GCAL achieves ISO accreditation

New York—The Gem Certification and Assurance Lab (GCAL) has received an accreditation signifying it conforms to international standards for accurate and reliable diamond grading, the New York-based lab announced on Thursday.

GCAL is the first diamond-grading lab in North America to receive this accreditation, known as ISO 17052:2005, and only one of three diamond-grading labs in the world to achieve this certification.

The accreditation means that GCAL's lab is rated among the most technically competent in the world, offering clients accurate first-time grading, less retesting, enhanced consumer confidence and greater ease in selling goods overseas.

Because the ISO accreditation is internationally recognized, exporters don't have to retest for other markets. More than 40 laboratory accreditation bodies have signed a multi-lateral recognition statement called the ILAC Arrangement, which enhances acceptance of data across the borders of member countries.

GCAL President Donald Palmieri said in a media release that the accreditation marks a tremendous milestone in the company's growth and expansion.

"We are very proud to be the first lab in this country to conform to ISO laboratory standards, and we see it as a testament to offering the most reliable and accurate grading in the industry," he said. "Our customers expect more from GCAL and we want to live up to that expectation regardless of the time, effort or cost it takes to be the best."