With little more than four weeks to go to the opening of the 2026 CIBJO Congress in Vicenza, Italy, on September 4, 2026, the seventh of the pre-congress Special Reports has been released. Prepared by the CIBJO Gemmological Commission, headed by Hanco Zwaan, the report emphasizes the critical need to harmonise best management practices, technical requirements and testing protocols, so as to ensure public confidence in gemmological reports.

“The trade and gemmological laboratories should work together to provide correct information on gemstones at all levels. We recommend that laboratories carefully implement best practices, as laid out in the CIBJO Gemmological Laboratory Blue Book,” writes Dr. Zwaan.

In the report, Dr. Zwaan notes that the Gem and Jewelry Institute of Thailand (GIT) recently announced that will be integrating into the revised Thailand National Standard of Gemstone Vocabulary the list of minerals, gem varieties and trade names, and their criteria, which currently appear in the CIBJO Gemmological Laboratories Blue Book.

While an initiative had been discussed for CIBJO to produce a list of gem labs worldwide that commit to comply with best practices as delineated in the Gemmological Blue Book, the plan was shelved for legal and practical reasons, Dr. Zwaan reported. However, he added, “the CIBJO Gemmological Commission will remain the platform for laboratories to discuss all pressing issues, to harmonise practices and nomenclature, to promote speaking the same language, and for the trade and laboratories to work together in openly circulating key gemmological information.”

Concluding his report, Dr. Zwaan noted that he would soon be stepping down as Gemmological Commission President. He thanked the CIBJO President, the Board of Directors, his two vice presidents, the Gemmological Committee Steering Committee and his fellow commission presidents for the support they have provided over the years.