Hi Shanu ... One point that occurred to me after my post on this is if you were a consumer with a GCAL cert, wouldn't you resubmit it just for the hell of it. I mean, you can have several thousand bucks to gain, why not? (I guess you don't have property of your diamond for a little while. But with a lot of money to gain, who cares?) Anyway, it's an interesting notion and we'll see how much it ends up costing them. It's also worth nothing that they are NOT offering this to the trade, which could be really costly. Since GIA doesn't consider themselves a consumer name they probably won't match it.

Hi Shanu: GCAL actually updated the terms of its guarantee on March 13, 2007. According to Dan Gillen, GCAL’s lab director, who I interviewed about the change at the New Jersey Jewelers Association Convention that day, GCAL now guarantees exact grades (they removed the one-grade margin of error) but they now no longer accept GIA reports as evidence of an error: the lab’s graders must agree that the grade is in error. Here’s my story about the new policy: blogs.modernjeweler.com/blog/2007/03/13/guaranteed-grading/

hi do you realy thin GIA, is the same level as GCAL? all this policy, is just for marketing, and show the weakness of GCAL, and the power of GIA amy

Rob-There are people out there who would resubmit for the hell of it, but being without your diamond for a couple weeks is a huge downside unless you really are sure and have received a few appraisals that contradict GCAL's cert (funny thought...there are people out there like that). Cheryl-Thanks for the update. Amy-I don't think it's about being at the same level...it sometimes has to do with the marketing. Look at any brand...POLO...you pay way less for a Roundtree York shirt of the same fabric. Lexus and Toyota...marketing...Lexus is made by Toyota the shape and style are the same. HOF...pay for for an ideal diamond because of their marketing and branding. I think if pushed GCAL's cert could really have an affect on customers.

I disagree. According to the book, "22 Immutable Laws of Branding", those who establish a niche will always have the majority of the name brand recognition. GCAL, even if they are superior to GIA, will never have the prestige of GIA (way too much marketing went into branding GIA). GIA started it all and for the most part, I and my customers find their reports very comforting to have. Its like having a thumbs up for a product from consumer reports. I hope Blue Nile uses GCAL for all there diamonds. As long as they do, I will stay away from GCAL. I will be able to use that to sell my GIA certed diamonds.

First, I would like to thank all of you for sharing your thoughts and discussing our GCAL “Zero Tolerance Consumer Guarantee.” With regards to Shanu, we would like to thank you for providing the stimulus for this discussion, which has brought forth both positive and negative feedback. As you know, that is the desired result with the launch of a new product or service. With regards to Rob, I encourage critical thought and feedback, but I am also somewhat puzzled…at each step in the process of diamond jewelry, be it mining, polishing, certifying, setting, or writing about it, don’t we all owe our jobs to the end user (consumer)? Shouldn’t we strive for excellence in our work every step of the way, in order to build consumer confidence? Consumer confidence in diamond jewelry and jewelers who sell it is at about 50% according to the latest research from WDC and DTC. Can you answer why? I can, and have answered it with positive actions. Cheryl, we appreciate the corrections you added and hope you had an enlightening day at the NJJAC lab panel. We appreciate the objective coverage your magazine has given to GCAL, especially regarding light performance, which Modern Jeweler has been covering thoroughly since 1997. Amy, everyone is entitled to their opinion and for some, GIA will be the only lab they will ever use, regardless of other services and facts. While we hope people will make informed judgments about our services, GCAL was formed in 2001 because we weren’t happy with the performance of other labs….they gave us the inspiration. This didn’t happen overnight. This is something I had been doing since 1981. I always stood behind my work with a guarantee and never filled my report with disclaimers. You may call that a marketing ploy if you like, we like to call that Integrity, Honesty, & Accountability. We are making our presence known at Trade Shows and in the Trade Publications, that is “Marketing 101: Awareness.” The guarantee, which has recently been tightened to “Zero Tolerance,” was one of the pillars in which this lab was founded, and is our “call to arms”. Doesn’t the consumer deserve this type of assurance? William, there is something to be said for longevity in an industry; it certainly can breed trust and a strong reputation, of which, GIA deserves their fair share. They have made great strides in the education of young men and women all over the world, for which most of us owe our base of gemological knowledge. As for your comment on Blue Nile, GCAL provides a “Certificate of Authenticity” on all of the Blue Nile Signature Collection diamonds. That is only after GIA or AGSL has produced a grading report on each. All the GIA and AGSL diamonds do not pass automatically and receive a “Certificate of Authenticity,” but when they do, we warrant their work to the Blue Nile customer, because GIA and AGSL don’t. Given your statement, I suppose you will stay away from GIA, AGSL, & GCAL. I would like to thank all of you sincerely for contributing to this blog and hope that it continues after my reply. Some of you may be receptive to GCAL and utilize our certificates in your sales process and some of you may not. Both positive and negative comments are welcome and we hope that you will give us a call or send us an e-mail when you have any comments, questions, concerns. Wishing you all the best and hope to see you in Las Vegas. You may learn more about our guarantee, and all of our services at www.gemfacts.com. Thanks Don Palmieri, President…GCAL

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