Gem Certification & Assurance Lab (GCAL), world-renowned for accurate, consistent, and ethical gemstone grading, has announced the industry’s first major change in diamond cut grading in decades. While most in the industry have focused on three factors to determine a diamond’s quality, GCAL has introduced a new standard that focuses on eight critical aspects of cut quality assessment, with all eight required to achieve a grade of Excellent.
Introducing 8X®… the Ultimate Diamond Cut Grade, Guaranteed Certificate.
GCAL’s objective was to finally identify and honor the craftsmanship that exists within the global diamond industry, which truly defines precision diamond cutting. They spent years of extensive research, studying hundreds of thousands of diamonds from a myriad of sources, gathering data on identifying the strict, exacting tolerances to achieve the ultimate precision cut diamond.
“8X® is truly the ultimate achievement in precision diamond cutting,” explained Don Palmieri, founder, and president of GCAL. “It’s less about distinguishing our lab from all the others, and more about providing a platform for the world’s premier diamond manufacturers to distinguish their products from all others.“
According to Angelo Palmieri, COO of GCAL, “The global diamond industry has witnessed impressive improvements in technology. Diamond cutting techniques have also improved, resulting in more brilliant and beautiful diamonds. It was time to honor that craftsmanship. 8X is a cut grade standard whose time has come.”
The eight aspects of cut quality assessment that must receive a grade of Excellent in order to qualify as an 8X® diamond are (1) Polish, (2) External Symmetry, (3) Proportions, (4) Optical Brilliance, (5) Fire, (6) Scintillation, (7) Optical Symmetry and (8) Hearts & Arrows.
GCAL’s objective was to finally identify and honor the craftsmanship that exists within the global diamond industry, which truly defines precision diamond cutting. They spent years of extensive research, studying hundreds of thousands of diamonds from a myriad of sources, gathering data on identifying the strict, exacting tolerances to achieve the ultimate precision cut diamond.
“8X® is truly the ultimate achievement in precision diamond cutting,” explained Don Palmieri, founder, and president of GCAL. “It’s less about distinguishing our lab from all the others, and more about providing a platform for the world’s premier diamond manufacturers to distinguish their products from all others.“
According to Angelo Palmieri, COO of GCAL, “The global diamond industry has witnessed impressive improvements in technology. Diamond cutting techniques have also improved, resulting in more brilliant and beautiful diamonds. It was time to honor that craftsmanship. 8X is a cut grade standard whose time has come.”
The eight aspects of cut quality assessment that must receive a grade of Excellent in order to qualify as an 8X® diamond are (1) Polish, (2) External Symmetry, (3) Proportions, (4) Optical Brilliance, (5) Fire, (6) Scintillation, (7) Optical Symmetry and (8) Hearts & Arrows.
The culmination of GCAL’s research and development is the introduction of their 8X® Ultimate Diamond Cut Grade, Guaranteed Certificate. The 8X® logo will be inscribed on each diamond’s girdle, and appear prominently on the print and digital certificates.
The 8X® certs, both print and digital, will be distinguished by a new and unique design. Print certificates will feature rich black front and back covers, printed on ultra high quality, tear-proof, and waterproof material. Consumers will be able to scan a QR Code to view the digital cert online.
And as is the case with all GCAL loose diamond certificates, GCAL will stand behind their 8X® diamond grading with their unparalleled GCAL zero tolerance, money-backed, 100% consumer Guarantee.
The culmination of GCAL’s research and development is the introduction of their 8X™ Ultimate Diamond Cut Grade, Guaranteed Certificate. The 8X® logo will be inscribed on each diamond’s girdle, and appear prominently on the print and digital certificates.
The 8X® certs, both print and digital, will be distinguished by a new and unique design. Print certificates will feature rich black front and back covers, printed on ultra high quality, tear-proof, and waterproof material. Consumers will be able to scan a QR Code to view the digital cert online.
And as is the case with all GCAL loose diamond certificates, GCAL will stand behind their 8X® diamond grading with their unparalleled GCAL zero tolerance, money-backed, 100% consumer Guarantee.
Every 8X® Natural and Lab Grown Guaranteed Diamond Certificate will also include:
- Gemprint® fingerprint image (every diamond entering the GCAL lab is Gemprinted, and again before shipped out)
- 360° Video
- Fire Video
- Scintillation Video
- Photomicrographs (actual photos of the diamond’s crown and pavilion – instead of generic images)
- To-scale Proportion Diagram
- Laser inscription – including the 8X® logo and certificate #