Announcements

With an increasing number of Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) members electing to carry both natural and lab grown gemstone products, the RJC has decided to develop a ‘Laboratory Grown Materials Standard.’

IGI is calling upon the world’s creatives to step forward and contribute. Submissions are now being accepted for the IGI Expressions™ Awards.

IGI invites eligible jewelry stores to become #JewelersOnAMission by describing why sustainability is important to their business. The winner will receive up to $5,000 in credits toward achieving carbon neutrality.

IGI is expanding its operations at the Bharat Diamond Bourse in Mumbai, India. The institute will continue providing full-fledged sorting and screening services from a new facility which will handle greater capacity.

In response to a growing need for diamond screening in finished jewelry, IGI has launched a new Designer Appraisal Report. With more insurance companies requiring third-party appraisals for high-value articles, these independent reports will be useful protection for clients of quality-minded designers and brands.

IGI India recently certified a 14.60 carat lab grown diamond, reportedly the largest ever produced using the Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) growth method. The recorded weight surpasses the previous record-holder, certified by IGI last November, by nearly two carats.

National Geographic will expand their efforts in protecting the Okavango river basin in the south of Africa through a five year partnership with a diamond industry giant.

IGI North American President Avi Levy was recently appointed to the Mercury Free Mining Board of Directors, an organization focused on eradicating the use of mercury in artisanal and small-scale gold mining.

Bids will be accepted for one more week at the IGI and Virtual Diamond Boutique (VDB) auction of lab grown diamonds and jewelry to benefit Jewelers For Children (JFC). The auction will conclude this coming Sunday, the night of the Facets of Hope Dinner at The Venetian Las Vegas. 

IGI Graduate Namita Naik was recently featured in The Pune Mirror, a publication by The Times Group, an Indian mega conglomerate which also publishes the largest selling English-language daily in the world.

In November, 2020, we said “Goodbye, dear friend,” when Australia’s legendary Argyle Diamond Mine was retired. As 2021 concludes, the final diamond collection from the final year of Argyle operations will be sold, closing out nearly four decades of ongoing excitement.

The digital auction benefitting children will take place during Las Vegas Jewelry Market Week, opening on Monday, August 16th and closing during the Jewelers For Children “Facets of Hope” dinner on Sunday night, August 29th. All bids can be submitted through the digital auction app created and powered by VDB for JFC.

IGI has been designated Knowledge Partner for Dubai Gold and Jewelry Group’s “City of Gold” initiative, starting immediately. In this capacity, IGI will provide interactive seminars across a diverse range of topics for industry professionals in one of the world’s largest jewelry markets.

IGI class of 2003 Graduate Anita Bhandari has won several prestigious international jewelry design awards in collaboration with friend, colleague and fellow Canadian Anita Agrawal, a part-time professor at Centennial College.

Almost 150 carats of colorful rough diamonds splashed the news in July. As we close out the month, let’s visit these blue, pink and violet creations of nature and their origins.

IGI is offering interactive online lessons on a variety of topics, from introductory 4Cs training on diamonds and gemstones to comprehensive education about lab grown diamonds to timely lessons covering the significant and vital benefits the natural diamond industry brings to millions of indigenous people in the upstream value chain.

IGI is partnering with Virtual Diamond Boutique on an auction of lab grown diamonds and jewelry to benefit Jewelers For Children. The auction begins prior to JCK Las Vegas and concludes the night of the Facets of Hope Dinner. We are accepting product or cash donations and encourage you to join us in this important mission.

The International Gemological Institute and the University of Naples Federico II, the oldest public non-sectarian university in the world, will collaborate on a presentation at the 3rd National Diamond and Colored Gems Conference in Bari, Italy on Thursday, July 22.

The Responsible Jewelry Council, now approaching 1,500 members, released its latest progress report along with a joint video on sustainability, featuring leaders in the global diamond, jewelry and watch industry citing collective action as an accelerant for positive change.

Yesterday Sotheby’s sold an exceptional 101.38 carat pear-shaped Flawless clarity D color diamond for 12.3 million dollars in cryptocurrency.
The diamond’s name, ‘The Key 10138’, was was selected to represent the past, and the present and future. How appropriate…

IGI’s laboratory in Mumbai, India, recently graded a large, heart shaped laboratory grown diamond. The choice of fancy shape, top color grade and exceptional craftsmanship combine to make this large, heart-shaped specimen unique.

Lucara has reported the discovery of a 1,174 carat rough diamond at its Karowe diamond mine in northern Botswana, giving that operation the distinction of being the world’s first to produce three rough diamonds of 1,000 carats or more.

The Jwaneng diamond mine has just produced the third-largest gem quality diamond ever found. This post will cover each of the top four diamonds ever unearthed, three of which have been found in Botswana.

A 6.18 carat loose, round brilliant cut diamond submitted to IGI’s Thailand laboratory for verification purposes was discovered to be laboratory grown, despite the fact that it was accompanied by a natural diamond grading report.