This article first appeared in the GEMSWORLD 2025.

ICA GemLab is further strengthening investments in technology, research and education to meet soaring demand for traceability in the global gemstone and jewellery business.

Central to this strategy is greater use of artificial intelligence (AI) in grading and origin determination as well as providing faster and increasingly accessible and mobile gemstone reports.

Consumer education and awareness are similarly important in advancing the company’s core goals, revealed ICA GemLab COO Amira Hatta.

Innovations

ICA GemLab recently unveiled its new Enfold Identification Report, Enfold Identification & Origin Report, and a spectrum of coloured gemstone charts. According to Hatta, the new Enfold Identification Report was well-received by the market, primarily because of its affordability.

Its Travel Card, which costs the same as Enfold, is a compact and portable report that offers ultimate convenience. However, the Enfold reports, with their compact and trifold design, are more detailed and have a more luxurious appeal.

The lab’s free colour charts, aimed at boosting market engagement with a fun product that could inspire interest in coloured gemstones, are also garnering attention.

“Plans are underway to introduce new services,” shared Hatta. “These include incorporating a new machine-learning software into our services to conduct origin determination at a faster pace.”

Hatta pointed to an increasing interest in origin determination among ICA GemLab’s clients, suggesting greater emphasis on mine-to-market traceability within the trade. ICA GemLab has also been exploring fresh areas of growth in the last few years with its new company – GAIA Scientific, which is expected to play a critical role in the lab’s future.

“Under GAIA, we have been developing an AI and machine-learning software to further enhance our origin determination services,” noted Hatta. “The software’s database and processing will allow us to extend our reach and hone our precision, enabling us to trace gemstones to specific mines.”

This could also result in faster, more affordable and increasingly mobile services catering to a more expansive international market. ICA GemLab’s software currently has a 97 per cent accuracy rate for rubies from eight locations.

“We hope to continue developing and improving our services through technology and innovation,” added Hatta.

2024 and 2025

ICA GemLab recorded a high volume of gemstones sent to its facility for testing in 2024. Among the main treatments it detected were beryllium and titanium diffusion, borax treatments and glass-filling. Its origin-determination services were likewise high in demand.

In 2025 and onwards, ICA GemLab will continue to provide services that meet the progressively sophisticated needs of today’s consumers. Hatta said, “We will continue to push ourselves towards creating the most transparent, ethical and affordable reports possible, helping grow and build trust within the industry. Most importantly, we want to make knowledge and education more accessible to a wider range of customers.”

Several exciting projects are likewise in the offing over the coming years. While retaining its main operations in Thailand, it will continue to break new ground in gemmological research and through GAIA Scientific.

ICA GemLab will also introduce new educational initiatives in collaboration with renowned industry experts – all the while remaining dedicated to its mission of promoting transparency and responsibility within the gemstone and jewellery trade, explained Hatta.