This article first appeared in the JNA January/February 2025 issue.

The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) is continuously honing its expertise as one of the most renowned and innovative gemmological institutions in the trade, and over the coming years, new initiatives will centre on coloured gemstones, jewellery grading, education and traceability.

JNA sits down with GIA Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Pritesh Patel to talk about business development and direction in 2025 aimed at further fortifying consumer confidence in the industry.

JNA: Which core areas is GIA focusing on in 2025 and why?

Pritesh Patel: We have been doing coloured gemstone grading for a long time, but we are focusing more on this sector now given the rising demand for coloured gemstones. We are introducing new services like our Jade Grading Report that was rolled out in 2024.

We will launch a new look and feel to our grading reports soon. There is also jewellery grading. A couple of years ago, we started offering jewellery verification services in the US in partnership with eBay. This service is similarly available in the UK, and we are looking to expand to Japan, India and other countries, and collaborate not just with eBay but other platforms as well. Educating retailers around the world alongside traceability are also significant aspects of our strategy.

JNA: How critical are technological advancements like artificial intelligence (AI) to modern gemmology?

Patel: Technology continues to play a vital role in our operations as it has for many decades. Our primary focus is on research and innovation. We use technology in treatment detection and instrumentation in our grading services. Meanwhile, AI and machine learning help drive consistency and reliability in grading to further enhance efficiency and consumer confidence. However, there is still a human aspect that will remain in the grading process.

In general, there are more opportunities than drawbacks to using AI. For instance, there are new evolving treatments being developed every day, which is a threat to the industry. The way GIA looks at it is that graders can use the technology to assist them and help develop new skills sets so we can go into different categories such as coloured gemstones. We use machine learning for origin determination in coloured gemstones.

JNA: What is next for GIA? What new initiatives can we expect from GIA onwards?

Patel: GIA is a mission-focused organisation, and our mandate is to protect the consumer in multiple ways. Development and innovation begin with research, which drives everything that we do at GIA. We apply a huge chunk of our knowledge and expertise into education and teaching the next generation of retailers who are entering the industry. We educate consumers too. On top of our laboratory services, we are going to enhance our coloured gemstone services and offerings as well as our jewellery grading. As our technology evolves further, we are looking into areas where we can create new standards.

AI will figure a great deal in our grading processes. Traceability is also going to be a big part of GIA. Our partnership and collaboration with Tracr on this front will ensure that the diamond’s fascinating journey is shared to consumers around the world.

There is a lot of innovation that is happening at GIA, which will benefit the industry and, ultimately, the consumer. And you will see those innovations coming in terms of the introduction of new technologies and instrumentation.