Gem Identification 101: The Ins and Outs of the Lab

Join us for this informative event held by the GIA Alumni Collective Orange County and San Diego chapters! This will be a Q&A style event moderated by Senior Manager of Analytics, Dr. Mike Breeding. We have an amazing panel of guest speakers from various departments within the GIA Laboratory who will share their expertise regarding gem identification. Be sure to bring along any gemology questions you may have for the team to answer! Enjoy food and refreshments while mingling with fellow alumni and colleagues.

Please RSVP by December 1st at noon. Space is limited and a government-issued photo ID will be required upon entry at the guard gate. Walk-ins will not be accepted.

Meet the panel below:

Nicole Ahline: Supervisor, Identification Department (Panel Speaker)

After completing her undergraduate studies in geology at Cornell College in 2015, Miss Ahline enrolled at GIA for the Graduate Gemologist (GG) program. She earned her GG credentials in 2016 followed by the Gem-A Gemmology Diploma program in 2020. In 2016, she was hired by GIA as a gemologist in the gem identification department and is now a supervisor. While at GIA she has been a frequent contributor to Gems & Gemology, and has given lectures on numerous gemological topics. Miss Ahline’s current research interests include geographic origin of corundum and emeralds and origin of color in colored diamonds. In the identification department, Miss Ahline is responsible for the service completion of colored stone identification reports, colored diamond color origin, and the continuous learning of her team.

Najmeh Anjomani: Manager, Jewelry Verification Services (Panel Speaker)

Launched in July 2022, GIA's Jewelry Verification Service began with our first client, eBay. Through eBay’s Authenticity Guarantee program, eligible fine jewelry items are sent to GIA after being purchased. We verify specific claims made in the listing, through testing and observation, and provide a pass or fail determination, typically within two business days. The claims we verify include condition, measurements, metal type and purity, diamonds, colored stones and brand authentication.

Dr. Aaron Palke: Sr Manager, Research (Panel Speaker)

Dr. Aaron Palke developed an interest in minerals and gemstones searching for agates and other minerals in eastern Montana. Dr. Palke pursued a formal education in geology, obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree from The University of Tulsa and a Ph.D. from Stanford University. He began his gemological career as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Gemological Institute of America where he is now the Senior Manager of Colored Stone Research. In this role, Dr. Palke leads GIA’s research efforts into geographic origin determination for rubies, sapphires, emeralds and other colored stones as well as improving criteria for identification of treatments for colored stones. Dr. Palke is a regular contributor to Gems & Gemology, serves on the journal’s editorial review board, and has acted as a Guest Editor for two special issues of the journal so far.

Nathan Renfro: Senior Manager, Identification Department (Panel Speaker)

Nathan Renfro, a native of western North Carolina, developed an interest in minerals during his late teens, which was sparked by his grandfather’s rock collection. In 2006 he completed his undergraduate studies in geology at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. He then went on to enroll at GIA for the resident Graduate Gemologist (GG) program as a recipient of the William Goldberg Diamond Corporation scholarship. Mr. Renfro also completed his FGA with Gem-A in 2014.

After finishing the Graduate Gemologist program at GIA, he was hired by the GIA laboratory as a diamond grader and soon transferred to the Gem Identification department in 2008. Since then, Mr. Renfro has authored or co-authored more than one hundred gemological notes and articles and lectured to several gem and mineral groups throughout the world. His photomicrography work has been featured by National Geographic, the London Natural History Museum and Zeiss Microscopy. His primary areas of gemological interest are photomicrography techniques and identification of inclusions, gemstone cutting, defect chemistry of corundum and geographic origin determination of gemstones. Mr. Renfro is currently the Senior Manager of the GIA gem identification departments in California and New York. Mr. Renfro is a contributing editor of G&G’s Microworld quarterly column, which is published in the journal Gems and Gemology, where he is also a member of the editorial review board.

Dr. Mike Breeding: Senior Manager, Analytics (Moderator)

Dr. Christopher “Mike” Breeding is a senior manager of diamond analytical testing at the Gemological Institute of America in Carlsbad, California. He obtained a B.S. in geology from the College of William and Mary in Virginia, a Ph.D. in geology from Yale in 2004, and is a GIA Graduate Gemologist.

Over the last 21 years at GIA, Mike has worked on every type of gemstone ranging from quartz to diamond. He has also managed GIA postdoctoral associates, interns, and research scientists in the Carlsbad research group. His current research is concerned primarily with origin of color and configuration of lattice defects in colored and colorless diamonds and identification of treatments and synthetics. His favorite area of interest is the cause of color in fancy colored diamonds, particularly greens. He regularly works to develop new instruments for the diamond trade and gives seminars worldwide to educate the industry about diamond defects and non-destructive spectroscopic analysis of gemstones.