Gemological Institute of America (GIA) has said it supports all workable solutions to meet the rising consumer and government demand for credible country-of-origin data for polished diamonds. Working with the Gem and Jewellery Export Council (GJEPC) of India, the World Diamond Council (WDC), the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC) and others in the industry, GIA is supporting the development of effective diamond traceability solutions. This multilateral cooperation is especially important as the segregation of diamonds by origin is necessary as the Group of Seven (G7) countries are expected to announce stronger sanctions and enforcement policies to ensure that Russian origin diamonds do not enter the G7 nations, likely to be effective early in 2024.
“As an independent, non-commercial organisation, GIA is offering material cooperation and support for all traceability programs that will quickly advance our shared goal of providing important diamond origin information to ensure consumer confidence in natural diamonds,” said GIA President and CEO Susan Jacques. “There is more than one possible solution to the challenge of providing credible, verified diamond origin information in a way that meets the needs of different industry sectors and meets consumer demands and government requirements.”
GIA was asked to collaborate in the development of a technical registration platform with the AWDC and the government of Belgium with support of the U.S. State Department. To better serve consumers and the industry, GIA has discussed with the WDC and the GJEPC how the Institute can also support their proposals for compliance with the pending G7 sanctions.
The Institute has participated for many years in discussions with industry groups and governments on creating traceability solutions. GIA appreciates that the various governments engaged with the gem and jewellery industry over the past eighteen months to create viable solutions that protect consumer trust by ensuring diamond origin transparency and traceability.
“Our goal is to support the well-being of the natural diamond industry by preserving consumer trust in gems and jewellery,” said Pritesh Patel, GIA Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. “We know from our scientific research of diamonds over more than fifty years, that there is currently no scientific determination of country of origin possible through examination of rough or polished diamonds. Origin confirmation for rough and polished diamond through audited and verified documentation is at this time the best, and only way, to meet the demands of consumers and the government to retain their trust.”
GIA has two diamond origin services – the GIA Diamond Origin Report, introduced in 2019, and the GIA Source Verification Service, launched in 2022. Each service uses verified, audited documents including Kimberley Process certificates to confirm country-of-origin information provided by mining companies and link that information to diamonds submitted to GIA for grading.
The origin information is then included with the GIA grading information provided in a printed or digital GIA grading report. Both services are offered at no additional cost beyond the fees for GIA diamond grading services. GIA is also cooperating with Tracr, the blockchain platform for diamond origin information created by De Beers to ensure traceability of the diamonds that they mine to ensure consumer confidence.
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