A certificate (grading report) number identifies the report a lab such as GIA, IGI or HRD issued for one stone. Many stones also carry that number laser-inscribed on the girdle. Record the lab, the report number, the inscription and the measurements for every certified stone, so the report can always be matched to the stone in your hand.
What is a diamond certificate number?
When a lab grades a diamond it issues a report — commonly called a certificate — with a unique number. The report records the stone’s shape, measurements, carat weight, colour, clarity, cut grade where it applies, polish, symmetry and fluorescence, as the lab found them on that date.
The number is only meaningful together with the lab: GIA, IGI, HRD and others each number their own reports. A report number written without its lab can point to the wrong report or to none.
What is a laser inscription, and is it the same number?
An inscription is text laser-written on the girdle, readable under a loupe. Usually it is the lab’s name and the report number, sometimes a brand or a logo. It ties the physical stone to its report.
Not every certified stone is inscribed, and an inscription can differ from the report — a stone may be re-graded and carry an old number, or be inscribed by someone else. That is why the inscription is recorded separately from the report number, and checked against it.
What should be recorded for each certified stone?
- The lab (GIA, IGI, HRD …) and the report number.
- The report date, if you track re-grades.
- The inscription, exactly as read on the girdle — or that there is none.
- The measurements (length × width × depth in mm) and the carat weight from the report.
- The grades as the report states them: colour, clarity, cut, polish, symmetry, fluorescence.
How do you check a stone matches its report?
Compare three things. The inscription, if any, should read the same lab and number as the report. The weight on your scale should match the report’s carat weight to the hundredth. And the measurements, taken with a gauge, should match the report’s millimetres closely.
If any one disagrees, the stone may have been re-cut, swapped, or the report may belong to another stone. Labs offer report checks online, using the report number and the carat weight.
Why does it matter for the business?
Buyers price certified stones off the report, so a wrong or mismatched number costs money — a returned sale at best. In a busy office, being able to find a stone by its report number, and to print the number on its label, saves the search through packets whenever a buyer quotes a certificate.
How Avirat keeps certificates
Avirat records the lab and report number for every stone, along with the inscription, measurements, depth and table and the full grading — and the global search finds a stone by its report number as well as its own reference. The number prints on documents and on barcode and QR labels, and can be shared with a buyer on a stone’s page.
See how Avirat handles this: Diamond software