International News
CIBJO report considers listing gem labs complying with Blue Book Standards
With less than a month to go before the CIBJO Congress 2025 opens in Paris on 27th October, the seventh pre-congress Special Report has been released by the CIBJO Gemmological Commission, chaired by Hanco Zwaan.

“There have in recent years been concerns expressed about gemstone reports issued by different labs for the same stones, with different and sometime contradictory findings,” said Hanco Zwaan. “This has brought into question the qualifications of the laboratories issuing the reports, taking into consideration that, worldwide, there is very little official oversight as to what are the requirements for an organisation to claim to be a gem testing laboratory.”
Central to the proposed listing would be the CIBJO Gemmological Laboratories Blue Book, which outlines management and technical guidelines for gem labs, aligning with ISO Standard 17025. Other relevant Blue Books cover diamonds, coloured gemstones, pearls, and precious coral.
According to Dr. Zwaan, the system would allow the trade and consumers to clearly identify laboratories that operate with quality management systems and transparency. “The results given in reports often have a significant impact on the value of the item being reported upon,” he explained.
A key document that would have to be applied by listed labs would be the CIBJO Gemmological Laboratories Blue Book, a mammoth opus that is compiled by the Gemmological Commission. Providing guidelines for the management and technical operations of gem labs, it complies with and expands upon ISO Standard 17025, which is the internationally recognised accreditation management systems for testing and calibration laboratories. Also relevant are CIBJO’s Blue Books for diamonds, coloured gemstones, pearls and precious coral.
The Gemmology Special Report also reviews progress on the forthcoming CIBJO Jade Guide, highlights the Laboratory Manual Harmonisation Committee’s work, and examines the increasing role of artificial intelligence and machine learning in gemmology.
International News
Sabyasachi, The Metropolitan Museum Of Art Partnered For A Multi-Year Collaboration
The Line Bridges Historic Met Artifacts With Modern Luxury, Weaving Human Themes Of Love, Mortality, and Family Into Extravagant High Jewelry.
Nearly two decades after making his New York runway debut, renowned Indian designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee is set to return to New York Fashion Week on September 15, 2026, unveiling the first chapter of a multi-year collaboration with The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met).
The partnership will debut with an exclusive six-piece high jewellery collection inspired by the museum’s extraordinary holdings of art, sculpture and material culture. The collection reflects Sabyasachi’s belief that history is not static, but continues to evolve as it travels across cultures and generations.



Comprising three necklaces, two wrist cuffs and a pair of earrings, the collection draws from Byzantine and Roman influences while translating historic iconography into contemporary luxury. Crafted in 18k and 22k gold, the pieces feature round brilliant-cut diamonds alongside jade, tourmaline, lapis lazuli, jasper and onyx.
The designs take inspiration from Imperial Roman statuary, ancient medallions and religious artefacts housed in The Met. Among the standout creations is a pendant necklace based on an Imperial Roman marble sculpture depicting a family, inspired by a 2nd–3rd century CE Roman funerary relief from Thrace. Another notable piece is an asymmetrical tiger-claw necklace influenced by the intricate decoration of a 12th-century casket.
Rather than simply recreating historical objects, Sabyasachi reinterprets them through the lens of modern high jewellery, weaving universal themes such as love, mortality and family into each creation.


The New York presentation marks the beginning of a long-term creative dialogue between Sabyasachi and The Met, bringing together Indian design sensibilities and one of the world’s most celebrated museum collections in a collaboration that bridges heritage, craftsmanship and contemporary luxury.
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