National and International

Medal of the Liberator Simon Bolivar

During the month of October 2020, the Institute carried out, at the request of the Ministry of the Presidency, the specialized technical evaluation of the Medal of the Liberator Simon Bolivar, Presidential Symbol of Bolivia.
This work, which lasted 5 days, was carried out in the premises of the Institute in Tiquipaya by a team made up of 4 students aspiring to professor of gemology with the official photographer of the IGB, the whole headed by the founder of the Institute Expert Gemologist.

Delivery of gemological certificates

During the month of August 2020, gemological certificates were given to 3 students in the premises of the Institute in Tiquipaya. A fourth student, absent due to isolation imposed by COVID19 will be given his certificates during the month of September

CVD diamonds production

Photo 1 from USA - Photos 2, 3 and 4 from France

The use of microwave plasma system of chemical deposition in the vapor phase (CVD) used at the origin mainly for coatings in thin layers on various media for a variety of uses such as reinforcements for the protection or hardness (ceramics, diamond), is becoming more and more widespread in the production of diamonds monocrystalline. Gérard Quintin for IGB, travelled to Boston Massachusetts in the United States and Marolles-en-Hurepoix in France to visit companies that manufacture and develop these systems and study the possibility of establishing a production unit of diamonds CVD in Bolivia.

Participation of IGB
to the XI South Americans games Cocha 2018

The Gemological Institute of Bolivia has created and realized the trophies for the 14 countries who participated in the XI South American Games Cocha 2018.
The stones are in blue sodalite from the region of Independencia in the department of Cochabamba mounted on a redwood base from the Amazon.
The trophies were awarded by the founder of the IGB Gérard Quintin in the presence of the Minister of Sports Tito Montaño to the representatives of each participating country, during a ceremony which took place in the hotel of the Tamporada at the Sport Center of Villa in Cochabamba on Thursday, 8 June 2018.
This event is an act marking the participation of the Gemological Institute of Bolivia to the development and the Bolivian Image in the world.

New diamond
Hardness 11

Dr. Jagdish Narayan at North Carolina State University here with Gérard Quintin, have discover how to convert amorphous carbon into diamond at ambient pressures and temperatures in air. This new phase of solid carbon is call Q-carbon. To realise this operation the carbon is hited with a single laser pulse lasting approximately 200 nanoseconds. During this pulse, the temperature of the carbon is raised to 4,000 degrees Kelvin around 3,750 degrees Celcius and then rapidly cooled. By using different substrates and changing the duration of the laser pulse, the researchers can also control the speed of the carbon cooling. By changing the rate of cooling, they are able to create diamond structures witihin the Q-carbon. He say that this diamond is harder than the natural diamond.

IGB

The jewelery school students team of the newspaper Le Mur, the teachers, the staffs of the European project, and the Principal of the jewelery school Jean Guéhenno have the pleasure to invite you for the private viewing of four European exhibitions presented through the JEWELS OF FUTURE … We share this private viewing with our partners of the program Erasmus + and the European jewelery school network… Delegations of high school students and teachers issued of 8 jewelry schools join us for a few days from Belgium, Spain, Greece, Italy, Portugal and the United Kingdom to pursue in our school the common European project...

PRIVATE VIEWING THE JEWELS OF FUTURE Wednesday, January 25th, 2017, 18.00
Cité de l'Or in Saint-Amand Montrond

France

http://www.le-mur.fr/ mur/

Venezuela

The United Arab Emirates (UAE), represented by Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Chairman of the Dubai Multi Commodities Center, and current President of the Kimberley Process (KP), are going to support the Venezuela’s request to reinstate the Kimberley Process ( KP). Venezuela suspended itself from the KP in 2008 following tax evasions caused by the smuggling of uncertified diamonds.

Angola

The biggest diamond ever discovered in Angola, weighting 404,2 carats with an estimated value of 15 million dollars was extracted on the site of Lulo in the province of Lunda Norte of Angola by the Australian mining company Lucapa Diamond Company. In a communiqué the group indicates that 60 big diamonds have been already extracted from this site.

The Star of Adam

A blue star sapphire weighting 1.404,49 carats, actualy the biggest of the world, was found in a mine from " the city of the gems " in Ratnapura in Sri Lanka. The estimation of the value from the Gemmological Institute of Colombo can be at least over 100 millions dollars. The price of sale can rise up to 175 million dollars.

Leonardo DiCaprio

Leonardo DiCaprio passes from " blood diamonds" to synthetic diamonds.
After his brilliant performance the actor caught the virus and now invests in "Diamond Foundry" a company specialized in the manufacturing of synthetic diamonds, also cofinanced by entrepreneurs of the Silicon Valley.
To make sure of the success he surrounds itself with masters diamond cutters such as Israel Itzkowitz, among others, the inventor of "Princess Cut" and Maarten de Witte multi-facets diamond expert.

Synthetic Diamonds

In an open letter to Leonardo DiCaprio, Martin Rapaport calls out DiCaprio for falsely claiming that his synthetic diamonds are more ethical than legitimate natural diamonds from artisanal diggers. Rapaport pleads with DiCaprio to use his fame and fortune to support the fair trade diamond jewelry which can significantly improve the lives of millions of the poorest people on earth.

GIA

The Gemological Institute of America announced it classified a blue diamond (fancy deep blue) synthetic material HPHT type IIb, emerald cut, 5.03 carat . It is the biggest diamond of this type which the Institute had to inspect.

The stone was produced by New Diamond Technology ( NDT), company based in Saint-Petersburg in Russia and also founding member of the recently launched International Grown Diamond Association.

IGB IS MOVING

In 2021 the Institute will be moved to a new building more spacious which will accept the growth of his activities.

On Friday, the 6th of November, 2015 the Bolivian Gemological Institut IGB received the visit of the Deputy Leoncio Jancko Quispe.

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On Monday, the 16th of November, 2015 the Deputy Ascencio Laxo President of the Parliamentary Brigade of Potosi visits the instalations of the IGB.

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On Thursday, the 26th of November, 2015 was the participation of the Bolivian Gemologican Institut IGB to the creation of a project of law PL 347/2015-2016 which will allow the State Plurinacional of Bolivia to ask for his participation to the Kimberley Process.

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The Bolivian Institute of Gemology obtained its number of mining registration of the National Service of Register and Control of the Marketing of Minerals and Metals SENARECOM.

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On July 6th, 2016, conference of Gérard Quintin in the Viceministry of the Mining Politics and the SENARECOM about the bill which will allow Bolivia to participate in the System of Certification of the Kimberley Process.