GIA Opens Expanded Lab and Education Facility in Botswana
The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) opened an expanded laboratory and education facility in Gaborone, Botswana, last week to support its beneficiation efforts in the African nation by bringing value-added services to gem-producing countries. The expansion includes more classroom space.
Gem and jewelry industry leaders and government officials, including U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Botswana Earl R. Miller and Botswana’s Minister of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources Kitso Mokaila, celebrated the opening on January 19.
“Botswana plays a significant role in the diamond industry as one of the largest producing countries – both by value and volume,” said Susan Jacques, GIA’s president and CEO. “Much of the benefit of that diamond production comes from Botswana’s forward-thinking decision to participate in every possible step of the value chain. It is a great source of pride for me and for everyone at GIA that we have had the opportunity to support this ongoing effort.”
The GIA set up a diamond-grading laboratory in Botswana in 2008. Today the GIA employs 95 people in Gaborone, including 65 who have been trained by the organization as diamond graders. The GIA is advancing its goal of making Gaborone the destination for industry-leading gemological education in Africa, it said.
The Gemological Institute of America, or GIA, is a nonprofit institute dedicated to research and education in the field of gemology and the jewelry arts. Founded in 1931, GIA’s mission is to protect all buyers and sellers of gemstones by setting and maintaining the standards used to evaluate gemstone quality. The institute does so through research, gem identification and diamond grading services and a variety of educational programs. Through its world-renowned library and subject experts, GIA acts as a resource of gem and jewelry information for the trade, the public and worldwide media outlets.
