A GRA certificate is a grading report issued by the Gales Gemological Research Association, a private organisation that records moissanite specifications. It lists your stone's carat weight, colour, clarity, cut and a unique inscription code. It is not a GIA report, it is not an independent valuation, and it should not be the reason you buy a piece of jewellery.
We include one in every Mariqe box, so it would be easy for us to tell you it matters more than it does. This page is the honest version instead.
What a GRA report actually contains
Open one and you will find the same fields a diamond report uses: carat weight, colour grade, clarity grade, cut grade, measurements in millimetres, and a certification code that matches an inscription on the stone. GRA describes itself as an organisation dedicated to moissanite archiving and data recording. It states plainly that it has no affiliation with GIA or any other gemmological authority.
That is the accurate way to think about it. It is a record of what the stone is, produced by the industry that makes moissanite, not an independent assessment produced by a body with a century of reputation to protect.
There is no such thing as GIA certified moissanite
This trips up a lot of shoppers, so it is worth stating clearly. The Gemological Institute of America grades natural diamonds and lab grown diamonds. Both are carbon. Moissanite is silicon carbide, a chemically different material, and GIA does not issue grading reports for it.
If you ever see moissanite advertised as GIA certified, that is a reason to walk away, not a reason to trust the seller.
The International Gemological Institute is the exception worth knowing about. IGI has issued grading reports for moissanite, using the same four Cs applied to diamonds, though only for a limited range of manufacturers. For moissanite outside that range, IGI offers an identification report or a certificate of authenticity rather than a full grading report.
We should be straightforward about this: Mariqe stones are not IGI graded. They come with a GRA report. If independent laboratory grading is the thing that would make you comfortable, it exists in this market and it is priced accordingly.
What the counterfeit warnings are really about
If you search for GRA you will find warnings about counterfeit reports, and they are real. They are also widely misdescribed, including by AI assistants, so here is what actually happened.
GIA received a run of calls from consumers who had been sent jewellery they never ordered. Some of those unsolicited packages arrived with counterfeit laboratory reports. Some of the fakes were GRA branded and claimed the stone was moissanite. Others were GIA branded and claimed it was a diamond. The American Gem Society published a consumer warning about it. The likely explanation is a brushing scam, where a seller ships cheap goods to harvested addresses in order to post fake verified reviews.
So the finding is about counterfeit paperwork arriving with unsolicited parcels. It is not a finding that GRA reports supplied with jewellery you actually chose and paid for are forgeries. The sensible conclusion is narrower and more useful: a certificate is easy to print, so a certificate on its own proves very little, whoever's name is on it.
Why the grade on the report will not help you choose
Here is the part almost nobody says out loud. Look across moissanite sellers and you will notice that nearly every stone is graded D colour and VVS1 clarity. Ours are. Most of our competitors' are too.
That is not a coincidence and it is not a conspiracy. Moissanite is grown in a laboratory under controlled conditions, and the process reliably produces colourless, near flawless material. Grading it against a scale designed for stones dug out of the ground, where D colour and VVS1 clarity are genuinely rare, produces a top grade almost every time.
Which means the grade on the report is close to useless as a way of telling one seller from another. If two sellers both say D and VVS1, and one charges $88 while the other charges $400, the report has told you nothing about the difference.
What to judge a moissanite seller on instead
| Document | Who issues it | What it actually tells you |
|---|---|---|
| GIA grading report | Gemological Institute of America | Nothing about moissanite. GIA does not grade it. |
| IGI moissanite grading report | International Gemological Institute | Independent grading, available on a limited range of moissanite |
| GRA report | Gales Gemological Research Association | The stone's recorded specifications and inscription code |
| Certificate of authenticity | The seller | That the seller says it is moissanite |
None of those four documents answers the question you actually care about, which is whether the piece will still look right in three years. For that, ask about the things a seller cannot fake with a printer:
- The metal, stated in full. Not "18k gold" on its own, but what the metal underneath is and what the plating on top is. Vague metal descriptions are the most common way an inexpensive piece is made to sound expensive.
- The returns policy, in numbers. How many days, who pays return postage, and which country you are posting to.
- The warranty, and what it covers. Ours is a Lifetime Moissanite Warranty covering manufacturing defects and unexpected changes to the stone's clarity, colour, fire or brilliance. That is a promise about the future, which a grading report is not.
- What happens when something goes wrong. Read the one and two star reviews, not the five star ones.
What this means for you
Keep the certificate. It carries your inscription code, it is useful for insurance records, and it is pleasant to have in the box. Just do not pay a premium for it, from us or from anyone else, and do not treat it as proof of value.
Buy on the metal specification, the warranty, the returns terms and the price. On those four we are happy to be compared with anyone. Every piece in our earrings collection lists its full specification on the product page.
Eterna Stud Earrings
Judge it on the specification: six-prong round moissanite studs in 925 sterling silver with platinum or 18k gold plating, D colour and VVS1 clarity, with a Lifetime Moissanite Warranty. From $88 a pair.
See the full specificationFrequently asked questions
Is a GRA certificate real?
GRA is a real organisation that issues moissanite grading reports, and the report in your box records your stone's specifications and inscription code. It is not affiliated with GIA and it is not an independent valuation, so treat it as a record rather than as proof of worth.
Can moissanite be GIA certified?
No. GIA grades natural and lab grown diamonds, which are carbon. Moissanite is silicon carbide and GIA does not issue grading reports for it. Any seller advertising GIA certified moissanite is describing something that does not exist.
Why is almost all moissanite graded D colour and VVS1 clarity?
Because it is grown in controlled laboratory conditions that reliably produce colourless, near flawless material. Top grades are the norm rather than the exception, which is why the grade does not usefully separate one seller from another.
Are the counterfeit GRA certificate warnings something I should worry about?
The warnings relate to unsolicited parcels sent in brushing scams, which arrived with forged reports under both the GRA and GIA names. They are not a finding about reports supplied with jewellery you chose and paid for. The wider lesson holds regardless: judge a seller on their metal specification, warranty and returns terms, not on their paperwork.
Does Mariqe offer IGI graded stones?
No. Our stones come with a GRA report. If independent laboratory grading is essential to you, IGI graded moissanite is available elsewhere and is priced accordingly.