Diamond Research

Learn more about the latest diamond research and developments from the GIA research team.

Diamond Research

Get details on the latest research from the GIA research team, including: natural diamond geology and mining locations, causes of colors and optical features, laboratory-grown diamond research, various cut and color research that inform our diamond grading reports, and advanced instrumentation used.

Colored Stone Research

Learn more about the latest colored stone research and developments from the GIA research team.

Colored Stone Research

Get details on the latest colored stone research from the GIA research team, including: sources and their legend, lore, and traceability; photomicrography; treatments and identification; and the gemology of gemstone formation.

Pearl Research

Learn more about the latest pearl research and developments from the GIA research team.

Pearl Research 

Get details on the latest pearl research from the GIA research team, including: identification of natural and cultured pearls, color treatments and processes, advanced and unconventional pearl testing techniques, and structural analysis and biomineralization.

Publications

GIA lab scientists offer up their findings on some of the world’s most valued gems and their treatments.

Publications

From the history of the Chivor emerald mine to the ancient craft of jade carving to insight into the causes of corundum color, these articles combine science with art and history to provide insight into the fascinating and complex world of gemstones. Offering up the best and most current research by GIA lab scientists, all were published in GIA’s peer-reviewed academic journal,Gems & Gemology, or other professional journals. View theResearch Publication Archive.

Field Gemology

GIA field gemologists travel around the world to study new gem sources and collect research samples.

Field Gemology

GIA field gemologists are globetrotters, traveling to all corners of the world to study new gem sources, such as Colombian emerald or Mozambican ruby. In the past decade, they’ve been on 95 expeditions to 21 countries, collecting more than 1 million carats of samples. Collecting gems from known geographic localities is of tremendous importance to the GIA research program.  By collecting samples in the field, we have a much better understanding of where they come from, and the geologic conditions of formation of the gem deposit itself.  We can obtain samples of both the gem materials and the host rocks in which they occur, as well as photographs and video footage of the area. Once back at GIA, these gem samples can be studied using a wide variety of scientific techniques, and the resulting data can be added to our information database which supports the gem identification report services of the GIA Laboratory.

Collaborations & Support to Academia

Learn about how our researchers collaborate and share their findings with scientists at other institutes.

Collaborations & Support to Academia

To support our commitment to gem knowledge, GIA researchers share their findings in professional publications and often collaborate with researchers at universities or other institutions to coauthor articles. These diverse articles represent pressing topics that our scientists are currently investigating, including knowledge that addresses current gemological challenges.

Specialty: minerals in metamorphic rocks.

Specialty: clarity, cut, and analytical problem solving.

Specialty: corundum spectroscopy.

Specialty: mineralogy, metrology, quality control.

Specialty: diamond defects, treatments and color origin, and geochemistry.

Specialty: diamond physics, diamond treatment and synthetics.

Specialty: laser-based material processing.

Specialty: defect physics of natural, treated and synthetic diamond materials.

Specialty: diamond physics, diamond treatment and synthetics.

Specialty: geology and geochemistry, and origin of colored stones.

Specialty: mantle petrology, mineralogy and geochemistry, field geology.

Specialty: defect physics of natural, treated and synthetic diamond materials.

Specialty: spectroscopy; optical and computational imaging.

Specialty: diamond cut grading, gemstone metrology, spectroscopy.

Specialty: diamond geology.

Specialty: geology and geochemistry, HPHT experiment, diamond treatment.

Specialty: point defects, diffusion kinetics, experimental petrology.

Specialty: pearls and related materials.

Specialty: diamond and colored gemstones geostatistics.

Specialty: diamond geology, mantle geochemistry, analytical instrumentation.

Specialty: diamond science and instrumentation development.

Specialty: mineral crystallography and crystal chemistry.

Specialty: diamond geology, geochemistry and spectroscopy.

Specialty: diamond geology, mantle geochemistry, instrument analysis.

Specialty: mathematics, algorithms, data analysis, AI.

Sally Eaton-Magaña, Matthew F. Hardman, and Shoko Odake Aug 2, 2024

Laboratory-Grown Diamonds: An Update on Identification and Products Evaluated at GIA

Roy Bassoo, Diane Eames, Matthew F. Hardman, Kenneth Befus, and Ziyin Sun Jan 26, 2024

Topaz from Mason County, Texas

Michael Jollands, Abadie Ludlam, Aaron C. Palke, Wim Vertriest, Shiyun Jin, Pamela Cevallos, Sarah Arden, Elina Myagkaya, Ulrika D’Haenens-Johannson, Vararut Weeramongkhonlert, and Ziyin Sun Aug 4, 2023

Color Modification of Spinel by Nickel Diffusion: A New Treatment

Evan M. Smith, Karen V. Smit, and Steven B. Shirey Nov 11, 2022

Methods and Challenges of Establishing the Geographic Origin of Diamonds

Nicholas Sturman, Kwanreun Lawanwong, Nuttapol Kitdee, and Devchand Chodhry Jan 22, 2021

Vietnam: Shell Nuclei, Pearl Hatcheries, and Pearl Farming