Gurmit Singh
Director, Indian Institute of Gemology
What do you do all day?
My day begins at 8 am as my classes are held early to suit jewellers and people from the trade. I teach stone identification and grading for which I put diamonds and other precious stones under the microscope and other instruments.
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What else?
In between classes, I test for authenticity of gems and diamonds for my other clients. I examine the cuts, clarity and colour of gems and test for the refractive index and thermal conductivity of diamonds. On a limited scale, I sell gems too.
Refractive index?
Refractive index is the speed of light in a stone as compared to air. Diamonds are good conductors of heat. This helps in identifying purity of diamonds.
Are there too many fake diamonds?
Yes, there are. Nowadays, the most recent imitation mossanite is flooding the market.
What about rubies?
Because of advanced technology, there is a synthetic version of every gem. In the last 20 years, the technology to duplicate original gems has grown in leaps and bounds.
So your market value is appreciating ?
Yes, of course . More people are getting their diamonds tested from us. And more jewellers are taking up our courses. We have a two-month course on diamonds and another one for gems. Our teaching format is comparable to the one at the Gemological Institute of America.
Do you plan to start a new course?
We will soon start synthetic and advance gem identification course.
What do you do beside teaching and testing?
You have to read a lot in this profession to update your knowledge, or else your work becomes obsolete.
Are you superstitious about stones?
No. There is no scientific evidence to prove it. But people who consult astrologers often bring their stones to me for testing. I find astrologers often cheat customers and sell synthetic stones in place of genuine ones.
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