The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) has reached a significant milestone with the completion of its 100th gemological expedition. This achievement adds to GIA’s already unmatched collection of verified gemological data from mining sites around the globe.
The most recent expedition took GIA’s field gemologists to Kenya and Tanzania, where they collected extensive samples of tsavorite, spinel, and sapphire rough. The team gathered over 15 kilograms of gem rough, including more than 10,000 carats of sapphires from Kenya’s Garba Tula region. Each sample’s origin was carefully verified and documented.
Tom Moses, GIA’s Chief Laboratory and Research Officer, emphasized the importance of the Institute’s field gemology program, saying, “This program is the foundation of our coloured stone research and our services for identification and country-of-origin verification. With over 29,000 verified samples from 20 countries, we’ve created the most comprehensive database of the chemical, geological, and gemological properties of coloured stones.”
During the expedition, GIA’s team went deep underground with miners working with tsavorite and tanzanite, documenting the mining processes and challenges related to balancing artisanal mining with environmental sustainability. They also explored the growing demand for spinel, particularly in Tanzania’s Mahenge region.
GIA’s field gemologists have visited many of the world’s top-producing regions for rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and spinels. The samples they’ve collected play a pivotal role in advanced research, often shared with academic institutions to support their studies. This data is fundamental to GIA’s coloured stone identification and origin report services.
Wim Vertriest, GIA’s Manager of Field Gemology in Bangkok, noted some of the team’s groundbreaking achievements. “We documented the development of the Mozambican ruby mines, from their discovery in 2009 to becoming the leading source of rubies worldwide. We were also the first gemologists to visit Ethiopia’s emerald mines after their discovery in 2016,” he said.
The data gathered from these expeditions also supports GIA’s educational programs. Research findings and detailed reports are often published in the Institute’s professional journal, Gems & Gemology. The Winter 2019 edition of the journal featured a detailed description of the field gemology program.
GIA’s commitment to advancing gemological research continues to set industry standards, providing invaluable insights that support gem identification services and expand the understanding of global gem deposits.