two stones of the same weight can face up very differently. Compare the diameter, or length and width, not only the carat.
- Proportions. Table, depth and girdle explain why a stone looks bright, dark or small for its weight.
- Fluorescence. Usually harmless, but strong blue fluorescence can make some stones look hazy. Worth a second look.
- Comments. This is where labs note things like additional clarity characteristics or, for lab-grown stones, post-growth treatment.
4. Check the date and the lab
An older report is not wrong, but a stone can be chipped or recut after grading. Grading standards also differ from one lab to another, so compare stones graded by the same lab when you can.
What to tell your client
Keep it simple: This report comes from an independent lab, and I have checked that it matches this exact stone. That one sentence builds more trust than any grade.
On xact3d.com, each listed diamond shows its lab and certificate, so you can run this check before you call your client back.