Coloured Gemstone Identification
While renowned for its diamond grading expertise, GIA also receives a vast array of coloured gemstones for identification. Over the decades, the Institute has created a database of information on more than 100,000 individual coloured gemstones. Using this database and sophisticated analytical tools, GIA graders and researchers can pinpoint a gem's identity and, depending on the gemstone, its geographic origin.
They also identify synthetics, simulants, and stones that have undergone treatment. A particularly important activity is determining whether a gemstone's colour is natural or the result of a treatment process. GIA's processes for evaluating coloured stones involve multiple graders and the same item identification and tracking procedures used in diamond grading.
