Research Staff

Wuyi Wang is director of research and development at the GIA Laboratory in New York. He holds a bachelor’s degree in geology from Beijing University and a doctorate in geology from the University of Tsukuba. He has spent more than 15 years studying diamond geochemistry and the treatment of diamond and other gem materials.

Donna Beaton is the manager of colored stone services at the GIA Laboratory in New York. She has a bachelor’s degree in applied biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a master’s in conservation of building/architectural materials from Columbia University. Her background includes jewelry retail, auction and appraisal work, as well as management experience at other gem-testing laboratories.

Troy Blodgett is a research scientist with the GIA Laboratory. He holds a bachelor's degree in geology-biology from Brown University and a doctorate in geology and remote sensing from Cornell University. He has publications and pending patents in mathematical modeling, remote sensing, image analysis and automated spectral analysis. He has been a principal contributor in developing GIA’s cut grading system for round-brilliant diamonds.

Christopher Breeding is a research scientist at the GIA Laboratory in Carlsbad. He holds a bachelor’s degree in geology from the College of William and Mary, and a doctorate in geology from Yale University. The focus of his research work at GIA has been the characterization of natural, synthetic and treated diamonds.

Peter De Jong is operations manager at GIA Belgium in Antwerp. He was formerly director of the certificates department at the HRD Laboratory in Antwerp. For the last decade at GIA, he has been involved in implementing new technology in the diamond grading process.

Emily Dubinsky is a research associate at the GIA Laboratory in New York. A gemologist and geologist specializing in experimental high-temperature geochemistry, she joined GIA in 2008. Dubinsky holds a bachelor’s degree in geology from Amherst College and a master’s in geochemistry from Stanford University.

Garry Du Toit is manager of gemstone identification at the GIA Laboratory in Bangkok. He has also served as laboratory manager at the American Gem Trade Association’s Gem Testing Center in New York, and as research gemologist at the Asian Institute of Gemological Sciences Laboratory in Bangkok.

Sally Eaton-Magaña is a research scientist at the GIA Laboratory in Carlsbad. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemical engineering from the University of Louisville, and a doctorate in the same field from Case Western Reserve University. One of her research focuses has been synthetic diamond grown by chemical vapor deposition. She served as technical editor of Gems & Gemology from 2006 to 2008.

Ron Geurts is research and development manager at GIA Belgium in Antwerp. He was formerly technical director of the certificates department at the Hoge Raad voor Diamant (HRD) Laboratory in Antwerp. For the last decade at GIA, he has been involved in implementing new technology in the diamond grading process. He has been a principal contributor to the development of GIA’s cut grading system for round-brilliant diamonds.

Al Gilbertson has had an extensive career in the gem and jewelry industry, including custom cutting, jewelry sales, management and appraising. A principal contributor to the development of GIA’s cut grading system for round-brilliant diamonds, he continues to study the influence of proportions and other factors on the appearance of fancy-shaped diamonds. He is the author of American Cut: The First 100 Years (2007).

Brooke Goedert is a research data specialist at the GIA Laboratory in Carlsbad. She has a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of California, San Diego. Her main focus has been designing and developing a database of gem properties that is used to support gem identification services.

Matthew Hall is director of the GIA Laboratory in Mumbai. He has a bachelor’s degree in geology from Franklin and Marshall College and a master’s degree in geology and geochemistry from the University of Maryland. Prior to directing the laboratory in Mumbai, he was manager of identification services at the GIA Laboratory in New York.

Scott Hemphill, a GIA research associate, has been programming computers for more than 30 years. He holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering and a master’s degree in computer science, both from the California Institute of Technology. He has been a principal contributor to the development of GIA’s cut grading system for round-brilliant diamonds.

John King is chief quality officer of the GIA Laboratory in New York and the editor of Gems & Gemology in Review: Colored Diamonds. Mr. King, who is also a noted artist, received his master’s degree from Hunter College, City University of New York. One of his principal areas of research at GIA has been the characterization and color description of colored diamonds.

John Koivula is chief gemologist at the GIA Laboratory in Carlsbad. A renowned authority on microscopy, photomicrography and gem inclusions, he is author of MicroWorld of Diamonds, co-author of the three-volume Photoatlas of Inclusions in Gemstones, and co-author of Geologica, a book on geological landforms. In addition to his many gemological diplomas, he holds bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and mineralogy-geology from Eastern Washington State University.

Ren Lu is a research scientist at the GIA Laboratory in New York. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in physics from Jilin University, a master’s in mineral physics from the State University of New York, Stony Brook, and a doctorate in mineral physics from the University of California, Davis. He has conducted extensive research on condensed matter physics and mineral physics in the United States and Germany.

Shane McClure is director of identification services at the GIA Laboratory in Carlsbad. He is well known for his many articles and lectures on gem identification and has more than 30 years of experience in the field. An accomplished gem photographer, he has written extensively for Gems & Gemology and other journals and is co-editor of G&G’s Lab Notes section.

Vincent Pardieu is supervisor of field gemology at the GIA Laboratory in Bangkok. He has also served as a gemologist at the Gübelin Gem Lab in Lucerne, and as director of the Asian Institute of Gemological Sciences Laboratory in Bangkok. He has visited numerous gem mining areas in Asia and Africa since 2000 and published expedition reports on many of these visits.

Ilene Reinitz is a project manager at the GIA Laboratory in New York. She holds a bachelor’s degree in geochemistry from the California Institute of Technology and a doctorate in geochemistry from Yale University. She has written extensively for Gems & Gemology and other  journals.

Kenneth Scarratt is managing director of Southeast Asia for GIA and director of the GIA Laboratory in Bangkok. He previously served as director of the AGTA Gem Testing Center in New York and the Gem Testing Laboratory of Great Britain. He has published numerous articles and co-authored two books, The Crown Jewels and The Pearl & the Dragon.

Andy Shen is a research scientist at the GIA Laboratory in Carlsbad. He holds a bachelor’s degree in geology from the National Taiwan University and a doctorate in geophysics from Cornell University. For more than 15 years, he has conducted research in mineral physics in the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom.

James Shigley is distinguished research fellow at the GIA Laboratory in Carlsbad. The editor of the Gems & Gemology in Review series and contributing editor to the journal, he received a bachelor’s degree in geology from the University of California, Berkeley, and a doctorate in geology from Stanford University. He has written extensively for Gems & Gemology and other professional journals.

Nick Sturman is supervisor of pearl identification at the GIA Laboratory in Bangkok. He has many years of experience in the examination of pearls. After obtaining his F.G.A. diploma, he worked as a gemologist at the Gem Testing Laboratory of Great Britain in London. He subsequently spent many years studying pearls in Bahrain.

Kamolwan Thirangoon is a research scientist with the GIA Laboratory in Bangkok. A graduate gemologist, she obtained her doctorate in biology from the University of Connecticut. She has a keen interest in gem identification and researching new aspects of gemology.

Tim Thomas is technical director of instrumentation with the GIA Laboratory. He has developed sophisticated laser and optical equipment, including programs for DARPA, NIST and the NIH. He holds numerous patents associated with laser and optical systems. He has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the Oregon Graduate Institute of Science and Technology.

Marc Verboven is a research associate at GIA Belgium in Antwerp. Before joining GIA, he was responsible for the grading lab of the certificates department at the HRD Laboratory in Antwerp and manager of a large polished diamond manufacturer. For the last decade at GIA, he has been involved in implementing new technology in the diamond grading process.