The Role of GIA

   The GIA is not the first organization to attempt to defraud
non-insiders (AKA customers) by bending a jargon definition to a
common word just so that the public will not understand 

Mr. White, with all due respect, would I be correct in the
assumption that you are not particularly versed or trained in jewelry
or gemology, nor especially aware of the history of GIA?

Much of their origins were based on the attempt to get the
professionals to all speak the same language, precisely because those
pros were making it so meaninglessly confused that fellow jewelers
couldn’t be sure what other jewelers or dealers were saying, and at
that time, the public was pretty much being told whatever the heck it
took to sell whatever pretty stone a jeweler wished to move. You
imply that GIA is somehow defrauding or deceiving folks to their own
purposes. On the contrary, many of their efforts have been
precisely the opposite, to define the terms used in easily understood
and consistent ways just so that everyone COULD understand what was
being said, both jewelers and public both. The entire diamond
grading nomenclature which you’ll easily find the public and jewelers
busily using, were devised by GIA to replace the romantic, but
highly subjective, inconsistent and variable terms in prior use.
While it’s certainly true that people who’ve made no effort to learn
the accepted nomenclature will be at a disadvantage when speaking on
a subject, the nomenclature is easily learned, consistent with
itself, and not some trade secret only jewelers are allowed to know.
GIA is not the masons, with secret handshakes and sacred rites.
Their is easily found by anyone with sufficient curiosity
to look for it.

While there will always be dissent in nomenclature, and the english
language being what it is, there will always be sometimes multiple
definitions of a given word, the simple truth is that GIA’s efforts
have, over the decades, made this field MUCH more comprehensible to
both professionals and customers alike.

Peter Rowe

 The GIA is not the first organization to attempt to defraud
non-insiders (AKA customers) by bending a jargon definition to a
common word just so that the public will not understand "what the
jewelry seller 'means' when they say, 'no C-Z is NOT a SYNTHETIC
"gem"'."  (or YAG or whatever) 

Over the years on Orchid I have witnessed a number of people
referring to the GIA as if it is some monster out there. I would
like to take issue with all of you who make general statements
disparaging the entire GIA organization. The GIA has had the largest
impact in the world of any organization on the following: 1) the
gemological and jewelry education of individual jewelers and the
jewelry industry as a whole, 2) the education of the general public
through their work with the jewelry industry, 3) the scientific study
of gems, synthetics, simulants, etc. 4) the standardization of
diamond grading reports (and hence diamond grading among
jewelers),and 5) the raising of ethical standards in the jewelry
industry (in my mind the most important impact of all). Every single
jeweler on this list, directly or indirectly, has been positively
impacted by what the GIA has done over the long years of its
existence. It may not be a perfect organization, and certainly you
don’t have to agree with everything they say and do (I certainly
don’t), but to accuse them of being an organization hell bent on
deceiving you and your customers is simply out of line. And James,
you might note that the customers of GIA are the members of the
jewelry industry, not the general public (“non-insiders”).

Daniel R. Spirer, GG
Spirer Somes Jewelers
1794 Massachusetts Ave
Cambridge, MA 02140
617-491-6000
@spirersomes
www.spirersomes.com