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EGL USA owner now issuing GHI grading reports
The owner of EGL USA is now issuing grading reports under the GHI brand name, as the lab continues to work to distance itself from the EGL International brand.
New York--The owner of EGL USA is now issuing grading reports under the GHI brand name, as the lab continues to work to distance itself from the EGL International brand, which has been damaged by accusations of over-grading.
The new GHI Gemological Laboratory is part of Gemology Headquarters International (GHI), a research-only facility EGL USA’s owner opened in Miami in 2007 to keep EGL USA’s research separate from the EGL brand name and allow it to be published internationally, EGL USA and GHI Director Mitch Jakubovic said Thursday.
While the owner of EGL USA has been operating this research facility for eight years, and EGL USA has had a satellite lab in Miami, they have never issued grading reports under the GHI name, until now.
Though EGL USA is not affiliated with EGL International, the issues with the latter being accused of over-grading have come to a head in the past few months, with Martin Rapaport opting to remove all EGL reports from his diamond trading network and EGL eventually killing the “EGL International” name and vowing to clean up its grading practices around the world.
EGL USA executive manager Deborah Jakubovic points out that EGL USA has been waiting for two years for a federal court to rule on its request to prevent any EGL grading reports from coming into the United States from overseas, but that nothing can be done to compel the court to move forward.
GHI gives EGL USA the chance to have something separate and distinct or, as Mitch Jakubovic puts it, a “clean brand name” that affords them the opportunity for international expansion.
GHI Gemological Laboratory will operate in three different locations: New York, Los Angeles and Miami, and though it is under the same ownership as EGL USA, the two companies will operate independently.
Jakubovic said they will continue to issue EGL USA grading reports. “EGL USA--the brand is alive and well,” he said.
GHI will issue loose white and colored diamond reports in both digital and printed bi-fold formats that display the data in a user-friendly, easy-to-read manner, the lab said.
A variety of customized tools also will be released on an ongoing basis to support retail and consumer clients both online and in stores.
While EGL USA was removed from RapNet, Jakubovic said their “intention” is for GHI-graded diamonds, which are grading using EGL USA standards, to
be listed on all major diamond selling platforms. He acknowledged that it was a “big issue” for EGL USA reports to be removed from RapNet.
Martin Rapaport, who has said in the past that EGL USA should get a new name, could not immediately be reached for comment on the matter Thursday.
--Associate Editor Brecken Branstrator contributed to this story.
Editor’s note: This story has been corrected to reflect the fact that while EGL USA and GHI Gemological Laboratory have the same owner they are two separate companies.
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