New Delhi: ICA-GemLab, an internationally recognised organisation specialising in diamonds, jewellery and coloured gemstones, will open India’s first new gemological laboratory in Surat, Gujarat in October. The laboratory will provide the testing and reporting services for diamonds, coloured gemstones and jewellery.
Surat is one of the world’s major centres for diamond and jewellery manufacturing and trade. The new laboratory will provide testing services closer to the manufacturing and trading stages of the jewellery supply chain, before products reach consumers. The facility is part of ICA-GemLab’s strategy of providing direct access to its services in key sourcing and trading markets.
The Surat laboratory will be ICA-GemLab’s first facility in the Indian subcontinent. It will be connected to the organisation’s headquarters in Bangkok and its existing offices in Dubai and Hong Kong.
ICA-GemLab is affiliated with the International Colored Gemstone Association (ICA), a trade body representing the coloured gemstone industry. The Surat laboratory will operate in accordance with the reporting standards and professional practices followed across the ICA-GemLab group.
ICA-GemLab India will be led by Kalpesh Desai as Director. Speaking about the new laboratory, Desai said, “India has a significant share of the world’s diamond processing, with Surat being one of its key centres. Our aim is to provide direct access to our internationally established analytical methods and reporting standards to manufacturers, traders, retailers, designers and consumers.”
He added, “We are working with a long-term plan. Our aim is to provide reliable gemological information, documented methodologies and analysis that can help traders and consumers make decisions based on appropriate information.”
Amira Hatta, Managing Director, ICA-GemLab Global, said, “India is one of the most important markets in the global gems and jewellery industry. Opening a laboratory in Surat will bring our analytical capabilities directly to this market, so that customers will have access to our services closer to where they operate.”
The Surat laboratory will issue three types of reports, namely Diamond Reports, Coloured Gemstone Reports and Jewellery Reports. The services will be available to manufacturers, wholesalers, traders, retailers, jewellery brands, designers, industry professionals and consumers.
ICA-GemLab is headquartered in Bangkok and has offices in Dubai and Hong Kong. The laboratory also has a partnership with Sri Lanka’s National Gem & Jewellery Authority, through which testing capabilities are made available in the country. The upcoming facility in Surat marks the latest step in its expansion.
