[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 113 (Tuesday, September 1, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S9800]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          GEMOLOGICAL INSTITUTE OF AMERICA AND GEM LABORATORY

 Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I rise today to commend the 
exemplary work of the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and the 
GIA Gem Laboratory.
  GIA has been the nation's leader in gemology training and education 
since 1931, conducting valuable research and establishing standards 
upon which purchasers of gems in the United States and abroad have come 
to rely.
  The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), in establishing regulations 
concerning gems that are the subject of trade in the United States, 
adopted standards developed by GIA.
  GIA's Gem Laboratory--located in New York City and Carlsbad, 
California--operates to protect the public from misrepresentation of 
gems, to assist in the recovery of stolen property, and to provide 
information useful in the prosecution of criminals involved in gem 
fraud or theft.
  The Gem Laboratory is also the main body applying the FTC's 
regulations on gems (26 CFR Part 23), such that consumers have a means 
of determining whether the products they purchase are, in fact, the 
real thing. It serves an essential role in identifying gems and in 
detecting synthetics as well as colored, doctored, or treated gems 
being marketed as natural and in deterring those who might attempt to 
profit by misrepresenting their goods to American consumers.
  The Laboratory can achieve these purposes only because it is 
responsible for identifying and/or testing a large proportion of the 
significant gems purchased by consumers in the United States.
  The Laboratory's extensive computerized gem database enables it to 
identify stolen gems that it had previously tested and inhibits the 
fencing of stolen gems, thereby providing an important deterrent to gem 
theft.
  At the request of the United States Customs Service and pursuant to 
licensing by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Gem Laboratory also 
tests for irradiated gems posing a health risk to the American public.
  The Federal Bureau of Investigation and local law enforcement 
agencies rely on the Gem Laboratory for assistance in solving crimes 
involving gems. The Laboratory has been instrumental in solving many 
such crimes, providing crucial evidence and expert testimony essential 
to their successful prosecution.
  Mr. President, I commend GIA and the GIA Gem Laboratory for their 
contribution to the protection of the consumer. Through its work, the 
Gem Laboratory significantly lessens the burdens of the federal 
government that would otherwise have to be borne by the FTC, the FBI, 
the Customs Service, and other government agencies.

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