About the GIA

Gemological Institute of America

The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) is the leading authority on diamond and gemstones. It is engaged in research, education and development of standards for the field of gemology.

GIA Gemological Research

Since it's founding in 1931 the GIA has amassed an impressive series of developments and breakthroughs in the field of gemology.

Some of the major breakthroughs were:

• Patents the Triple Aplanatic Lens -  the jewelers loupe.
• Patents darkfield illumination: a lighting technique that allows internal characteristics of a gem to be illuminated more effectively.
• Patents the first gemological microscope. They still make microscopes today.
• Detected irradiated color-enhanced diamond treatments
• Identified beryllium diffused sapphires and rubies
• Identified chemical vapor deposition (CVD) synthetic diamonds

GIA Professional Education

The GIA at it's inception was a body that would educate jewelers. In it's iaugural year the GIA established a home study program that allowed jewelers to gain a professional title: the Certified Gemologist. It is the publisher of a gemology journal: Gems and Gemology among scores of other publications that have become a wealth of knowledge for gemologists worldwide.

GIA Gem Laboratory and Gem Standards

The GIA is dedicated to providing unbiased third party grading reports for diamonds and gemstones. They established the global standards for the diamond grading system that has become the most universally accepted grading system in the world.