Wondering the best online shop to buy GIA-certified diamonds?
Congratulations! You have come to the right place. In this guide, we shall answer all your questions, including:
- What does diamond certification mean?
- Are GIA diamonds cheap or expensive?
- Why you should buy diamonds certified by GIA
- And a lot more!
Below is a list of the best places to buy GIA certified diamonds online. Keep reading to learn more about each of the stores and get some buying tips and tricks.
Where to Buy GIA certified diamonds
- James Allen (My #1 Pick)
- Blue Nile (Widest Selection of GIA diamonds)
- Clean Origin (Best GIA lad grown diamonds)
- Ritani (Best Designer Settings)
#1. GIA Certified Diamonds from James Allen
James Allen has the largest collection of loose diamonds that you can use to create your own engagement ring. When compared to other online diamonds sellers, this store has the best prices.
James Allen’s diamonds are certified by three bodies: GIA, IGI, and AGS, but we advise you buy diamonds certified by either GIA or AGS.
RECOMMENDED: Why are GIA and AGS the Best Diamond Certifications?
James Allen has more than 600, 000 loose diamonds, it is better if you can sort and filter through the list. Their loose diamonds page has an advanced filters feature that you can use to filter GIA diamonds only.
Their AGS diamond collection is not wide, so it’s best if you stick to GIA. Unfortunately, you will not be able to view the certificate online but you can get a live diamond inspection.
You can go over the diamond characteristics and diamond certification with a diamond expert in real-time. You will be talking to a real human being in the comfort of your home. One great thing is that James Allen sales reps do not work on commission, so you can trust that the advice you get is genuine. The exert opposite is true for brick-and-mortar diamond stores.
Aside from their great prices, James Allen has other distinguishing characteristics that set them apart from other online diamond sellers. One of the features is the crystal clear 360-degree viewing technology. You have the freedom to view the diamond at any angle and rotate it anyhow you want to be sure you are getting the exact diamond you want.
Read Here: James Allen Full Review
Pros
- Widest collection of GIA diamonds
- Interactive selection tool
- Lifetime warranty
- Lowest diamond price
Cons
- Cannot view the diamond certificate unless you talk to someone
#2. GIA Certified Diamonds from Blue Nile
Blue Nile has been in the Jewelry market for a very long time and has managed to gain a stable reputation of being one of the best inline diamond sellers. This reputation puts them in a great position for the public to trust them when it comes to GIA diamonds.
Unlike the collection at James Allen, Blue Nile’s collection only comprises GIA certified loose diamonds. GIA lab diamonds and GIA certified colored diamonds are also part of the selection.
Like James Allen, they also have a 360-degree viewing feature but not on all diamonds. However, you can toggle the 360-viewing technique in their diamond search to allow only diamonds that can be viewed to pop up. The viewer is not as clear as that JA but it’s better than nothing.
The biggest put-off about Blue Nile is the lifetime warranty and diamond prices. GIA certified diamonds at BN are extremely expensive while JA has the best pricing. That notwithstanding, Blue Nile is the most popular online diamond shop in the industry. The fact that many people still buy their GIA diamonds means the quality is high.
RECOMMENDED: Full Blue Nile Review
Pros
- Largest collection of GIA diamonds
- Great reputation and trusted brand
Cons
- Expensive diamonds
- Poor warranty
#3. GIA Certified Ddiamonds from Clean Origin
Most diamond buyers are familiar with the name Clean Origin, even if they don’t shop for jewelry online. The name is so familiar because this store sells lab-created diamonds only. Diamonds grown in the lab have become popular due to the public’s concern about conflict-free diamonds. In most of our guides, we recommend that you buy conflict-free diamonds, but some people still prefer lab-created diamonds.
A lab-grown diamond is a natural diamond that has been subjected to lab conditions that mimic underground conditions necessary to grow real diamonds.
Clean origin sells a variety of lab-grown jewelry including bridal jewelry, wedding bands, and engagement rings. Most of the other retailers on this list have a limited collection of lad diamonds, some have none.
Clean origin has 16.000+ loose diamonds in varying degrees and shapes. You can filter more than 300 GIA diamonds on their website. There is no need for advanced options since they have certification as one of the major options.
RECOMMENDED: Lab Grown Diamond Certification
Clean Origin offers the 360-degree viewing feature to allow buyers to see the diamonds up and close. The viewer has bells and whistles which in my opinion are not necessary. Lab diamonds have better clarity than natural diamonds because they don’t have the same crystal inclusions. You may not be able to find lower clarity lab diamonds like I diamond like you would for real diamonds. Still, having a viewer is important when buying diamonds online. See their viewer below.
Another big win for Clean Origin is their return policy. Their return period is 100 days, giving the customer enough time to decide whether they still like the diamond or not. However, Clean Origin is confident that you will like it, that’s why the period is long. This speaks volumes about product and service quality.
The major downside is the warranty, it only covers design and manufacturing flaws and not any upkeep that the diamond may need.
RECOMMENDED: Full Clean Origin Review
Pros
- Best collection of lab-created diamonds
- Lowest price for lab diamonds
- 100-day return policy
Cons
- No real diamonds
- Few GIA diamonds
#4. GIA Certified diamonds from Ritani
You most probably know Ritani since it has been in the jewelry market for a long time but as a ring designer. In the past, Ritani was a ring designing company that sold its designs to online diamond retailers.
Today, Ritani has both real and lab-grown loose diamonds that go along with their designs. Their diamonds are certified by GIA and AGS only and you get the chance to filter them too. On the diamonds page on their website click on More Filters and scroll down to Certificate and select GIA.
Ritani allows you to view their loose diamonds physically in the stores that have partnered with. When you get the chance, you see the fluorescence and cut grade in person.
There is a 360-degree viewer, only that it is not consistent. Some loose diamonds have 360 videos, others HD images while others have nothing. Their viewer makes it almost impossible to see any blemishes or inclusions. The best you can get is to ask for photos. Check out their 360 viewer below.
I love it that you can look at the GIA certificate online and even go through the diamond buying guide to learn more about GIA and AGS certificates. Their return policy is 30 days and they offer a free lifetime warranty to cover all routine maintenance the diamond may need.
Pros
- GIA certificate can be viewed online
- 30-day return policy
- Designer diamond settings are available
Cons
- Expensive
- Inconsistent diamond viewing
GIA Diamonds FAQs
Why do you need a diamond certificate?
A diamond is not a diamond unless it has a reliable certificate. A diamond certificate is also referred to as a diamond grading report. You should never buy a diamond that has no report. A grading report is an assurance that the diamond has gone through an expert gemologist who grades its quality to make sure you pay for quality diamonds. There are several labs that provide diamond certificates.
Without a diamond certificate, it is easy to get a diamond with the worst clarity and color grades than what was advertised, thus scamming you.
Why should you buy a GIA certified diamond?
When diamonds form in the earth or the lab, they develop different characteristics. The same is true for diamond certification labs. Each lab has its own grading criteria. What one lab may grade as SI2 clarity; another may grade it as I clarity.
Diamonds certified by GIA are the best you can find in a store, be it online or physical. GIA is clarity; the world’s number 1 lab when it comes to anything diamonds and gemstones. The Gemological Institute of America developed the 4Cs of diamond quality used all over the world to grade diamonds. 4Cs is the grading system used to assess the quality of diamonds.
It only makes sense that the organization that created how the world views diamonds also has the best diamond grading lab. Another good lab is AGS. Both GIA and the American Gem Society have the best diamond certificates.
RECOMMENDED: Which Diamond Certification is Best?
Are GIA certified diamonds cheap or expensive?
There is no secret that GIA diamonds being the best are also the most expensive compared to all the other labs. Most corporate stores prefer to sell diamonds certified by less expensive labs. When you want to buy diamonds in large quantities, you probably would want to consider cheap prices. This is the reason you will find more IGI and GSI certified diamonds in megastores than you would find GIA or AGS certified diamonds.
When buying diamond jewelry, there is no compromising on quality. It does not however mean that you must buy the most expensive diamond to get high quality. Keep in mind that there are no high-quality diamonds that are cheap. Diamonds that have been certified fetch high prices while GIA certified diamonds carry the highest price tags.