Do gemstones have GIA certifications like diamonds do?

Your jeweler is either grossly misinformed, or else he is trying to bamboozle you, like you said. Although they are not as standardized, thorough, or ubiquitous, as diamond grading reports, gemstone grading reports definitely do exist. They are issued by the GIA, under the name 'Gem Identification Reports' as well as a few other gemological institutions such as the AGTA (American Gem Trade Association), AGL (American Gemological Laboratories) and the GGL (Gubelin Gem Laboratory). The reports issued by the different gemological laboratories use different measuring systems. The GIA, considered the most reputable and foremost authority on gemstones, issues the 'Gem Identification Report' which provides data on the size, carats, shape and cut of the gemstone. It verifies whether the stone is real or synthetic, notes if the stone has undergone any treatments or enhancements, and rates the color according to its own 'colored stone grading system' which measures tone, hue and saturation. The AGTA's 'Gemstone Identification Report' includes info on the gemstone's size, carats, shapes, cut and treatments.It also notes the gemstone's geographic origin, which may affect its worth. The AGTA's color evaluation is vary basic though, and only examines the hue. The AGL's 'Colored Stone Certificate' includes info on the gemstone's size, carats, shape, cut, treatments and country of origin. Its standards of color grading are completely different from the GIA's which rates a stone's color from 1(best) to 10(worst) based on various parameters. The Swiss GGL's gem report includes clarity, color, cut, enhancements, country of origin and symmetry. These and other reports may look highly official and reliable, however most countries, including the United States, do not regulate certification, and basically any institute with fancy letterhead can legally issue a gem report. Moreover, the color of a gem is the most important factor in dictating the gem's value, but each institute measures color based on its own self-developed systems, or fail to examine color at all. That is to say, a diamond grading report pretty much decides the value of the diamond in question, while a gemstone grading report is harder to translate into a specific dollar value. Either way, your jeweler was being dishonest with you - or he's a nitwit - and you should find yourself a new jeweler.

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