GIA  –  The World’s Foremost Authority in Gemology

An independent nonprofit educational and research organization, the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) is internationally recognized as the world’s foremost authority in gemology™. Through gemological research, education, laboratory services, and instrument development, the Institute is dedicated to ensuring the public trust in gems and jewelry by upholding the highest standards of integrity, academics, science, and professionalism.

Established in 1931 by author, educator, and visionary Robert M. Shipley, GIA has become known to many as “the Harvard of the gem and jewelry industry.”   More than 300,000 students worldwide have completed courses in GIA’s gemology, jewelry manufacturing arts and design, and business programs through distance education and on campus curriculums. The professional credentials GIA graduates have earned—Graduate Gemologist (G.G.), Graduate Jeweler (G.J.), and Accredited Jewelry Professional (A.J.P.)—are revered worldwide. The Institute’s newest addition is the GIA School of Business, where students learn real-world jewelry business principles.

GIA developed the first International Diamond Grading System™ in 1953 based on the 4Cs—color, clarity, cut, and carat weight—created by GIA. Today, it is used by professionals worldwide to provide standards for grading the quality of diamonds. The GIA Gem Laboratory performs impartial grading services for diamonds using this system, and the results appear on the GIA Diamond Grading Report™, the world’s most trusted gemological report. It is the most comprehensive analysis of a diamond’s quality. The GIA Gem Laboratory also provides professional identification and grading services for other gemstones.

GIA’s distinguished researchers and scientists serve as the world’s most respected source of gemological discovery. The data collected by GIA Research is disseminated through the Institute's courses and throughout the world, ensuring the stability of the industry as a whole.

Since the early 1930s, GIA Gem Instruments has worked with the Institute’s scientists, researchers, educators, and engineers to develop gemological equipment. Gem Instruments is credited with developing many important tools, including the modern jeweler’s loupe. GIA’s gemological microscope has graded more diamonds and identified more gemstones than any other microscope in the world.

GIA’s Richard T. Liddicoat Gemological Library and Information Center is the world’s largest gemological library. It supports the public with gemological research.

For further information about GIA, call 800-421-7250, or outside the U.S. and Canada, 760-603-4000, or visit www.gia.edu. E-mail eduinfo@gia.edu.

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