I recently went to a doctor, and I live in a so-called “can do” state where medicine is socialized and centralized. One of the sad side effects of centralized government-controlled medicine is that doctors stop thinking and become robots of the Health Ministry. When I went to the doctor, I wanted a certain test done. He said that the Health Ministry doesn’t recommend the test. I asked him what he thought, personally, as a doctor who knows medicine and who was trained and educated to heal. He repeated that the Health Ministry doesn’t recommend the test. I can of course look up health ministry policy myself. What I can’t do is be a doctor. In the realm of health care, having a centralized bureaucracy is not such a good thing. But in the realm of jewelry, it’s a pretty good idea to have diamond certificates.
Here’s the difference. Health care is not a static enterprise. It’s elastic, and each case is different from the next. There is no strict rubric, only general guidelines that are interpreted by every individual doctor. With diamond certificates, everything is rigid, static, and unchanging. There is an exact rubric for diamond certificates based on the quality of a diamond which can be measured exactly with good tools and expert skill. In other words, those who issue diamond certificates are not making an estimation or a value judgment. They are simply describing the certified diamond and telling you want it is in reality, and issuing a diamond certificate in accordance with the objective value they determine. In that case, having that institution issue a diamond certificate does not mean it’s thinking for you. It’s only examining reality with tools that you do not have and giving you a number.
It is a profoundly bad idea to purchase any diamond that is not a certified diamond and does not come with a diamond certificate. First and foremost because it may not even be a diamond, but rather may be a simulated diamond or a synthetic diamond. Secondly, without a centralized grading system, there would be no agreed upon price for diamonds. With diamond certificates, the industry is regulated and cheating becomes a lot harder. Perhaps Zoara can explain it better why these certificates are so important. Read about diamond certification on their site if you are still not convinced.
The three most reliable institutes that issue diamond certificates are the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), the Diamond High Council of Belgium (HRD), and the American Gem Society Laboratories (AGSL). Before you purchase a diamond, make absolutely sure it carries a diamond certificate from of those institutions. A non certified diamond is a risk to your wallet you don’t have to take.
But when it comes to health care, forget about the Health Ministry. Ask your doctor what he thinks. If he refuses to think, get another doctor immediately.
