GIA Makes Changes to Identification Reports
-- JCK-Jewelers Circular Keystone, 9/12/2007 12:24:00 PM
The Gemological Institute of America introduced several additional services to be offered in its newly enhanced colored gemstone Identification Reports. These new services include priority turnaround services, volume discounts, quality assurance reports, and expanded origin reports.
GIA is also offering analytical reports of the complete scientific examination of the gemstone.
“The GIA Laboratory has made a four-part commitment to the industry: to provide additional services to our clients, to add significant capacity, to perform the work in half the time that it previously took, and to accomplish this without sacrificing any of our standards,” said Tom Moses, senior vice president of GIA Laboratory and Research. "This set of new services is part of that new commitment to customer service in a rapidly changing and vastly expanding global industry."
On its “Identification Reports,” for colored stones, GIA will document the results of a full examination of a material and give such identifying characteristics as color, transparency, shape, cut, measurements, weight, along with a color photo.
When possible and requested, GIA will also offer country of origin opinions on ruby, sapphire, emerald, and tourmaline.
Next, new “Analytical Reports” are available from GIA that document the results of a full examination of the material as in the “Identification Report” service, but additionally provides the full data from which the conclusions were reached. This information would include normal gemological data such as RI, SG, UV fluorescence, a description of the inclusions, color distribution, plus UV/visible, IR and Raman spectroscopy and chemistry as appropriate.
GIA has also introduced four types of Quality Assurance Reports. These four QARs deal with sorting, batch testing, preliminary testing, and beryllium testing for corundum.
For example, a QAR for sorting could sort parcels of heated rubies by residue classifications, parcels of emeralds by clarity enhancement levels, and so forth.
A Batch Testing QAR could be a random testing of a parcel of amethyst by separating out natural from synthetic stones.
GIA is also inaugurating a new “Priority Service” on its Identification Reports and Analytical Reports. This is a rush service, that when available, guarantees a report will be generated within 48 hours of receipt of the item, excluding weekends and holidays. This is a guaranteed service; if the report is not ready for pick-up on time, the report will be free-of-charge.
In addition, GIA is beginning a “Volume Discount” service for its customers for both the Identification Reports and Analytical Reports. When 10 or more stones of the same type are submitted for the same report category, a reduction of 25 percent will apply to the total applicable fee. When more than 30 stones are submitted during one calendar month, a reduction of 25 percent will apply, though this service is limited to those clients with monthly accounts and for reports not already reduced in cost.
