With less than a month to go before the CIBJO Congress 2025 opens in Paris on 27th October, the seventh pre-congress Special Report has been released by the CIBJO Gemmological Commission, chaired by Hanco Zwaan.
“There have in recent years been concerns expressed about gemstone reports issued by different labs for the same stones, with different and sometime contradictory findings,” wrote Zwaan. “This has brought into question the qualifications of the laboratories issuing the reports, taking into consideration that, worldwide, there is very little official oversight as to what are the requirements for an organisation to claim to be a gem testing laboratory.”
Central to the proposed listing would be the CIBJO Gemmological Laboratories Blue Book, which outlines management and technical guidelines for gem labs, aligning with ISO Standard 17025. Other relevant Blue Books cover diamonds, coloured gemstones, pearls, and precious coral.
According to Dr. Zwaan, the system would allow the trade and consumers to clearly identify laboratories that operate with quality management systems and transparency. “The results given in reports often have a significant impact on the value of the item being reported upon,” he explained.
The Gemmology Special Report also reviews progress on the forthcoming CIBJO Jade Guide, highlights the Laboratory Manual Harmonisation Committee’s work, and examines the increasing role of artificial intelligence and machine learning in gemmology.