Certificates: Not in the Box by Default, a Fixed Fee When You Want One
No certificate ships with your order unless you ask for one. That is the default, it is stated up front, and it is not a way of hiding anything — this page explains what each document is, what it costs, and what it does not do.
One thing to clear up first, because buyers sometimes assume the opposite: our prices differ between orders because of the spec — stone size, design, metal weight — not because of paperwork. A ring quoted with a GRA card and the same ring quoted without it differ by exactly the card fee, nothing else.
What We Issue, and How It Is Priced
| Stone | Document | Issued by | How it is priced |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moissanite | GRA certificate card | A trade organization serving the moissanite industry | A fixed add-on fee, the same on every order. It appears as its own line on your quote, so you see it before you confirm. Ask for it and it ships with the stones; say nothing and the pieces ship without it. |
| Lab-grown diamond | IGI grading report | International Gemological Institute, an independent laboratory | Quoted per stone and paid by the buyer. The stone travels to the laboratory and the report is priced against the stone's value. For retail-bound lab-grown orders this is expected and worth building into your retail price. |
Neither document is included by default. The GRA fee is fixed and small; the IGI fee is per stone and not small. You see either number on the quote before you commit, and you can decline it.
What Changes Without Documentation — and What Doesn't
This is the question buyers ask next, and it deserves a direct answer.
What doesn't change: the stone. Same cutting line, same calibrated sizing, same color and clarity grades, same QC before packing. The unpapered stone in your order is not the leftover stone. Our stock is not sorted into "certified" and "seconds" piles — the card is added to a stone that was already going into your parcel.
What does change: the paperwork, the small fixed card fee, and how easily your own customer can verify the specifications. If you sell to consumers who ask for documentation, the card earns its cost back in fewer objections. If you sell to buyers who judge the stone in hand, it may not earn anything back at all.
One more thing worth being explicit about, because buyers sometimes assume the opposite: quotes differ between orders because of the spec — stone size, design, metal weight — not because one order had a certificate and another didn't. On the same ring, the only difference documentation makes is the card fee itself.
That is a business decision about your market, not a quality decision about the stone. We would rather you make it with both numbers in front of you than have it made for you by a default.
Why the Card Isn't Automatic
Plenty of suppliers include a GRA card with every order. The printing is cheap, it photographs well in an unboxing video, and it makes the parcel feel official. Three reasons we leave it out by default and price it as a fixed add-on instead.
It flatters the stone, not the work. A card records a stone's specifications on the day it was packed. It says nothing about the setting you will actually sell, the prong seating, the polish, or whether stone number forty in your reorder will match stone number one.
It creates an expectation the card cannot meet. Buyers in the US, UK, and Australia often assume a certificate means independent laboratory grading. A GRA card is not that. Handing one over without explanation is how a supplier ends up in a chargeback conversation six weeks later.
It hides a number you should be able to see. When documentation is bundled into every order, its cost is bundled too — into a unit price you cannot break apart. Every buyer pays for paperwork, including the ones who never wanted it. Quoting it separately gives you the choice, and gives you the number.
So: no card in the box unless you ask for one, a stated price when you do, and a straight explanation of what it is.
GRA: What It Is, and What It Is Not
A GRA certificate card typically records the stone's shape, measurements, carat weight, color grade, clarity grade, and a report number that may also be inscribed on the stone's girdle. The color and clarity figures on it repeat the description the parcel was sold under. They are not the output of independent laboratory analysis, and we do not present them as such.
What it is: a specification record for the stone.
What it is not: independent laboratory grading of the kind issued for diamonds. GRA is an industry body serving the moissanite trade, not an accredited gemological laboratory with the standing of IGI or GIA. You will find sellers calling GRA cards "the moissanite standard"; you will also find trade commentary describing them as little more than printed specifications. Both readings exist in the market, and we would rather you hear that from us before you resell the stone than find out after.
So we never say "GRA graded." We say the card can be issued for your order for a fixed fee. That is an accurate description, and it is the one that will not come back to you as a complaint.
To verify a GRA card: look up the report number using the URL or QR code printed on the card, then match carat weight, color grade, clarity grade, and measurements against the stone in your hand. If the lookup returns nothing, or the numbers do not match, treat the card as unverified — and tell us.
IGI: Where It Makes Sense, and Where It Doesn't
An IGI report — International Gemological Institute — grades an individual stone against the 4Cs, with a report number you can look up directly. For lab-grown diamonds sold into the US, UK, or Australian market, this is not a nice extra. It is what your customer will expect to see, and what many retailers will ask for before they place a repeat order.
Where we do not recommend it: certifying moissanite through IGI. The stones travel to the laboratory, and the fee runs to several times the cost of the stone or the setting itself — which is why almost no moissanite buyer orders it. If a client specifically requires it anyway, the fee is theirs to bear: it is quoted up front, added to the order, and paid by the buyer, not absorbed into our pricing. Raise it early so the number is on the quote rather than discovered on the invoice.
