GIA announces new initiatives for Indian market
These examinations are part of its gemstone identification and pearl services and focus on the gemological examination of the gems in the jewellery pieces, GIA said.
The description in the Finished Jewellery Report will include metal verification and ranges for the clarity, colour, and estimated carat weight of D-to-Z diamonds that don't already have GIA reports for unmounted diamonds.
The Jewellery Report will also include details of any current markings. For diamonds that have existing GIA report numbers, the specific grades will be detailed on the report with a link to GIA's Report Check for additional verification, it said.
Beginning later this year, GIA said it will start using descriptive terms to characterize the quality of laboratory-grown diamonds and will no longer use the colour and clarity nomenclature that it has developed for natural diamonds.
The Institute will continue to accept laboratory-grown diamonds for evaluation and identification, it said.
The revised GIA description system for laboratory-grown diamonds will confirm that the submitted item is a laboratory-grown diamond and whether it falls into one of two categories, 'premium' or 'standard.'
The categories will be defined by a combination of metrics related to colour, clarity and finish. If the man-made diamond fails to achieve the minimum standard for quality, it will not receive a designation from GIA.
Until the revised descriptive system for laboratory-grown diamonds is finalized, the current GIA services for laboratory-grown diamonds will continue to be available, it added.
'More than 95% of laboratory-grown diamonds entering the market fall into a very narrow range of colour and clarity. Because of that, it is no longer relevant for GIA to describe man-made diamonds using the nomenclature created for the continuum of colour and clarity of natural diamonds,' GIA said.
This change will help consumers understand the important differences in the two products' origin, ensuring their confidence and enabling them to make informed and educated purchase decisions, it said.
Susan Jacques, President & CEO, at briefing in Mumbai reiterated the Institute's commitment for integrity and independence. She said that GIA India would maintain a steadfast focus on its mission to uphold trade & consumer confidence in India's gems and jewellery business at a time when there is a lot of confusion.
GIA also named Pritesh Patel, as its new President and Chief Executive Officer, effective August 4, 2025.
He holds a Master of Business Administration from the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California.
He will be responsible for operational strategy, planning, developing and implementing innovative solutions.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
6 days ago
- Time of India
GIA discontinues 4Cs certification for lab-grown diamonds
The world's foremost authority on gemology and the world diamond certification body The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) has said it will discontinue giving certificates to consumers for lab-grown diamond (LGD) jewellery as they have decided to do away with the classification of LGDs based on colour, clarity, cut and carat weight – popularly known as 4Cs in the diamond trade parlance. However, the institute will continue to accept laboratory-grown diamonds for evaluation and identification. Pritesh Patel, chief operating officer of GIA, said that they will not issue any certificate to the buyers of LGD jewellery anymore. 'We provide that 4C certificate for natural diamond jewellery, but we will not extend that certification to LGDs.' GIA has offices in Mumbai and Surat – the trading and cutting, and polishing hub for diamonds, respectively. GIA invented the famous 4Cs of colour, clarity, cut and carat weight and in 1953 created the International Diamond Grading System, which is recognised around the world as the standard for diamond quality. Confirming the development, Vishwanath G, chairman of South India-based Wondr Diamonds, which sells both natural and LGDs, said, 'The GIA certification will continue for natural diamonds, but the institute will discontinue with certification for LGDs based on 4Cs. Now it will not issue that certificate.' Apart from GIA, the International Gemological Institute (IGI) issues certification for both natural and lab-grown diamonds . However, IGI is yet to reveal its certification strategy for LGDs. Earlier, GIA would issue a certificate for both natural and LGDs on the same parameters. 'Only the certificates mentioned natural or lab-grown diamonds. Otherwise, the certificates would look similar,' said a Mumbai-based diamond retailer. India produces 20 million carats of LGDs annually. 'Natural diamonds are rare, and it takes billions of years to form natural diamonds. The supply of the rock is limited. On the contrary, LGDs are man-made and can be produced at any time. Therefore, they are not comparable in any way. And consumers should not have any confusion about that,' said Susan Jacques, President & CEO of GIA. More than 95 per cent of laboratory-grown diamonds entering the market fall into a very narrow range of colour and clarity. Because of that, it is no longer relevant for GIA to describe man-made diamonds using the nomenclature created for the continuum of colour and clarity of natural diamonds, Jacques said. GIA will start using descriptive terms to characterise the quality of laboratory-grown diamonds and will no longer use the colour and clarity nomenclature that it developed for natural diamonds. The revised GIA description system for laboratory-grown diamonds will confirm that the submitted item is a laboratory-grown diamond and whether it falls into one of two categories, 'premium' or 'standard.' The categories will be defined by a combination of metrics related to colour, clarity and finish. If the man-made diamond fails to achieve the minimum standard for quality, it will not receive a designation from GIA. Until the revised descriptive system for laboratory-grown diamonds is finalised, the current GIA services for laboratory-grown diamonds will continue to be available. This change to how GIA describes the quality of laboratory-grown diamonds will help consumers understand the important differences in the two products' origin, ensuring their confidence and enabling them to make informed and educated purchase decisions, Jacques added.
