(PRESS RELEASE) CARLSBAD, CA — Effective immediately, the Gemological Institute of America will suspend diamond sealing services. The Institute is taking this action after recently encountering a small number of GIA sealing packets that had been compromised by third parties after the sealing packets left GIA. In these instances, GIA determined that the diamonds originally enclosed in the compromised packets had been replaced with HPHT (high-pressure, high-temperature) treated natural diamonds. The substitute treated diamonds superficially matched the GIA report information for the original diamonds, including information on the sealing packet data label.
GIA is suspending sealing services in all locations indefinitely, pending an investigation of the source of this fraud.
Anyone with concerns about a GIA-sealed diamond may submit the unopened packet to any GIA laboratory for verification services. If GIA concludes that the diamond in the sealing packet is the diamond described in the original report, the Institute will issue a verification letter confirming the diamond matches the original report. If the diamond does not match the GIA report, the Institute will issue a new report with the correct results. All sealed diamonds submitted for this free-of-charge verification service will be returned unsealed.
The verification service will be provided free-of-charge for diamonds received in a sealed packet.
Laboratory clients with further questions should contact their GIA client service representative.