Gemological Institute of America plans to enter certification of gold and studded jewellery from August to instill confidence in buyers, both in the domestic and export markets.

Pritesh Patel, Chief Operating Officer, GIA, said the institute has conducted a pilot on providing jewellery report service, for the last two months, on the successful launch of a similar service in the US.

The report will provide insights into the components of items submitted, including metal details, gemstone characteristics and existing engravings, and this has received good response from the industry and customers, he added.

Next step: Exports

GIA is also in talks with exporters as the demand for such certification will boost jewellery consignments to overseas markets, he said.

The GIA Jewellery Report will also include details of any other marking on the jewellery. In the US, GIA has tied up with e-Bay, which allows sale of any jewellery above $500 only with GIA certification.

Incidentally, GIA has named Patel as the Institute’s President and CEO from August 4. He will succeed Susan Jacques – the current President and CEO – at the end of this year.

Susan Jacques, President and CEO of the GIA, said India has played a significant role in diamond demand bouncing back, and its share in global demand has grown substantially over the last two decades to 11 per cent from 2 per cent.

The growth places India as the second-largest consumer of natural diamonds globally, behind the US, which still accounts for about 55 per cent of the sales, she said.

Lab-grown diamonds

On the decision to revise the description system for lab-grown diamonds, Jacques said the four attributes of cut, colour, clarity and carat in natural diamonds are rarely found in lab-grown diamonds and grading them on the same metrics will create unnecessary confusion in consumers’ mind.

For instance, 23 million carat of natural diamond was produced last year, while that of LGD was 60 million carat. The mass production of LGD led to prices crash and created confusion in the minds of consumers, she said.

“Our new grading system will clear the doubts in consumers mind and help them distinguish between the real diamond and LGD. However, the demand for LGD will continue to grow in certain segment given its affordability,” she said.

Published on June 26, 2025