IGI has launched a credit card sized version of its Colored Stone Report, and has made it in plastic material, to give the advantage of resistance to wear and tear similar to a plastic credit card, and added security features along with standard report data. IGI President and CEO Jerry Ehrenwald, G.G., A.S.A., stated, “We’re happy to be able to meet our customer demand for the IGI Colored Stone Credit Card Report. This format is visually appealing, smaller and easier to handle, and costs less. It’s a benefit to consumers and retailers alike.”

This credit card format gives an added layer of protection through its final lamination process that includes the embedment of an IGI logo hologram, and through this one can make out if the report has been tampered with/altered. For retailers, the lamination process protects the IGI report from yellowing if placed in a window display.

The verification and analysis delivered in the IGI Credit Card Report is the same as it appears in the traditional IGI Report, and includes identification of a gemstone’s species and variety, shape and cutting style, carat weight, measurements, colour and other major optical characteristics, disclosure of enhancements, and mention of the stone being natural or synthetic. IGI can also determine the country of origin upon request.

IGI laboratories employ the most technologically advanced instruments for the identification and authentication of coloured stones, including spectroscopy, consisting of UV-visible, raman, X-ray and mid-infrared, in addition to immersion cells, micrometers, polariscopes, refractometers, specific gravity liquids and binocular microscopes. The identification of beryllium lattice diffusion may require additional testing. Before stating species and variety of a particular colored gemstone, all necessary gemological tests are performed. These include separation of synthetic from natural, tracing for all possible treatment and testing for radioactivity. As with all IGI reports, the Colored Stone Credit Card Report complies with the Federal Trade Commission’s enhancement disclosure rules and regulations.