The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) is planning to expand its coloured gemstone reports and services to include a wider range of specimens as market appetite for coloured gemstones continues to gain steam.

GIA has been strengthening its focus on coloured gemstones by introducing new reports and constantly innovating to stay ahead of new gemstone treatments.

In December last year, GIA announced an enhancement to its emerald reports, offering an option to identify filler material, should such material be detected. In 2023, the institute unveiled The GIA Jade Report, which was well-received in the market. The new Jade Report aligned GIA’s reporting nomenclature with the trade, including a dedicated section to detail the type of jade and, when appropriate, the trade term “Fei Cui.”

“Over the last decade and particularly since 2022, we have seen significantly increasing demand for our coloured gemstone reports and services,” revealed Shane McClure, global director, Colored Stone Services at GIA.

The lab also offers the highly popular GIA Colored Stone Identification Report and GIA Colored Stone Identification and Origin Report.

GIA's global reach, extensive research programme and constant engagement with the trade are critical to staying on top of industry developments. In turn, this vast repository of knowledge and insight is utilised to disseminate information, protect consumers and develop new services.

The enhanced emerald report, for instance, is a shining example of how GIA leverages its experience and expertise to respond to the needs of the trade, added McClure.

With the spotlight on coloured gemstone services, the institute is eyeing further improvements to its existing reports and services.

“We are working to determine if it would be feasible to expand our coloured gemstone origin services beyond natural ruby, sapphire, emerald, Paraiba tourmaline, red spinel and alexandrite to such gemstones as opal, demantoid and peridot,” shared McClure.

On top of its game

The institute constantly evaluates new instrumentation, technology and techniques to advance its coloured gemstone services. These advancements are also supported by GIA’s extensive database of information on an expansive range of coloured gemstones from various locales, coupled with expert insights.

In addition, GIA is always on the lookout for new gems and new treatments in its identification laboratories around the world and in its scientific research.

For instance, GIA discovered nickel-diffused spinel in a group of samples examined by its researchers at its Bangkok facility in 2023. The stones were represented as being cobalt diffused, a treatment that had been known for some years. Chemical analysis using laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) however revealed that some of these stones were diffused with nickel instead of cobalt, a process that had not been reported until then.

“We are applying what we learned from studying this previously unknown process to examine whether diffusion with other as-yet-not-seen elements may be used for other coloured gemstones,” remarked McClure.
For many years, GIA used advanced statistical techniques and modeling to analyse the information it collects, which helped refine the lab’s identification processes. The advent of machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) could potentially revolutionise these methods for gemmological labs.

While GIA is actively investigating the possibility of AI’s useful applications in the identification and evaluation of coloured gemstones, McClure said the role of trained, experienced experts is and will remain vital to the rigorous evaluation of coloured gemstones.

Moving forward, GIA will work to further increase the capacity of its coloured gemstone services to reduce service time while maintaining the precision and independence that the trade and consumers value and expect from it, noted McClure.

Seminar

GIA is holding a seminar on “Treatments and Color Terminology on GIA Colored Stone Reports” at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre om March 7, 2025 from 2:30pm to 3:15pm. 

GIA Field Gemology Manager Wim Vertriest will address the significance of terms such as "Pigeon Blood" and "Royal Blue" as they pertain to rubies and sapphires. Participants will gain insights into the nuances of heat treatments disclosed for these gemstones, including their effects on gem quality and how GIA identifies them in the laboratories. 

GIA will also provide more details about the new emerald Filler ID service and introduce the filler types showing on GIA reports. 

Click here to watch "JNA Conversations – GIA: At the forefront of gemmological innovation"