The year 2024 marked a breakthrough for GUILD Gem Lab, characterized by many high-profile successes and contributions to the industry of gemology. On January 14th, GUILD released the 2023 GUILD China Pearl Market Report and the 2023 GUILD China Colored Gem Market Report, both of which covered major market trends and consumers’ preference. On that day, GUILD launched the “Token of Love” Ruby and Sapphire Test Report, integrating advanced gemological analysis with an emphasis on the emotional and cultural significance behind it.
On June 1, GUILD went global with the inauguration of its Sri Lanka laboratory, an event of landmark proportions that was attended by 310 industry professionals and witnessed online by over 12,000 participants, a clear testament to international collaboration. In July, the third Aurora Brilliance International Jewelry Competition had a record participation of more than 1,300 entries from around the world, an increase of 100% year on year, with 8.4 million votes, up 400%.
In October, GUILD introduced the Colored Gem Cutting Report, revolutionizing gemstone grading with advanced video and data integration, setting new industry standards for precision and customer experience. These accomplishments underscore GUILD’s leadership in innovation and global outreach.
Introduction
Founded in 1980 in Los Angeles, GUILD Gem Lab has expanded to become one of the world’s leading gemological laboratories. Renowned internationally for its expertise in identifying, grading, determining origin, optimization, and treatment testing of gemstones, combining state-of-the-art technologies with a vast knowledge base of academic scholarship, its comprehensive database contains all the significant types of gemstones, further supporting its excellence and professionalism.
The jewelry testing industry is going through major changes in the light of changing consumer expectations and technological advancement.
Development of new instrumentation and methodologies has made the testing processes more intelligent, accurate, and digitalized. In line with such new demands, GUILD established itself as a modern gemological testing organization and is well-equipped with state-of-the-art instruments including microscopic laser Raman spectrometers and A-ICP-MS laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometers.
GUILD’S Global Presence
From its inception as a laboratory dedicated to colored gemstone testing, GUILD has expanded internationally, particularly within the Asia-Pacific region. Its offices in Los Angeles, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Zhuji (Pearl City), Bangkok, and Beruwala have served clients both domestically and internationally, further solidifying GUILD’s position of authority within the colored gemstone industry.
2024 Milestones Achieved
Technological Innovation
On May 1st, 2024, GUILD Gem Lab introduced sophisticated beryllium diffusion testing using LIBS and LA-ICP-MS technologies in its labs in Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Bangkok, and Beruwala. These high-tech techniques enabled the easy and correct identification of treated gemstones, thus facilitating full disclosure of beryllium-treated sapphires and bringing much-needed transparency to the trade. By the end of the year, the market share for beryllium treated products declined noticeably.
Contributions of Research
Quantitatively based on a large 2023 data set, GUILD’s research team has analyzed over 10,000 gemstone samples, including ruby, sapphire, emerald, spinel, aquamarine, and tsavorite, which formed the comprehensive foundation of the 2023 GUILD Colored Gemstone Market Report, now published in January 2024.
The report provided an in-depth analysis of the Chinese gemstone market, bringing to light some significant shifts in consumer preferences and market trends. With data-based insights on various parameters, the report turned out to be a ready reference for industry professionals and consumers, adding to the understanding of the changing dynamics in the colored gemstone trade.
Market Influence
Event Success:
2024 saw GUILD Gem Lab make a significant impact on the global jewelry industry with strategic events and collaborations:
Salon Activities: The GUILD organized several salon activities in some major cities of China, including Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Zhuji, and Beihai. Focusing on the four major categories of ruby, sapphire, emerald, and pearl, these gatherings drew big crowds and were well appreciated due to their interactive content and professional knowledge.
AURORA Brilliance International Jewelry Competition: This prestigious competition was co-hosted with Gemfields in July 2024, achieving unparalleled heights. There were more than 1,300 entries globally, a 100% increase on the previous year with a massive 340 shortlisted participants competing, and a growing testimony to GUILD’s increasing influence. Engagement online reached new highs as votes reached over 8.4 million, a stunning 400% year-on-year increase.
