The CIBJO Gemmological Commission has identified the need to ensure harmonisation and standardisation in gemstone laboratory reports as one of the key challenges that needs to be addressed by the industry. This key issue will be taken up in the 2016 CIBJO Congress, which will take place in Yerevan, Armenia, on October 26, 2016, the organisation said.

The Commission, in its special report released yesterday, said that there is a need for clearer coloured gemstone laboratory standards, both in the way results are obtained and how they are noted on gem identification reports.

Head of the Commission, Hanco Zwaan, in his report discusses the question of lead glass-filled rubies, which the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in the United States has ruled cannot be marketed as unqualified rubies without being deceptive. It discusses possible measures laboratories should take to deal with a trend by which dealers temporarily remove filler from fissures and fractures in emeralds before submitting them for examination, so as to have "no indications of clarity enhancement" listed on gem identification reports.

A special session on October 26 will also focus on harmonising and standardising specific colour terms, such as Royal Blue and Pigeon Blood Red, the report said. "Recognizing that if certain colour terms are assigned and used, it is essential to find for them common ground and consistent criteria," said Zwaan.