Gemological Institute of America (GIA)

About this authority

Jurisdiction

United States, applied worldwide

Role

Independent gemmological laboratory and educator; its species / variety wording is the de-facto trade reference in report language.

Publisher

Gemological Institute of America

Reference

GIA – Gemological Institute of America (United States). Gem Encyclopedia: Jade Description.

Standing and legal force

GIA is a nonprofit institute established in 1931, headquartered in Carlsbad, California, with laboratory and research facilities in New York, Secaucus, Bangkok, Tokyo and Hong Kong. In its own words its mission is “to ensure the public trust in gems and jewelry by upholding the highest standards of integrity, academics, science, and professionalism.” Its reports carry no statutory force in any jurisdiction: where a GIA report is required, that requirement comes from a contract or a marketplace policy, not from law.

Scope of its naming system

GIA wording functions as a de-facto trade reference — it is what report language looks like, and buyers read report language. It is not a standard anyone is obliged to follow. On this site GIA wording is recorded alongside FTC, CIBJO and Gem-A wherever a position is on record on this site; where those four name columns are not identical, the entry page shows every position that is on record and says so where a body has none, rather than picking a winner.

How this site cites it

The entry point for this body is listed in the authority-source field of 86 entries, resolving to 15 distinct URLs — of which 58 point at the same page (GIA – Gemological Institute of America (United States). Gem Encyclopedia.). This is an institution-level pointer, not a clause-level citation: none of these rows identifies a paragraph or a section.

What this project actually uses from this body

Further records from this body held on this site

1 further record(s) from this body are catalogued only under a non-Latin title and are not listed on this English page.

Entries citing this body

• Achroite
• Akoya Cultured Pearl
• Albite
• Amber
• Ametrine
• Andesine
• Anorthite
• Bamboo Coral
• Baroque Cultured Pearl
• Beryllium-Diffused Sapphire
• Black Tourmaline
• Burma Ruby
• Bytownite
• Canary Tourmaline
• Ceylon Sapphire
• Chrome Tourmaline
• Circled Cultured Pearl
• Coated Topaz
• Colombian Emerald
• Colour-Change Garnet
• Coober Pedy Opal
• Cultured Pearl
• Danburite
• Diaspore

…and 62 more of 86 entries in total

Divergences where this body has a position on record

• Artificial Yttrium Aluminium Garnet (YAG) (Standard-level reference (annex or book, no clause number))
• Ceylon Sapphire (Clause-level citation)
• Colombian Emerald (Clause-level citation)
• Fei Cui / Jadeite Jade (Clause-level citation)
• Hetian Yu / Nephrite (Clause-level citation)
• Kashmir Sapphire (Clause-level citation)
• Lead-Glass-Filled Ruby (Standard-level reference (annex or book, no clause number))
• Pressed Amber (Clause-level citation)
• Rock Crystal (Standard-level reference (annex or book, no clause number))
• South Sea Cultured Pearl (Clause-level citation)
• Synthetic Cubic Zirconia (Standard-level reference (annex or book, no clause number))
• Synthetic Diamond (Clause-level citation)
• Synthetic Emerald (Standard-level reference (annex or book, no clause number))
• Synthetic Opal (Basis pending verification)
• Synthetic Ruby (Clause-level citation)
• Synthetic Sapphire (Standard-level reference (annex or book, no clause number))
• Synthetic Spinel (Standard-level reference (annex or book, no clause number))

Full divergence index