DiamondTMLists
New lists will be coming soon. Please check back!
What are these DiamondTM ratings?
DiamondTM is our automated 508 compliance auditing application. We rate websites according to the number of violations that DiamondTM discovers. These ratings enable us to educate and spread awareness of the need to make websites accessible to everyone.
How can I get a DiamondTM rating for my organization?
We do provide DiamondTM ratings and reports for organizations. These enable you to quickly and cost-effectively evaluate if your website is compliant with the fundamental 508 elements such as the requirement that all non-text elements have to possess a descriptor.
For more information, please see Our Approach section. To perform a complete 508 compliant audit for all the required elements, please contact us at [email protected].
E-Commerce Websites
DiamondTM ratings are used to help consumers choose websites that meet basic standards for security, usability, ethical standards and customer service. Especially useful when determining which online stores are safe to engage – where the user can have confidence that the business is both legitimate and trustworthy. When you do a search for “at home” testing STD kit, the sites that show up in the results are not filtered by Google in any way, so the consumer is left to his/her own devices in determining which to engage. If you are looking to test yourself for an STD without going to the doctor or a clinic, you want to make sure that the kit you are purchasing is accurate. When a friend of mine had been careless and wanted to test himself for an STD, he found a great site whose at home discreet std test kit was rated as between 95%-99% accurate. The site not only sold kits but also dispensed with helpful information including the admonishment: If your test is positive immediately see a medical professional for treatment and contact your sexual partner(s). No matter if you are purchasing furniture, clothing, or anything else where money is exchanged, make sure your online shopping experience is not ruined by fraud – insist on rated sites.
Affiliate Websites
Here ratings are used to help reassure visitors that the websites that refer traffic via reviews or recommendations are secure, ethical and legitimately offering valid referrals. In a world of fake reviews and bogus testimonials, higher standards are critical to ensure fraud is not in play. Any referrals that involve health, finance or well being require oversight by solid compliance standards. A good example are sites that refer players to online casinos. If you are a fan of online slots, searching for “online slots” or “best online slots for US players,” you need confidence that the sites you visit are going to treat you fairly – not weighted against you, and will payoff fully when appropriate. A site that is objectively providing information on slot games, even if they are sending traffic to a partner, will always provide truthful, reliable facts about the games they feature. Here trust is key, and honesty a necessity. When you finally land on an affiliate site providing such information, it is likely you will bookmark them, and be a repeat visitor, so it is to the advantage of these sites to gain a reputation of trust.
Precious Metals
Standards exist to help buyers understand the various qualities upon which value is determined, such as grade, color, purity, and special (including amalgams and other hybrids). Compliance with recognized standards is a requirement for evaluation.
The PMlists include ratings of sites for their compliance with metals standards set by the Standard Bank and the Precious Metals Blue Book. The sites may include both metal dealers and retailer who ply trade in raw metals, wholesale markets, industrial suppliers, and fabricators, including end sellers (jewelers and artisans).
GoldPMlists include ratings for the sellers of gold based products. Here again, we rate websites according to the number of violations that DiamondTM discovers. High ratings are not a guarantee but a guideline toward the evaluation of these businesses and websites.
SilverPMlists include ratings for the sellers of silver based products. Again, we rate websites according to the number of violations that DiamondTM discovers. High ratings should be viewed only as a guideline toward the evaluation of these businesses and websites.
DiamondTM welcomes your input and we always consider any report of violations of standards as well as reports of inappropriately sourced products. Our lists have become valued indicators for the global commerce in many markets due to the internationally acceptance of our standards.
A good example of the retail trade in silver can be seen in the jewelry marketplace. For the items known as solid silver jewelry, like sterling silver rings etc., compliance is not a requirement, because the accountability is held at the manufacturer or distributor level, ensuring that consumers are not tricked by false advertising. Similarly in the gold markets for gold earrings, compliance is again held at production or distribution rather than at the individual store level.