The science of gemology is expanding today in many exciting directions that encompass not only mineralogy and geology, but also a variety of other fields such as physics, chemistry, and materials science. This evolution is in response to increasing challenges from new synthetic and treated gem materials, as well as the need to characterize natural gems from numerous traditional and new sources. Most of this research is focused on the nondestructive analysis of gem materials for purposes of documenting their gemological properties and determining means of identification. In addition, geologic field work at known gem localities, and the study of new deposits, continues to yield important insights on the origin of gems.

To explore the most recent technical developments in gemology and related sciences, the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) will host a Gemological Research Conference on August 26–27, 2006, in San Diego, California, in conjunction with the 4th International Gemological Symposium. This conference will provide an international forum for scientists and other specialists to exchange information and gain a better understanding of modern gemological research. The conference will be held in subsequent years on a regular basis.

 

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Fantastic World of Gemstones

SMATCH presentation on The Fantastic World of Gemstones for the Italian Cultural Society, Washington DC -- January 21, 2007

Italian Cultural Society President Luigi De Luca introduces SMATCH speaker, Graduate Gemologist Sylvana Ehrman

Ms. Ehrman during the presentation