My IGI VS2 princess cut has an inclusion I can see from arm's length. IGI is a joke.

I'm not exaggerating. 1.2ct princess cut, IGI certified VS2, F color. I paid $3,800 from an online retailer. When I got it and looked at it in normal indoor light — not a loupe, not a microscope, just my eyes — I could see a black crystal sitting right in the middle of the table.

I sent it to a local GIA-trained gemologist. Her assessment: SI2 at best, possibly I1 depending on the angle.

The retailer offered a refund but said "IGI grading standards differ from GIA." That's not a defense. That's an admission.

How is it legal to sell a stone with a visible inclusion as VS2? I've read that IGI grades about 1-1.5 grades more generously than GIA on natural diamonds. This is worse than that. This is fraudulent.

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u/diamondcritics2h ago

This is a known issue with IGI's natural diamond grading. Their lab-grown grading is considered tighter because volume and automation force consistency. For natural stones, the variance between IGI graders is significant — some stones are graded accurately, some are inflated by a full grade or more. The VS2 you're describing sounds like it got an inflated grade.

u/Sarah_Collins_NYC2h ago

Same thing happened to my sister. IGI VVS2 that a local jeweler immediately flagged as VS2. The problem is most people never get a second opinion because they trust the cert. The cert is supposed to be the second opinion.

u/anilpandav19932h ago

@venkat — Natural. 100% natural. The cert says "Natural Diamond" at the top. And yes, I've now heard from multiple people that IGI natural = buyer beware. I wish someone had said that before I spent $3,800.

u/Oliver_Hughes2h ago

I'd push harder on the refund. The stone was misrepresented. "IGI grading standards differ" isn't a valid excuse — they should be grading to the same GIA-developed standards. If they're consistently grading easier they're knowingly selling misgraded stones. That's consumer fraud territory.

u/gemvenkat2h ago

Is this a natural or lab stone? I've seen IGI lab stones that are accurate and IGI natural stones that are... creative. They seem to have much tighter QC on the lab side because those certs are automated. Natural stones go through human graders and that's where the variance creeps in.