In early August, Pritesh Patel became president and CEO of Gemological Institute of America (GIA)—making him only the seventh person to head the institute in its 94-year history.
At Converge, the joint event GIA held this week with the American Gem Society, Patel talked with JCK about his plans for GIA, why he sees an expanded role for AI, and why its U.S. labs are once again jammed with goods:
You have a tech background. Do you see GIA increasing its use of technology, including things like AI?
Innovation has always been part of GIA. In the past few years, GIA has seen incredible growth of instrumentation in its laboratories, throughout the industry, and in software. Since 2017, we have worked on a project with IBM to build an AI-based grading system, which is now running in all our labs. We use AI today in diamond grading and in colored stone origin determination. I do see us continually focused on innovation, especially using generative AI, in terms of our client experience and getting more education to the consumer.
The overseas labs have taken over some of the grading that has been done in the United States. Do you see a bigger role for them, as opposed to the U.S.?
The industry has shifted. When you look at GIA, we started with two labs in the United States 50 years ago. Now they are all around the world. The industry and the supply chain have shifted—95% of diamonds are cut and polished in India. We have to be closer to our clients. Where the industry shifts, we will shift along with it.
When you look at our presence in the United States, we have tremendous knowledge in terms of research, in terms of our capabilities in New York and Carlsbad. That cannot be replicated overnight anywhere else. We will continue to build capabilities all around the world—in India, in Bangkok, in Hong Kong, in Dubai—in the long term. But what the United States has cannot be replicated.
We have heard there’s a backlog at GIA right now. Is that based on companies importing goods ahead of tariffs, rather than increased demand for diamond jewelry?
In the last few months, there’s been a lot more rough coming into the supply chain compared to the last couple of years. At Converge, every retailer you talk to is doing extremely well. So there’s demand in the United States, while China is suppressed and India is doing extremely well.
I don’t think it’s just a tariff thing. Obviously, tariffs have an impact because they create uncertainty. But we see [the long service times] as a reflection of intake that we get around the world.
[GIA spokesperson Stephen Morisseau adds: “Service times have recently increased due to increased demand for GIA diamond grading services. We are increasing capacity at several locations, including India.”]
You just changed your lab-grown reports to more limited grading. What kind of feedback have you gotten on that?
It’s been extremely positive, both from the natural diamond side and from some lab diamond growers and retailers. People are looking for product differentiation. This lets consumers see them as two different products so they can make a better choice for either product.
We are seeing a lot of consolidation in trade organizations, with Jewelers of America merging with MJSA, and GIA taking over the AGS lab. Do you see further consolidation?
There is always consolidation happening in every industry. I don’t know if we’ll see more consolidation per se; I think there’s more opportunities for collaboration, there’s more opportunities for organizations to work together, rather than having the siloed approach. I see us being more collaborative.
Is there anything at GIA that you feel needs to be improved?
GIA has an incredible history. Areas that we’ll focus on will be more acceleration in innovation, more agility, bringing more services and education for the industry, for the students, and clients. We will look toward new areas to diversify. We just got into jewelry reports. We will be continually looking at how we expand our services while staying true to our mission of consumer protection.
You have been at GIA for the last 10 years, starting as chief information officer and then chief operating officer. You’re still relatively new as a public figure. Anything people should know about you?
I am incredibly honored to be selected as president and CEO of GIA. I know it comes with a huge responsibility. As we look forward to our centennial in 2031, I want GIA to be future-ready, anchored in science, powered by technology, and trusted by consumers globally. The foundation will always be science, but technology, speed, and agility will be our focus.
I’m looking forward to collaborating with the industry while keeping in mind our mission of consumer confidence and consumer protection. GIA has always been a beacon of trust, and that’s the responsibility I carry.
Have you enjoyed your time in the industry?
In my family—my mom, my sister, my wife—everyone is in love with jewelry. I have grown up knowing about jewelry. But I have developed a fascination and true love for all the gems we see at GIA. It’s been a great learning experience.
(Photo courtesy of GIA)