On May 18 and 19, the Board of Governors of the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) visited New York in the framework of the first meeting in 2014 and held the official opening ceremony of a new laboratory and GIA educational center located in the International Gem building Tower. In addition to discussing general issues related to current activities, the council paid much attention to the problem associated with the unprecedentedly high demand for GIA diamond identification and valuation services and the growing concern about the introduction of synthetic and processed diamonds on the market, Rapaport reports.
In order to solve the problem of increasing the timing of the evaluation of diamonds due to the high demand for GIA laboratory services, the governing body of the GIA instructed management to study the feasibility of establishing a laboratory in Surat, the center of the Indian diamond industry, and to provide support for the GIA program for hiring additional staff and implementation of other measures. The Council also decided to increase the amount of funding for further research on the ways to identify synthetic and laboratory-treated gemstones and introduce innovative technologies in this area in order to accelerate the evaluation process.
After the meeting, the chairman of the GIA Governing Council, John Green, said: "Over the past 18 months, the GIA has seen a sharp increase in demand for laboratory services, especially for diamonds weighing less than 0.5 carats. To solve the problem of extending the service delivery time, especially for the Indian diamond sector, which is becoming increasingly important, the GIA will consider creating a laboratory in Surat to bring our services closer to customers. "