Where we do recommend it: any lab-grown diamond order headed to a retail counter. Cost it in before you set your retail price, not after — of the documents on this page, this is the one that moves your unit price enough to matter. Availability and lead time depend on the specific stone, so confirm both at the quote stage.
Two things worth knowing as a reseller:
- GIA is the wrong name for moissanite. GIA grades natural and lab-grown diamonds. It does not issue grading reports for moissanite, which is silicon carbide — a different material. A supplier advertising "GIA certified moissanite" is misusing the name.
- GIA changed its lab-grown reports. Since October 1, 2025, GIA's lab-grown reports use "premium" and "standard" categories instead of D–Z color and FL–I3 clarity scales. If a customer compares an older report with a newer one, that is why the fields differ. IGI reports continue to grade with the full 4Cs, which is one reason IGI remains the more common document in the lab-grown trade.
What We Would Rather You Judge Us On
Documents are a printer's job. These are not.
Every order passes a dedicated QC before shipment:
- Measurement against spec — stones checked against the calibrated size ordered, because a reorder that arrives off-size will not seat in a setting you already tooled
- Color and clarity spot-check — confirmed against the grade stated on the order
- Setting integrity — prong seating, polish, and stone security on finished pieces
- Photo record before packing — images of your actual order sent to you before the box is closed
Ask for the QC photos on any order, including a one-piece sample. If something is wrong, you will see it before it clears customs, not after.
How to Ask for Documents — and How to Price Them
State it at the quote stage, in one line. Tell us:
- Which document — GRA card, IGI report, or both
- Which stones — the whole order, or specific pieces
- Where it is going — destination market and whether an end client will see the document
- When you need it by — if the order is tied to a launch date, say so; documentation adds time
We will come back with availability, lead time, and the fee. The GRA card fee is fixed, so that number is the same whatever your order looks like. IGI is quoted per stone, because that fee depends on the stone itself.
If you are unsure whether you need it, ask for both numbers. Two quotes for the same order — with documentation and without — cost you nothing and make the decision visible. Most buyers know within a minute which one their market needs once they see the gap. Some are surprised by how small it is on a moissanite order, and by how large it is on a lab-grown one.
What to Tell Your Customer
If you resell these pieces, the certificate conversation is yours to have — and what you say depends on which version you bought.
If your order included a GRA card:
"The moissanite comes with a GRA specification card that records the stone's measurements, color, and clarity. It is not a diamond grading report — moissanite is silicon carbide, not carbon, and it is graded as moissanite. If you want independent laboratory grading, that is a priced option on lab-grown diamonds — I can quote it for you."
If your order shipped without documentation, say that plainly instead of letting the silence imply something worse — and treat it as an upsell rather than an apology:
"This piece is sold with the stone's specifications recorded on your invoice. It does not include a separate certificate card. If you would like one, we can add it — documentation is a separate service and priced as such."
What does not hold up: presenting a GRA card as though it were a laboratory grading report, or implying that an unpapered stone is a lesser stone. That is where returns and chargebacks come from.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my order come with a certificate, and does it change the price?
Not by default. If you ask for a GRA card, a fixed add-on fee appears as its own line on your quote — the same fee on every order. What it does not do is change the stone's price: quotes differ between orders because of stone size, design, and metal weight, not paperwork.
Is a stone without a certificate lower quality?
No. Same cutting line, same calibrated sizing, same grades, same QC. The card is added to a stone that was already going into your order — it is not a sorting mechanism, and we do not keep a "certified" pile and a "seconds" pile. What changes without documentation is the paperwork and the card fee, not the stone.
Can I get two quotes for the same order, with and without documents?
Yes, and we would rather you did. Ask for both numbers and compare them side by side. It is the fastest way to decide whether documentation earns its cost in your market.
Is GRA certification legitimate?
A GRA card is a real document issued by a trade body serving the moissanite industry, and it records your stone's specifications. It is not independent laboratory grading in the sense that an IGI diamond report is. Its standing varies by market and by buyer, so we describe it accurately and let you decide what it is worth to your customer.
Does moissanite come with an IGI certificate?
Not as standard, and almost no buyer orders it. The stones must travel to the laboratory, and the fee runs to several times the cost of the stone or the setting. If a client requires it for a specific order, the fee is theirs to bear: quoted up front, added to the order, paid by the buyer.
Can I get GIA certification for moissanite?
No. GIA grades diamonds — natural and lab-grown. It does not issue grading reports for moissanite. Any supplier offering "GIA certified moissanite" is misusing the name.
Does a certificate add time to my order?
It can. Documentation is arranged around the stones in your specific order, so build it into your launch timeline rather than adding it at the last minute — and if the order is tied to a date, tell us when you ask for the quote, not after it is confirmed.
What if the certificate doesn't match the stone?
Send us photos and the report number. A mismatch is our problem to resolve — we will replace the stone or the document.