Lab Grown Diamonds
You Have Lost the Grading Report
Recoverable in most cases, and the number you need is probably already on the stone.
Written by the Mapple Gems workshop, Surat Β· Updated 14 October 2026
Short answer
Most modern stones carry a girdle inscription β the report number laser-marked onto the stone itself, readable under magnification. Read it, then look it up on the laboratoryβs own website, where the full record is usually available free. If there is no inscription, the seller or an invoice may have the number. A lost paper copy is a minor problem; a stone with no number at all is a different situation and worth understanding.
This turns up most often when somebody needs to insure a piece, sell one, or settle a question about a stone years after buying it. It is usually fixable in an afternoon.
The report was never the important object β the NUMBER was, and on most modern stones the number is written on the stone rather than on the paper. A grading report is a record held by a laboratory; the printed sheet is a copy of it. So losing the sheet loses nothing as long as you can identify which record it was. That is what the girdle inscription is for: a laser marking around the stoneβs outer edge, invisible to the naked eye and readable under 10Γ magnification, carrying the report number. It survives everything the ring goes through β resizing, re-tipping, being reset into a completely different piece β because it is on the stone rather than the metal. It is also the only thing that ties a piece of paper to a specific stone, which is why we tell people to check it on arrival and not merely to file the report. Any jeweller can read it in under a minute with a loupe and a good light. So the recovery is: read the inscription, look the number up, download the record. Most laboratories publish a verification page for exactly this purpose.
How to recover it
- Check for an inscription. Under 10Γ magnification, look around the girdle β the outer edge where crown meets pavilion. It is easiest with the stone rotated slowly under a strong light.
- Ask a bench to read it if you cannot. It takes a minute and most will do it while you wait; it is also a good excuse to have the settings checked.
- Look the number up on the laboratoryβs own website β not on a third-party page and not from a supplied PDF.
- Save the record digitally, and note the number somewhere separate from the jewellery.
- If there is no inscription, ask the seller: invoices, order records and emails frequently carry the report number even when the paper is gone.
If the number cannot be found at all
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| Inscription present | Look it up β usually free |
| No inscription, seller reachable | Ask for the number or a copy |
| No inscription, seller gone | Fresh grading, or an appraisal |
| Accent stones | Never certified β nothing to find |
| Moissanite | No laboratory grades it at all |
The last two rows save people a fruitless search. Melee under about 0.20Β ct is never individually certified in any material, so accent stones have no report and never did β what exists is a parcel specification, if anyone recorded one. And no laboratory grades moissanite for cut, colour or clarity, so any document accompanying one is a sellerβs statement rather than a laboratory grading.
Getting a stone graded fresh
Possible, and worth understanding before committing. A laboratory generally grades loose stones, so a set stone must be unmounted and reset β two bench operations plus laboratory time and shipping, which is why this is usually reserved for significant stones.
Whether it is worth it depends on the purpose. For insurance, an appraisal describing the piece is normally sufficient and does not require unmounting. For selling, a report can matter more, because buyers pay for familiar paperwork. For your own reassurance, it rarely justifies the cost and the risk of unsetting.
If you do proceed, remember that the stone will come back loose and needing resetting, so factor a fresh set of seats and a settings check into the plan.
What insurers actually need
Less than people assume. A scheduled item generally needs a current appraisal stating retail replacement cost, plus photographs β and a report supports that but is rarely the requirement itself.
What matters more for a claim is the description: metal and karat, gram weight, centre stone millimetres and depth, accent count and size, shank width and thickness. That is what allows a piece to be rebuilt to the same specification rather than approximated, and it is available from the maker or from any bench with a gauge.
Ask your own insurer what they require rather than assuming, since it varies β and if the report is genuinely gone and cannot be recovered, say so plainly at the time rather than at the point of a claim.
So it does not happen again
Keep the number, not just the paper. Photograph the report, note the inscription number in a document alongside your written specification and photographs, and store all of it digitally and separately from the jewellery β a safe holding both the pieces and their only documentation is a single point of failure.
And one habit worth adopting whether or not anything is lost: check the inscription against the report number when a piece arrives. A report belongs to a stone and not to a ring, and that reading is the only thing that connects them.
Keep reading
Frequently asked questions
Can I replace a lost diamond grading report?
Usually. The report is a record held by the laboratory and the printed sheet is a copy, so if you can find the number you can retrieve it. Most modern stones carry the number as a girdle inscription, readable under 10Γ magnification.
Where is the inscription on a diamond?
Around the girdle β the outer edge where crown meets pavilion. It is invisible to the naked eye and easiest to read with the stone rotated slowly under strong light at 10Γ. Any bench can read it in about a minute.
Can a set stone be graded without removing it?
Generally not β laboratories grade loose stones, so a set stone must be unmounted and reset afterwards. That is two bench operations plus laboratory time, which is why it is usually reserved for significant stones or for selling.
Do I need the report to insure my ring?
Usually not β a current appraisal stating retail replacement cost, plus photographs, is the normal requirement. The detailed description matters more for a claim than the report does, since it is what lets a piece be rebuilt to specification. Ask your own insurer.
Write the inscription number down today.
It is on the stone, it survives every repair, and it is the one detail that makes a lost report a ten-minute problem.
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