What Is an HRD Certificate?
Key Takeaways
- When looking at a piece of jewelry together with its certificate. have you ever asked yourself what an HRD certificate is? Do you clearly understand what its role on that document is...
When looking at a piece of jewelry together with its certificate. have you ever asked yourself what an HRD certificate is? Do you clearly understand what its role on that document is for? If you do not know, or are not clear about it yet, that is perfectly fine. Please spend a little time with us and follow the article below. It will surely bring you the information you need.
What is an HRD certificate?
An HRD certificate (HRD Antwerp) is a diamond quality certification document issued by the Belgian Diamond High Council (Hoge Raad voor Diamant). Established in 1973 in Antwerp – the "diamond capital" of the world, HRD is the governing body that ensures transparency and legal value for diamonds through strict appraisal procedures.
- Origin: Under the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC).
- Role: Verify the natural origin, physical characteristics, and commercial value of diamonds based on international standards (IDC).
Figure 1: The formation process of the HRD certificate
In 2007, HRD (Hoge Raad voor Diamant) was renamed HRD Antwerp. This is considered the governing body that holds an important role in diamond certification and grading. The evaluation is based on extremely strict and rigorous standards set by the International Diamond Council (IDC). In particular, in addition to supervision, this organization also issues HRD certificates to qualified diamonds and gemstones.
What criteria does the HRD certificate use to evaluate diamonds?
A diamond that fully meets the 4 given criteria will be granted an HRD certificate. These 4 criteria include:
Carat (The value of the diamond's weight)
To measure the weight of diamonds and gemstones, experts use the unit Carat (ct). 1 carat equals 200 milligrams and 0.2 grams. The weight and size of the stone are measured carefully. Then, the detailed parameters are reported on the HRD certificate. Based on the weight of the diamond, you can classify it. At the same time, it also helps you assess the value of the diamond together with the other Cs (Cut, Clarity, Color).
Clarity (The value of a diamond's clarity)
The value of clarity evaluates the cleanliness level of a diamond. The cleanliness level is based on factors such as the position, size, number, and impact of imperfections on the diamond. These imperfections are divided into 2 types. Characteristics belonging to internal factors (Inclusion) and external characteristics (Blemish).
Figure 2: Evaluation of diamond clarity
The HRD certificate evaluates diamond clarity according to the following scales:
- LC/FL: Loupe–clean/Flawless.
- VVS1: Very and Very Slightly Included 1.
- VVS2: Very and Very Slightly Included 2.
- VS1: Very Slightly Included 1.
- VS2: Very Slightly Included 2.
- SI1: Slightly Included 1.
- SI2: Slightly Included 2.
- P1/I1: Piqué (or Included) 1.
- P2/I2: Piqué (or Included) 2.
- P3/I3: Piqué (or Included) 3.
Cut and Proportions (The value of cut and proportions)
For the HRD certificate, the cut of a diamond is rated on a scale from poor to ideal. In addition, they also pay great attention to proportions, polish, and symmetry. Each factor is evaluated based on the following scale:
- Fair (fairly good).
- Good (good).
- Very Good (very good).
- Excellent (excellent).
- Ideal (ideal).
Color (Color value)
Similar to GIA's diamond color classification criteria, for the HRD certificate, diamonds are arranged on a D–Z scale. Diamond color is classified as follows.
- Colourless: colorless, pure white (this is D, E, F color grade).
- Near Colourless: nearly colorless, rare white (G, H color grade).
- Near Colourless Slightly Tinted: nearly colorless and slightly white-tinted (I, J color grade).
- Faint Yellow: very light yellow (K – M color grade).
- Very Light Yellow: yellowish tint (N – R color grade).
- Light Yellow: light yellow (S – Z color grade).
- Fancy: colored diamonds.
The value of the HRD grading certificate
The HRD certificate plays an extremely important role for each diamond. Having this certificate helps users feel secure when buying, selling, and using diamonds.
Figure 3: The HRD certificate plays an extremely important role in evaluating the value of a diamond
Therefore, choose business addresses that provide diamonds with complete documentation to avoid buying low-quality diamonds at the price of real diamonds.
Hopefully, the information in this article will help you better understand what an HRD certificate is? If you are looking for a reputable and highly trustworthy place to buy and sell diamonds. Visit Jemmia today. With many years of operation in the diamond and gemstone field. Jemmia is committed to bringing customers the highest quality products and the most beautiful designs. Please contact Jemmia so that we can serve you.
