New Tools Detail GIA’s Cut Grade System

CARLSBAD, Calif. – May 28, 2009 – The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) will offer two, new, large posters and a booklet on its Cut grade beginning May 30. The free materials were created to help the gem and jewelry trade become more fluent with GIA’s Cut Grade System for standard round brilliant diamonds.

“Actually, all of the content in the new posters and booklet are compilations or summaries of information that’s long been available, but never gathered into a single place for cutters and manufacturers,” said Tom Moses, GIA senior vice president, Research and Laboratory. “The new materials go into more detail, add many photos, images and charts to better illuminate various points, and help answer any questions about the system. This puts all of the information right at the client’s fingertips.”

“These educational resources are meant to help everyone in the trade – cutters, manufacturers and retailers – better understand the cut grade system and how GIA determines cut grades in its laboratories,” he said.

One poster provides an overview of the GIA Cut Grading System and includes a table that summarizes the individual parameter ranges for each GIA cut grade. Images of round brilliant diamonds also show the range of appearance in each of the five cut grades and why a diamond belongs in a particular grade category.

The second poster defines the categories of the cut grading system: Finish, Culet Size and Girdle Thickness, with explanations and illustrations of each feature.

The booklet contains a number of cut grade charts and explains how to use them to plan the cut of a new round brilliant or how to estimate a cut grade. It provides some examples for using GIA Facetware to obtain a more specific estimate of the cut grade for a particular diamond.

The Institute is providing these free educational tools to members of the trade in several ways. A limited number of posters and booklets will be available to participants at the JCK Show in Las Vegas. After the show, they can be requested from a Gemological Services Representative in New York at 212-221-5858 ext. 3724, or in California at 760-603-4500, until the supply runs out.

At any time, these materials can be downloaded from GIA’s microsite devoted to cut at www.diamondcut.gia.edu. Both posters are available as PDFs so clients can take the files to a printer if a larger size is desired.