(PRESS RELEASE) SCS Global Services (SCS), a pioneer and leader in the field of sustainability standards and third-party certification, issued its first “Certificate of Accreditation for Gem Identification Verification Provider to GCAL (Gem Certification & Assurance Lab). This technical accreditation was issued in part based on GCAL being the only gem lab in the world to be ISO 17025 Forensic Accredited, as well as the knowledge of its technical experts.
In its Gem Identification Laboratory Accreditation Report, SCS confirmed that “GCAL’s New York City Laboratory meets the accreditation criteria as a Gem Identification Facility required for Origin Traceability Assurance under the SCS-007 Jewelry Sustainability Standard – Sustainability Rated Diamonds for qualifying accredited sources of certified diamonds.
This Sustainability Rated Diamonds Standard is the first comprehensive, multi-stakeholder sustainability standard developed for the diamond sector. It establishes the world’s most stringent benchmark of sustainability accountability, transparency and provenance assurance for the diamond industry, with comprehensive environmental, social and governance provisions along with climate neutral and other net-zero milestones. The standard’s Chain of Custody provisions are backed by third-party certification that combines A.I. enhanced laser ablation testing, with gem identification verification, auditing and sampling to achieve 99% accuracy.
All SCS-007 certified diamonds graded, scanned (Gemprint) and laser inscribed by GCAL which have accompanying information on laser inscription, diamond dimensions, and carat weights, can carry the approved Sustainably Rated claim.
The significance of this achievement can be seen in consumers’ increasing demand that the diamonds they purchase meet the highest standards of ethical and environmental responsibility.
Angelo Palmieri, COO of GCAL, was one of the original and leading members of the multi-stakeholder standards development committee, facilitated by SCS Standards, the not-for-profit standards development arm of SCS. “SCS, and the committee members, have all been working incredibly hard, under intense pressure on this process for the past 18 months. I’m proud to be part of this SCS effort, and particularly proud to say that GCAL is the first gem lab in the world to earn the SCS Certificate of Accreditation,” explained Angelo.
Advertisement
“It’s a win for both retail jewelers and the ultimate consumer,” continued Palmieri. “GCAL guaranteed diamond certificates can now include an SCS ‘mark’, demonstrating that a diamond has been sustainability rated and certified Climate Neutral by SCS Global Services. We’re especially proud to be certifying with WD Lab Grown Diamonds in this effort, as they are the first producer worldwide to achieve certification.”
GCAL currently grades and certifies premium diamonds produced by WD Lab Grown Diamonds, including those from their new consumer brand Latitude. In a recent press release, WD announced that Latitude is the first Sustainability Rated, Certified Climate Neutral diamond brand in the world. “We are proud to be the first in our industry to achieve third-party sustainability certification – a year-long process involving a comprehensive lifecycle assessment and extensive audits. We look forward to continuing to partner with GCAL to ensure full and transparent diamond traceability and Chain of Custody for our customers,” said Sue Rechner, CEO of WD Lab Grown Diamonds.
