Grade Achievement
A strategic pathway from your stone's current Swiss-lab classification toward a higher one. Sometimes the answer is treatment. Sometimes it is recutting. Sometimes it is a second laboratory. Often it is none of these.
Every collector who has ever sent a stone to a second laboratory knows what we mean. The first certificate said 'Moderate.' The second, on the same stone, said 'Minor.' Or vice versa. The difference between those two words can mean tens of thousands of dollars at resale. Grade Achievement is the advisory practice we have built around understanding when, why, and how grades move.
This is not Clarity Enhancement under a different name. Clarity Enhancement is hands-on laboratory work. Grade Achievement sits one level up — the strategic frame around any stone whose owner wants a different grade on the report. Sometimes the right answer involves our laboratory. Sometimes it involves recutting. Our role is to read your stone, read its report, read the market into which it will re-emerge. Then we will tell you in writing or in person the most likely paths to a more desirable grade.
What's included
Strategic consultation
A written or verbal assessment with the suitable paths to the desirable grade, we wil discuss the complexity, risk, and likely outcome.
Trusted facilities
For your complete peace of mind, all stones are fully insured and securely stored in our professionally managed facilities in Central, Hong Kong—where advanced security and meticulous care are our standard.
Choosing the correct report
After the initial assessment of the stone, we will navigate together selecting the best third part report option for the stone.
Cutter coordination
If recutting is necessary, we will coordinate with our cutter for the best route for the stone.
Third-party lab issues? We've got your tailored solutions.
The process
Three stages, two to eight workings weeks
-
01
Strategic assessment
A structured conversation, in person or by video. We examine the stone, its history, and its report together. Then we provide a verbal or written assessment with a clear sense of the path forward.
-
02
Execution
After our observation and testing of the stones, the completion timeline we suggest is only a guideline as it can vary depending on execution and the difficulty of the job.
-
03
Completion
We personally examine every stone after completion, we will then recommend the client which third party lab report to acquire unless they request otherwise.
Recent grade achievements
Three stones, three different paths
-
Before
After
-
Before
After
-
Before
After
Who this is for
Grade Achievement is for clients who value the report as much as the stone itself—whether you are a trader seeking to enhance value, a client exploring options after an undesired grade, or a collector maximizing portfolio performance across multiple pieces. We provide the expertise and guidance to help you achieve the grade—and the value—your stones deserve.
Frequently asked
How is this different from Clarity Enhancement?
Clarity Enhancement is improving the clarity of the stone. Grade Achievement is removal of treatment to achieve a certain grade requested by the client or from our professional recommendation.
Is choosing a different laboratory dishonest?
No. Laboratories are interpretive bodies, not measurement instruments. Each has known house styles and known relative strengths. Auction houses, traders and serious collectors all know which report giver they prefer to see for which kind of stone. Choosing the laboratory that best represents the stone honestly is part of the work.
What success rates do you see?
Since our incorporation, approximately 80% of our Grade Achievement engagements resulted in a higher tier on the final report.