GIA Drops the 4C’s for Lab-Grown Diamonds: Why It Doesn’t Matter

Starting October 2025, GIA will stop grading lab-grown diamonds with the traditional 4C’s, instead labeling them “Premium” or “Standard.” In this short news update, designer Melanie Casey of melaniecasey.com explains what this change means, why most lab-grown diamonds will end up labeled “Standard,” and why it has no impact on clients. IGI reports remain the industry standard for lab-grown diamonds, so nothing changes for your engagement ring.

Shop Diamond Engagement Rings | Melanie Casey with transparent and GIA and IGI grading reports online!

Episode Transcript

Melanie Casey (00:00):
Big news just came out in the diamond world.

(00:02):
Starting 10/01/2025, GIA will nolonger grade lab grown diamonds
using the traditional four c's.Instead, they'll use a brand new
scale of premium or standard.I'm Melanie Casey, fine jewelry
designer and founder of MelanieCasey Jewelry. We specialize in
diamond engagement rings, and wework with GIA and IGI grading

(00:26):
reports all the time.
So let's talk about what thischange really means and why,
honestly, I don't care. Here'sthe background. For decades, GIA
has been the most respected labin the world for diamond
grading. They set the bar. Theirclarity and color standards are
the toughest, and theirreputation is unmatched.
That's why when we have animportant natural diamond, it

(00:48):
goes to GIA every time. Up untilnow, GIA graded all lab grown
and natural diamonds for thefree for the four c's. The only
difference was that thecertificate noted the stone was
grown in a lab. But startingthis October 2025, that's
changing. GIA is eliminating thefour c's for lab grown diamonds.

(01:10):
Instead, they'll limit gradingto just premium or standard. And
here's the kicker, the only wayto get a premium grade is if the
diamond is a d color, which isthe absolute top color grade
possible. High color is thehardest thing to achieve in lab
grown diamonds. In the earlydays of this technology, most
stones were visibly warm andrarely graded higher than g

(01:33):
color. The industry has come along way, and now lab grown
diamonds are found in all thebright white colors with a
select few reaching d.
But with this new scale, nearlyevery lab grown diamond will be
labeled standard, which meansfor clients, getting a GIA
report on a lab diamond will bea waste of time and money. You

(01:55):
might ask, why are they makingthis change? By changing how
they grade lab grown diamonds,GIA is trying to separate lab
from natural. They're drawing aline, making sure the two aren't
seen as equals. Why?
Because natural diamond pricesare currently in freefall as
demand shifts from mined to labgrown. By downplaying lab and

(02:16):
making it impossible to comparequality from one diamond to the
next, GIA is trying to protectthe value of mined diamonds. So
why don't I care? Because nobodyin the industry is sending lab
diamonds to GIA anyway. We alluse IGI.
They're less expensive, just asreliable. And after this change,
IGI will be far superior to GIAfor lab grown grading. IGI still

(02:39):
uses the four c's, and theirreports remain the industry
standard. And let's be honest. Astandard grade from GIA doesn't
tell you much.
It just tells you the stone islab grown, but we already know
that. We don't need a report forit. This change makes headlines
in the jewelry industry, but foryou as a client, nothing changes
at all. IGI remains the bestchoice for lab grown diamonds.

(03:01):
Thanks for listening to thisquick industry update on the
engagement ring podcast byMelanie Casey Jewelry.
I'm Melanie Casey, and I'll seeyou in the next one.