Here's Why...

A high quality diamond is the exact same diamond with or without paperwork!

That paperwork (Diamond Report, aka Certficate), is nothing more than a 2nd party looking at the stone and giving their expert opinion about the 4C's and any other identifying characteristics.

And that's it!

Sure this 2nd party is an expert in grading stones, but it doesn't change the fact that the diamond is whatever quality it is, and someone else's opinion won't change that.

If the diamond is a VS1 E color, then it's a VS1 E color regardless if it comes with a shiny report or not.

The Report is just a Confirmation.

Certification is an official document to ease customer's minds. Someone else (not the diamond sales or jeweler), has declared "Yes, we believe this diamond is so-and-so quality! "

Once they figure out what they believe that stone quality is, they will document it, inscribe it if needed (and paid for), and give it their stamp of approval.

So sure, you CAN buy a diamond of good quality, poor quality or great quality without that lovely laminated and hologram stamped paper.

But, I would only advise doing so, if you know what you're doing and know what to look for!

Save Money on Stones!

You can save money on non-certified stones because those certificates cost money. GIA isn't going to certify for free. Those reports generally cost anywhere from $100 to $400, and that price will certainly be aded on to the price of the ring. That's just the way it goes. So yes, you do pay a tad bit more for certified stones.

If you're looking around at all the jewelry stores, you'll see that most diamonds that are pre-set into mountings are NOT certified!

If you are unsure about certified diamonds, take a look at our article about certified diamonds.

If you are wanting to purchase certified or non certified diamonds, get a free price quotation so you can see the difference in price yourself: