GIA suspends sealing service indefinitely

Carlsbad, Calif.--The Gemological Institute of America has suspended its diamond sealing services until further notice after receiving a sealed diamond for verification that did not match the grading report number packaged with it. 

GIA spokesman Stephen Morisseau said Monday that the lab’s diamond sealing service is an additional service clients request in which the GIA seals the graded diamond in a tamper-resistant blister pack branded with the GIA logo. In with the diamond is a data label containing the grading report number and basic information about the stone, i.e., the four Cs. 

The diamond sealing service is requested for only 1/10 of 1 percent of the diamonds GIA grades, he said. 

Morisseau could not comment Monday on the possibility of the blister pack in question being counterfeit; he said only that the lab received a sealed diamond in “what appeared to be GIA packaging” and that the diamond inside didn’t match the data label. 

The GIA is working with an outside corporate investigation firm to determine the source of the sealing packet with the mislabeled diamond.

In the meantime, the diamond sealing service is suspended at all locations until further notice and has been removed from the online list of services the GIA offers. 

The GIA said clients with concerns about GIA-sealed diamonds can submit unopened sealing packets to the lab, which will verify that the diamond matched the report information and return it in a sealing packet at no charge. 

Also on Monday, the lab said it was halting the issuance of duplicate reports, used to replace lost or damaged reports, at all locations. 

Separate from the sealing service issue, Morisseau said the GIA opted to discontinue duplicate reports because its online Report Check service allows anyone with the report number to verify the information, making paper duplicate reports somewhat obsolete. 

Also, the lab has seen some instances where diamonds were submitted with duplicate reports that did not match the stone, he added.