Platinum Sponsorship of the Sri Lanka Jewelry Show: GUILD served as the platinum sponsor of the 2024 Sri Lanka Jewelry Show, hosted by the Sri Lanka China Fort Jewelers Association (CGJTA). This collaboration with one of Sri Lanka’s largest jewelry associations underscored GUILD’s dedication to fostering international exchange and advancing the global jewelry market.
The innovations introduced in certification and standards are reflected in updated protocols.
GUILD has made a major enhancement to its color-grading system by announcing the “Fuchsia Rose” designation for rubies. The laboratory, through extensive research and analysis of many samples of rubies, has applied this commercial name to define rubies possessing high brightness combined with medium to high saturation, regardless of origin.
Characterized by a vivid, bright pink to red color with just a hint of purple, “Fuchsia Rose” represents the highest color grade possible for Lucite within the GUILD grading system. Such an innovation has garnered considerable attention in the market, providing more standardization and thus creating further room for development in the colored gemstone market.
In October 2024, GUILD Gem Lab introduced the Colored Gemstone Cutting Report, a game-changer in assessing the gemstone and thereby correlating quality with value. The report goes well beyond the traditional assessment of color, size, and treatment, using 3D scanning, detailed metrics, and panoramic videos to review proportions, symmetry, and polish. Hence, it gives the customer a full comprehension of the quality of the gemstone through numbers and improved visuals, thereby setting a new industry standard and enhancing customer confidence.
Analysis revealed emeralds, sapphires, and aquamarines as the most frequently submitted for cut grading, while finely cut rubies remained scarce due to raw material challenges, highlighting the report’s role in emphasizing cutting precision in gemstone valuation.
Global Reach
On June 1st, 2024, GUILD Gem Lab was inaugurated in Beruwala, Sri Lanka, to provide a significant new milestone in colored gemstone testing and a major initiative in partnering with the gemstone trade in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka has gemstone deposits in 90% of its land, containing the gem matrix.
The major trading center of Beruwala, with its 2,500-year history, today stands as the world’s oldest and busiest open-air gemstone market. After months of preparation, approved by the Sri Lanka Investment Board, GUILD has equipped the Beruwala laboratory with equipment worth $1 million USD. This equipment includes FTIR, UV-Vis, XRF, LIBS, and LA-ICP-MS. These will help GUILD enhance its capability in its gem detection, which will enable merchants to confirm authenticity and prevent inferior gems from entering the market for the healthy development of the colored gem industry.
While challenges arise, here are solutions where the key obstacles are:
2024 has seen a surge in the prevalence of beryllium-diffused sapphires. GUILD Gem Lab’s Bangkok laboratory tested three batches totaling 42 fired sapphires, all of which proved to have undergone beryllium diffusion treatment. The Shenzhen laboratory also tested five batches of 89 heated sapphires; 21 (23.6%) proved to be beryllium diffused.
The detection of beryllium diffusion presented unique difficulties. Conventional gemological methods, including XRF, X-ray, and Raman spectroscopy, proved inadequate for identifying this treatment reliably. Furthermore, the market prices of beryllium-diffused sapphires significantly differ from untreated or traditionally heated sapphires, necessitating advanced detection techniques to maintain industry transparency and consumer trust.
Innovative Responses
In response to such challenges, GUILD Gem Lab commences large-scale testing for all heated sapphires submitted to its laboratories in Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Bangkok, and Beruwala from 1st of May 2024. The lab has successfully achieved accurate detection of trace elements including beryllium by application of high-precision instruments like LA-ICP-MS (Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry) and LIBS (Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy).
The techniques, recognized for their high sensitivity and rapid analysis, have proven to be essential in the detection of beryllium diffusion in corundum. In Sri Lanka, it was discovered that 10.62% of fired sapphires exhibited beryllium diffusion, whereas the Chinese market reported a rate of 3.88%. By transparently disclosing treatment information, GUILD significantly diminished the submission of treated gemstones over the following months, thereby ensuring industry integrity and safeguarding consumer rights.
