Welcome to
GIA Laboratory Bangkok colored stone services!

On this page you will find information about the various GIA colored stone reports.

FEES SCHEDULE and PAYMENTS: If you are searching for information about our current policies, please follow the links and study the price list and payment policy on the www.gia.edu website. As a general policy, GIA report fees are charged in the currency of the location where the item is submitted for service. Therefore for colored stones submitted to the GIA Laboratory in Bangkok, please choose the Thai Baht currency pdf in the Colored Stone folder:

GEMSTONE IDENTIFICATION REPORTS:

Identification reports professionally document the results of a full examination of a gemstone. The results detailed will identify the gem examined giving such identifying characteristics as: color, transparency, shape, cut, dimensions and weight. A color photo of the stone or item is included in every report. The full report will also state whether a gemstone is natural or synthetic and if it has been treated to enhance its appearance by an identifiable treatment. It will also be noted if it is a simulant with no known natural counterpart, or if it has been assembled from two or more separate components.

IDENTIFICATION + ORIGIN REPORTS:

Origin reports are available for ruby, sapphire, emerald and Paraiba tourmaline. These reports give all of the details normally included in the “Identification Reports”, as well as a scientific and experience based professional opinion on the geographic origin of the stone examinated.

ANALYTICAL REPORTS:

Analytical Reports professionally document the results of a full examination of a material as per the “Identification Report” and “Origin Report” services. In addition the Analytical Report provides the full data from which the conclusions were reached. The data provided includes normal gemological data such as refractive index (RI), specific gravity (SG), visual spectroscopy, fluorescence, inclusions, color distribution, plus UV/visible/NIR, infra red (FTIR), and Raman spectroscopy and chemistry when appropriate.

QUALITY ASSURANCE REPORTS:

Quality Assurance Reports (QARs) are communicated in a spreadsheet and detail only the specific information requested.

• Sorting (e.g., sorting parcels of heated rubies by residue classifications, parcels of emeralds into clarity enhancement levels etc)

• Batch Testing (e.g., random testing of parcels of amethyst and separating out natural from synthetic)

• Prelims’ (e.g., for a single stone where only certain factors are required – whether a stone is heated; residue level; enhancement level etc)

Notes about your GIA Ruby and sapphire reports:

GIA ruby and sapphire reports provide information describing the source type of your ruby or sapphire. GIA’s Source Type Classification separates rubies and sapphires according to their individual features and properties. These features and properties are related to the geologic environments in which they originated. These environments may be categorized as classic metamorphic (often marble), classic magmatic (often basaltic or related to an eruptive event), and others with non-classic characteristics. The details in the pdf outlines the relationships between source types and indicates how they relate to geographic origin. For more information please download our pdf.

LMHC Information Sheets (IS):

GIA is a founding member of the LMHC group which stands for "Laboratory Manual Harmonization Committee". The LMHC consists of representatives of the following renowned gemological laboratories from all around the world (listed by alphabetical order): CISGEM (Italy), GAAJ Laboratory (Japan), GIA Laboratory (USA), GIT-Gem Testing Laboratory (Thailand), Gübelin Gem Lab (Switzerland), SSEF Swiss Gemmological Institute (Switzerland).

The LMHC representatives meet regularly in order to harmonize of the spelling on their report nomemclature and to discuss and cooperate on various gemological issues.

The information sheets issued help report users to understand the wording used on reports issued by the six memebers of the LMHC. So far 9 information sheets have been issued by the LMHC:

- LMHC Information Sheet #1: "Corundum with residues from the heating process present in healed fissures and/or cavities": (Implemented in February 2004, Version 2. January 2010) Members of the Laboratory Manual Harmonisation Committee (LMHC) have standardised the nomenclature that they use to describe heat treatment in corundum and the degree to which fissure “healing” has occurred, and the residues that remain within the healed fissures and cavities, following the heating of corundum.

- LMHC Information Sheet #2: "Corundum – lattice diffusion of foreign elements other than hydrogen" (Version 5. January 2010) Members of the Laboratory Manual Harmonisation Committee (LMHC) have standardised the nomenclature that they use to describe any corundum that shows indications of heating accompanied by the introduction/diffusion of a chemical element from an external source, both for cases with clear supporting evidence and for those where indicators point to a possibility that this treatment has taken place but there is insufficient corroboration. See also Information Sheet #1.

- LMHC Information Sheet #3: "Corundum with glass filled fissures and/or cavities enhancing/modifying the clarity": (Version 6. January 2010) Members of the Laboratory Manual Harmonisation Committee (LMHC) have standardised the nomenclature that they use to describe glass filled fissures and/or cavities in corundum and corundum-composite material. This nomenclature is used for all situations that (i) involve the filling of fissures and/or cavities with glass, where there are indications that the clarity of the corundum has been enhanced/modified by this process with the exception of those covered in Information Sheet #1 and (ii) form a corundum-glass composite material.

- LMHC Information Sheet #4: "Padparadscha sapphire"(Version 6. January 2010) Members of the Laboratory Manual Harmonisation Committee (LMHC) have standardised the nomenclature that they use to describe a 'padparadscha sapphire'.

- LMHC Information Sheet #5: "Emerald – fissure filling / clarity enhancement" (Implemented January 2007, Version 2. January 2010) Members of the Laboratory Manual Harmonisation Committee (LMHC) have standardised the nomenclature that they use to describe an emerald..

- LMHC Information Sheet #6: "Paraíba tourmaline" (Version 3. January 2010) Members of the Laboratory Manual Harmonisation Committee (LMHC) have standardised the nomenclature that they use to describe a paraíba tourmaline.

- LMHC Information Sheet #7: "Corundum – No indications of heating and Indications of heating" (Implemented January 2007, Version 2. January 2010) Members of the Laboratory Manual Harmonisation Committee (LMHC) have standardised the nomenclature that they use to describe any corundum that shows no indications of heating or any corundum that shows indications of heating. See also information sheets #1 to #4.

- LMHC Information Sheet #8: "Heated and/or irradiated gemstones where indications of the treatment are typically lacking" (Version 1 January 2010) Members of the Laboratory Manual Harmonisation Committee (LMHC) have standardised the wording they use to describe cases where indications of heating and /or irradiation are typically lacking. These situations typically apply to beryl, demantoid garnet, quartz, spodumene (kunzite), topaz, tourmaline, zircon, zoisite (tanzanite), etc.

- LMHC Information Sheet #9: "Alexandrite and other colour-change gemstones" (Version 1 January 2010) Members of the Laboratory Manual Harmonisation Committee (LMHC) have standardised the reporting nomenclature that they use to describe alexandrite and other colour-change gemstones.