RAPAPORT… New York (April 24, 2008)– After a rigid auditing period, Gem Certification and Assurance Lab (GCAL) was awarded ISO 17025:2005 accreditation, meaning that it conforms to recognized international standards for accurate and reliable grading. Specifically, this recognition means that GCAL’s lab is rated among the most technically competent in the world.
Laboratory Accreditation Bureau (LAB), the firm that performs certification assessment, provides third party attestation of technical confidence. “Laboratory tests are supposed to be repeatable and verifiable—we should all be doing it the same way,” explains Jason Stine, Testing Program Manager for LAB. Currently, GCAL is the only diamond grading lab in North America to earn this prestigious certification, and it is one of only three diamond grading labs in the world that is ISO 17025:2005 accredited.
This coveted certification stands for reassurance and minimal risk. An accredited lab offers several distinctions for its customers including accurate grading the first time/less retesting, enhancing consumer confidence, and making goods more easily accepted overseas. Because ISO is internationally recognized, exporters don’t have to retest for most other markets: Over 40 laboratory accreditation bodies have signed a multilateral recognition statement called the ILAC Arrangement, which greatly enhances the acceptance of data across the borders of member countries.
GCAL will continue to be tested periodically to ensure compliance with all regulations and standards. According to Donald A. Palmieri, president of GCAL, ISO accreditation is 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. 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.”