Case Studies
Analysis of Cuts in Various Gemstone Varieties
Since the inception of the Colored Gemstone Cutting Report in September 2024, GUILD has received a lot of submissions for cut grading in many kinds of gemstones, some of which were very rare, such as cassiterite. The top five gemstones with the strongest demand for cut grading were emerald (31.42%), sapphire (19.03%), aquamarine (15.71%), tourmaline (11.48%), and spinel (6.34%), adding up to 83.98% of submissions.
The comparative rarity of well-cut rubies, compared with sapphires, underlines the major issues involved in ruby cutting. Rubies, mined often in Mozambique, one of the areas affected by Gemfields command high prices in rough auctions. They averaged $316.95 per carat at an auction in January 2024 in Bangkok. The plate-like, relatively shallow rough shape of rubies means that a lot gets lost in the cutting to exact cutting. This contrasts with the more flexible weight retention for barrel-shaped sapphire rough, which allows for optimal cuts. As a result, only a third of rubies have excellent cut grades compared to sapphires, making them rare and therefore of high market value for those that are well cut. Aquamarines and tourmalines, with their reputation for being relatively inexpensive and in great supply, allowed for more leeway in creative cuts that enhance optical splendor. Not all the gemstones on the market are well cut, which makes professional cut grading very important both for consumers and gem dealers.
Beryllium Diffusion Sapphire Research
The use of beryllium diffusion treatment, first disclosed in 2003, has altered corundum into a variety of handsome colors, including orange-yellow and bright blues. Yet its detection is challenging and requires sophisticated techniques like LA-ICP-MS and LIBS to obtain a satisfactory result.
GUILD conducted extensive research to demonstrate the necessity for advanced testing:
Case 1: A 2.45-carat blue sapphire revealed, under microscopic observation, classical signs of high-temperature treatment, such as “smoke rings” and whitish inclusions. Infrared spectroscopy confirmed peaks at around 3046 cm⁻¹, and LA-ICP-MS detected 18 ppm of beryllium, which confirmed diffusion treatment.
Case 2: Another blue sapphire of 3.12 carats exhibited the same kind of inclusions but contained only 0.02 ppm of beryllium, thus excluding diffusion treatment.
Case 3: A rare blue sapphire weighing 2 carats, with almost no visible signs of high-temperature treatment, showed 14 ppm of beryllium, therefore emphasizing the constraints of traditional detection methods.
Case 4: Two yellow sapphires with a few blue spots and pinpoint inclusions under magnification were identified as beryllium-diffused by LIBS, as it could detect characteristic peaks for beryllium.
Plans for 2025 and Beyond.
On these strong foundations, GUILD Gem Lab has set ambitious goals for the future, including expanded research, strengthened global influence, and more effective industry standards.
Key programs include upgrading the grading systems and partnering with international organizations to make the market uniform and more transparent. Most importantly, GUILD will tackle issues of treatment with a twofold strategy: the development of cutting-edge detection methods and, just as important, increased availability. Leveraging its expertise and databases, GUILD will publish in-depth market reports on global gemstone trends. Replicating the Sri Lanka lab model in other strategic locations will happen with global expansion, targeting emerging markets rich in gemstone resources.
Sustainability Goals
Sustainability is one of the cornerstones with a commitment to ethical sourcing and responsible mining practices. GUILD collaborates with stakeholders to ensure environmentally and socially responsible mining. Labs are adopting power-saving practices, reducing power consumption. Further initiatives like the Colored Gemstone Cutting Report have placed even more focus on transparency and access to ethical information.
From pioneering technological advancement to establishing a global footprint, the 2024 achievements of GUILD Gem Lab have redefined industry standards. Its innovations in certification, market engagement, and research underscore its commitment to excellence.
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