IGI to Open Hong Kong Laboratory
June 24, 04
The International Gemological Institute (IGI) says it is to open an identification and grading laboratory in central Hong Kong in November in a move aimed at answering a growing local demand for internationally accepted certification.
The IGI is hiring Hong Kong graduate gemologists and Fellows of the British Gemological Association as diamond graders at the lab. They will receive in-house training at IGI Antwerp.
“Hong Kong, the major diamond and jewelry trading platform in the Asia Pacific region, is increasingly expressing a need for internationally accepted certification to be performed locally,” said Marc Brauner, IGI's worldwide chief laboratory officer who will manage IGI Hong Kong.
“Furthermore, we have seen a tremendous increase in demand for IGI certified diamonds and jewelry items in Hong Kong and its re-export markets,” he added.
IGI Hong Kong will offer diamond and gemstone identification, certification and testing reports on loose stones and finished jewelry.