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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.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.gia.edu/educational-programs/licensing-and-accreditation/index.html )〕 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.〔()〕 In 1953 the GIA developed its International Diamond Grading System and the Four Cs (cut, clarity, color, and carat weight) as a standard to compare and evaluate the quality of diamonds.〔http://www.diamonds.net/news/NewsItem.aspx?ArticleID=42801〕 Today, the institute is headquartered in Carlsbad, California and operates out of 13 countries, with 11 campuses, 9 laboratories and 4 research centers worldwide. ==History== The story of the GIA starts back in the 1920s with a man named Robert M. Shipley. Shipley had been enjoying a successful career as a jeweler, but was coming to realize the unfortunate state of the gem and jewelry industry: a typical jeweler in the US, himself included, had a surprising lack of expertise when it came to jewelry and precious stones. He therefore took it upon himself to bring change to the jeweler’s trade, and restore the public’s trust therein. After traveling to Europe and completing the Great Britain National Association of Goldsmiths gemological correspondence course, Shipley returned to Los Angeles. It was here that he launched his own preliminary course in gemology on September 16, 1930, seeking to train and certify jewelers. The jewelers he certified would eventually serve to form a national guild of jewelers, dedicated to providing the public with a superior sense of professionalism within the gem and jewelry field.〔http://www.gia.edu/gia-news-research-how-shipley-created-gia〕 The first GIA gemological laboratory was established in Los Angeles in 1931. The jeweler's profession was quickly transformed, with the introduction of the "Certified Gemologist" professional designation and the legitimization of gemology as a recognized science.〔http://www.gia.edu/gia-about〕 Over the years, the group has brought many significant new developments to the industry, including the following: * 1934: GIA patents a jeweler’s loupe with triple aplanatic lenses. * 1937: GIA patents the world’s first gemological microscope, allowing gemologists to properly examine the insides of gemstones. * 1953: The diamond grading system based on Shipley’s Four C’s becomes an international standard for determining diamond quality. * 1955: GIA issues the first diamond grading reports, which are accepted as an international benchmark for the jewelry industry. * 1956: GIA finds a reliable way to detect diamonds that have been irradiated to artificially enhance their color. * 1960: The GIA Diamond Dictionary is published, becoming an international industry reference. * 1987: The Liddicoat Gemological Library and Information Center amasses the largest collection of books on gemology in the world. * 1991: GIA hosts its first annual Career Fair, which becomes the industry’s most significant recruiting event. * 1999: GIA identifies a way to detect diamonds that have been decolorized by high pressure and high temperatures (HPHT treatment). * 2003: GIA identifies a way to detect sapphires made from beryllium-diffusion techniques, and diamonds made from chemical vapor deposition. * 2005: GIA creates a system for grading the cut of round brilliant diamonds in the D-to-Z color range. * 2007: GIA introduces a Synthetic Diamond Grading Report. * 2014: GIA introduces DiamondCheck, which is capable of differentiating between natural and treated or synthetic diamonds.〔http://www.gia.edu/gia-about〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Gemological Institute of America」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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