GIA's new coloured gemstone reports for 2026, and how to read any lab report
GIA redesigned its coloured stone reports on 1 January 2026 and added origin services for three more gems. What changed, and six questions every lab report should answer.
On 1 January 2026, GIA redesigned its coloured gemstone reports and extended its origin service to more gem types. Here is what changed, and a short guide to reading any laboratory report, whichever lab issued it.
What GIA changed
The Gemological Institute of America redesigned its coloured gemstone reports to put the most relevant gemmological information first. It also widened its country-of-origin service:
- Already offered: alexandrite, emerald, Paraíba tourmaline, ruby, sapphire, red spinel, and untreated jadeite and omphacite jade from Myanmar (Burma) or Guatemala.
- New from 2026: peridot, opal and demantoid garnet.
GIA also adjusted its weight categories, and with them its fees. According to Shane McClure, GIA's global director of coloured stone services, the expanded services rest on the institute's research and a collection of 32,000 samples gathered by its field gemmologists.
For collectors of demantoid garnet in particular, the change is welcome: where origin can affect value, GIA can now document it.
How to read a coloured gemstone report
GIA, SSEF, Gübelin, GRS and Bellerophon Gemlab all use different layouts, but every serious report answers the same questions.
1. Is it natural?
The identification section names the species and variety, for example "natural corundum, ruby". If the word natural is missing, or the stone is called synthetic or laboratory-grown, that changes everything else.
2. Does the report describe this exact stone?
Check that the weight, shape, cut and measurements match the stone in front of you, to the precision printed on the report. A report belongs to one stone only.
3. Has it been treated?
The comments state whether there are indications of heating or other treatments, such as oil or resin in emeralds, or diffusion. "No indications of heating" is the phrase that commands the biggest premium in rubies and sapphires.
4. Where does it come from?
Origin is a laboratory's expert opinion based on inclusions and trace-element chemistry, not a certificate of where a stone was dug up. Different labs can occasionally disagree, which is why top stones often carry two reports.
5. What do colour terms mean?
Terms such as "pigeon's blood" for ruby or "royal blue" for sapphire are trade-colour designations that some laboratories apply under their own criteria. They are only meaningful when the report itself states them.
6. Can you verify it?
Most major laboratories let you check a report number online. Always do it before paying for an important stone.
A good report doesn't make a stone beautiful. It makes the stone you are buying exactly the stone you think it is.
Every stone we sell lists its laboratory, report number and treatment status on the product page. We explain our wording on our certification and treatments page.
