PRESS RELEASE

GIA Increases Offerings for Bangkok Gems & Jewelry Fair

IMG - PR - Kenneth Scarratt 636x358
Image © GIA.
Kenneth Scarratt, GIA’s managing director of South East Asia and director of the GIA laboratory in Bangkok.

GIA grades larger diamonds and hosts a GemFest in Thailand

BANGKOK – Aug. 7, 2013 – Leading up to and during the Sept. 2013 Bangkok Gems and Jewelry Fair, GIA (Gemological Institute of America) will expand its outreach to the Thai gem and jewelry trade through education offerings and laboratory services. The Institute will offer grading services for diamonds up to 9.99 carats prior to the start of the show, host a free GIA GemFest with GIA gemologist Kenneth Scarratt on Sept. 6, and feature an educational booth Sept. 6-10 during the show. 
 
For a limited time, GIA in Bangkok will offer grading services for 3.00-9.99 carat diamonds. Stones will be accepted for submission Aug. 19-30 and grading will take place Sept. 2-6 at the Bangkok laboratory. The Institute’s laboratory in Bangkok normally grades diamonds up to 2.99 carats and takes in larger stones for grading at one of the Institute’s global laboratories year-round. The additional service will bring industry-leading laboratory services right to the door of the Thai trade.
 
Members of the trade also have the opportunity to hear from Kenneth Scarratt, managing director of GIA Southeast Asia and director of the GIA laboratory in Bangkok, Thailand, during his presentation “The Importance and the Fun of Getting it Right – Colored Stones and Pearls.” The free GIA GemFest will take place on Friday, Sept. 6 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Jupiter 8-9, Challenger hall, Impact Muangthong Thani, Nonthaburi, Thailand. The discussion will cover themes in the modern gemological laboratory, including origin determinations, treatments and synthetics, as well as the collection and reporting of data that stands the test of time and adds to a greater overall understanding of gems.
 
Scarratt, a leader in the field, has extensive experience in the identification of a broad range of gem materials and detection of treatments, as well as expertise on saltwater and freshwater natural pearls. He has authored or co-authored articles in many gemological journals worldwide, and has co-authored two books: “The Crown Jewels” and “The Pearl & the Dragon.”
 
Representatives from GIA in Thailand will be at booth 25A-28A at the Bangkok Gems & Jewelry Fair, Sept. 6-9 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sept. 10 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., to meet with prospective students and other interested parties.
 
Please visit www.giathai.net or call 02 632 4090 ext. 105 for more details. For more information about GIA in Thailand, contact us.

About GIA

An independent nonprofit organization, GIA (Gemological Institute of America), established in 1931, is recognized as the world’s foremost authority in gemology. GIA invented the famous 4Cs of Color, Cut, Clarity and Carat Weight in the early 1950s and in 1953, created the International Diamond Grading System™ which, today, is recognized by virtually every professional jeweler in the world.
 
Through research, education, gemological laboratory services, and instrument development, the Institute is dedicated to ensuring the public trust in gems and jewelry by upholding the highest standards of integrity, academics, science, and professionalism.