By Mimi Lombardo
The Hope Diamond draws considerable attention from visitors at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. Encased in a revolving glass display, the phosphorescent blue gem dazzles onlookers, who wait their turn to admire its violet beauty and read about its storied history dating back to the 17th century.
But did you know that in 1988, the Hope Diamond was entrusted to the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) for official grading? According to the GIA report, the diamond weighs 45.52 carats, features a cushion antique brilliant cut, and holds a VS1 clarity grade. Now that’s a rock.
While the GIA has graded legendary stones like the Hope Diamond, its work goes far beyond. Headquartered in Carlsbad, CA, with one of its most important labs in the heart of New York City’s Diamond District—the GIA is a nonprofit organization founded in 1931. It stands as the leading authority on gemstone research, education, and grading.
The New York lab also houses a School of Gemology on its upper floors, where a rigorous program teaches gem identification, grading, and appraisal. The GIA’s globally recognized value system—the 4Cs: Color, Cut, Clarity, and Carat—was developed by the institute and is a cornerstone of its comprehensive educational program. This system revolutionized how diamonds are assessed and has become the global standard, from jewelry brands to brides choosing an engagement ring.
Today, the GIA is expanding its expertise to include grading complete jewelry pieces. Still, at the heart of its mission is the evaluation of precious gems and pearls—ensuring their owners understand the true value of what they possess.
We interviewed Rebecca Boyajian-Pecnik, from the GIA, who spoke about the institute’s mission.
Can you describe your job at GIA and how long you have worked there?
.For me, the gem and jewelry business were never far off. My father had worked in the industry, and I grew up familiar with GIA. Landing a job in the business, I fell in love with it. From university, I continued my education straight into study at GIA. Nearly 20 years later I came full circle, joining the Institute as the Director of North America Market Development. A role in which I have held for close to three years.
In my role with GIA, I connect directly with the trade promoting the knowledge, tools, and resources the Institute offers.
What do you find most interesting about the work you do?
I’m incredibly proud to come to work each day to achieve GIA’s mission of upholding the highest standards of integrity, science, and education in the gem and jewelry industry. My day-to-day work focuses on supporting individuals at all levels of the market and maintaining the integrity and longevity of our industry. We ensure that consumers are educated, empowered and confident in the gem and jewelry purchases they are making. That’s why I always emphasize the value of a GIA report – an essential assessment for consumers purchasing diamonds or colored gemstones.
Is it possible for consumers to obtain a GIA report or is it only for the trade?
GIA’s reports are vital to providing confidence and peace of mind at the point of purchase, both for the trade and for consumers. They also provide critical documentation for insurance purpose. Because of this, we accept submissions of loose diamonds and gemstones for members of the trade and have recently expanded with our newly launched program for complete jewelry pieces. Both individuals and companies can create a laboratory account online at gia.edu for this service. Currently, GIA has 10 laboratories, globally, making our services accessible across the world.
GIA is a US based non-profit organization that truly has a worldwide reach. Pricing for GIA services are published with complete transparency, accessible online in multiple global currencies.
Do some diamonds and gemstones already have GIA reports at the point of sale? What type of retailers have GIA reports associated with their gemstone or diamond jewelry pieces?
GIA receives submissions of all levels of jewelry-grade diamonds and precious gemstones, from all colors and carat weights. We assess more than four million diamonds annually. Being the standard bearer, GIA is trusted with grading the world’s most historically notable and modern-day diamonds and gemstones. From a global perspective, GIA is the most trusted name in diamond grading and colored stone identification and was in fact the creator of the International Diamond Grading System, which includes the famous 4Cs all other laboratories use to grade diamonds worldwide.
Retailers committed to the highest level of ethics and transparency in selling gemstones and jewelry, feature GIA reports. Walk into any reputable retail jewelry store, they will know about and have in their cases, GIA graded gemstones and jewelry.
A trend we’ve noticed through consumer research is that the purchases of younger generations, in particular, are driven by authenticity, curiosity and the ability to share the story behind their jewelry – values that GIA’s science-backed grading and origin reports directly support.
What is the most interesting story of a gemstone or diamond coming in for assessment that ended up having a much different outcome than originally thought?
GIA scientists recently evaluated one of the world’s rarest diamonds – the Winston Red – a very rare 2.33 carat diamond which is now on display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. The Winston Red diamond is the fifth-largest diamond with an exceptionally pure red color known to exist and the only such red diamond on public exhibit.
It’s a historic and very rare diamond; its old mine cut, deep red hue and inclusions tell a story that can be traced back to September 1938 when Jacques Cartier sold the stone to the Indian Maharaja of Nawanagar.