The Hindu
7 days ago
- The Hindu
GIA announces new initiatives for Indian market
Gemological Institute of America(GIA), which is into diamond/gem grading and analysis, education and research has announced the introduction of its Finished Jewellery Report & Coloured Stone Report service in India to provide details about the jewellery piece's components including the metal, gemstone characteristics, and existing engravings. These examinations are part of its gemstone identification and pearl services and focus on the gemological examination of the gems in the jewellery pieces, GIA said. The description in the Finished Jewellery Report will include metal verification and ranges for the clarity, colour, and estimated carat weight of D-to-Z diamonds that don't already have GIA reports for unmounted diamonds. The Jewellery Report will also include details of any current markings. For diamonds that have existing GIA report numbers, the specific grades will be detailed on the report with a link to GIA's Report Check for additional verification, it said. Beginning later this year, GIA said it will start using descriptive terms to characterize the quality of laboratory-grown diamonds and will no longer use the colour and clarity nomenclature that it has developed for natural diamonds. The Institute will continue to accept laboratory-grown diamonds for evaluation and identification, it said. The revised GIA description system for laboratory-grown diamonds will confirm that the submitted item is a laboratory-grown diamond and whether it falls into one of two categories, 'premium' or 'standard.' The categories will be defined by a combination of metrics related to colour, clarity and finish. If the man-made diamond fails to achieve the minimum standard for quality, it will not receive a designation from GIA. Until the revised descriptive system for laboratory-grown diamonds is finalized, the current GIA services for laboratory-grown diamonds will continue to be available, it added. 'More than 95% of laboratory-grown diamonds entering the market fall into a very narrow range of colour and clarity. Because of that, it is no longer relevant for GIA to describe man-made diamonds using the nomenclature created for the continuum of colour and clarity of natural diamonds,' GIA said. This change will help consumers understand the important differences in the two products' origin, ensuring their confidence and enabling them to make informed and educated purchase decisions, it said. Susan Jacques, President & CEO, at briefing in Mumbai reiterated the Institute's commitment for integrity and independence. She said that GIA India would maintain a steadfast focus on its mission to uphold trade & consumer confidence in India's gems and jewellery business at a time when there is a lot of confusion. GIA also named Pritesh Patel, as its new President and Chief Executive Officer, effective August 4, 2025. He holds a Master of Business Administration from the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California. He will be responsible for operational strategy, planning, developing and implementing innovative solutions.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
7 days ago
- Business Standard
GIA to expand Indian offerings, revise grading for lab-grown diamonds
Gemological Institute of America (GIA) will continue to add new services to the Indian market to ensure that consumer confidence in gems and jewellery remains intact. 'We certainly understand the criticality of how India's retail market is growing, and as our mission is to ensure consumer confidence in gems and jewellery, we will continue to add new services as required to ensure that confidence remains,' Susan Jacques, president & global chief executive officer at GIA told Business Standard. Jacques, however, did not elaborate on what services are expected. 'I can't give you definitive plans, but we certainly have continual conversations about what our presence needs to be and where. In education, we have obviously a different plan than for laboratory services, but we see great opportunity in coloured stones,' Jacques said. She also added that GIA has introduced pearl services as well in the Indian market. 'We don't necessarily need to enlarge our footprint to provide our services. As India was a diamond dominant, and our clients who submit for our services in most cases are not necessarily the retailer, they're the manufacturer. Being present for diamonds in India was extremely important, and we came early,' she explained. While talking about emerging trends, she said that in the US market, a lot of people are choosing different cuts for diamonds than previous generations. 'We're seeing a huge shift towards fancy cut diamonds versus a traditional round cut. We're seeing people aspiring to have a coloured gemstone for an engagement ring. As trends evolve and as the consumer preferences change, we adapt to the necessary services we can provide,' Jacques said.
