The Gemological Institute of America has updated its Identification Reports for colored gemstones and that rubies, sapphires, and alexandrites will now receive their own gem-specific reports. In the past, only emeralds received their own reports.
The updated reports for unmounted or mounted gemstones will provide better descriptions, more detail, and more information on treatments, said Tom Moses, senior vice president of the GIA Laboratory and Research. In particular, the new Identification Reports will provide separate information for the species and variety of the submitted colored gemstone, as well as a quantification of treatments when present. Identification Reports for rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and alexandrite will now feature a photograph of the submitted gemstone.
GIA has also established a new fee schedule for the reports that, it says, reflect the increased need for more sophisticated testing.
The fee schedule is divided into four categories: Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, and Alexandrite Services; Gemstone Identification (for other gemstones); Pearl Services; and Additional Services, which include the updating and verification of previous reports.
The fee schedule went into effect March 1. It is available as a free PDF file on the GIA Web site and will be distributed throughout the year at trade shows and other events. For instructions for submitting gemstones directly to the GIA Laboratory from anywhere in the world, visit GIA’s Web site at www.gia.edu.
Customers who have questions, or would like to order the new fee schedule, can call a GIA Laboratory customer service representative at 800-421-7250, ext. 7590 (U.S. and Canada). From outside North America please call: 760-603-4000, ext. 7590 for the West Coast Laboratory or 212-221-5858, ext. 3724 for the New York Laboratory.
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