Lab Debuts Rough-to-Polished Gem Tracker

RAPAPORT… The Swiss Gemmological Institute (SSEF) has launched a service for linking polished gemstones to their original rough, it said Tuesday.

GemTrack creates a fingerprint that documents the stone’s journey from mine to market, based on analyses of the stone’s crystallographic, structural, chemical and microscopic features.

“Given the growing demand for provenance and traceability in our industry, we felt that SSEF can provide a truly independent gemological documentation for a gem on its journey from the rough to cut state, and even to its being set in jewelry,” said Michael Krzemnicki, director of SSEF.

Image: Colored gemstone from rough to finished. (Swiss Gemmological Institute)