Events & AwardsMay 22, 2026
Instore Buys JA New York ShowThe deal closed this week, which means Instore will produce the JA NY show slated to take place this fall.
SourcingJan 10, 2018
Gübelin Working to Create Blockchain for Colored Stones
The lab is partnering with Everledger to develop technology to trace stones from mine to market.
Gübelin Gem Lab is partnering with Everledger to create a blockchain technology that can track any and all gemstones from mine to market.
Lucerne, Switzerland--In an effort to create more transparency, Gübelin Gem Lab is partnering with a technology company to create a blockchain for colored stones.
The lab announced Tuesday it is working with emerging tech company Everledger to develop the program that will trace gemstones from mine to market, which it calls the first in the world of its kind.
The project comes as part of the lab’s Provenance Proof initiative, a long-term program designed to develop and provide technologies to the gemstone industry to make it more transparent.
“We have a deep belief that the level of transparency we have in the gemstone industry is not fit to fulfill the requirements that today’s critical consumers have,” Gübelin Gem Lab Managing Director Daniel Nyfeler told National Jeweler Tuesday.
“We as a gem lab believe that we have a certain credibility or at least some kind of tech savviness that puts us in quite a good position to develop technologies that can help achieve the goal of transparency.”
That already includes its “Emerald Paternity Test” and now, the creation of the blockchain.
A blockchain is a digital, decentralized ledger of transactions, which constantly grows as completed “blocks” are recorded.
Blockchain technology is secured using cryptography, which means that no one can tamper with the data once it has been recorded, and because the data is stored across its network, it eliminates the risk that comes with holding data centrally.
Everledger--which has experience building blockchain technologies for high-value goods, including diamonds--will design and build the required technical backbone for Gübelin’s Provenance Proof Blockchain.
The technology will engage any and all parties involved in the lifecycle of a gemstone. It can be applied to every colored stone.
The blockchain Everledger is building, expected to launch within the next six months, is a “digital look book,” Nyfeler said, with each gemstone having its own log of information.
RELATED CONTENT: Analysis: The State of the Colored Stone MarketIt will aim to track a stone as early in the supply chain as possible and will build a record of each individual rough gemstone. The owner or custodian of the stone is then entitled to contribute certain information to the “look book”--as well as see certain formation--through to, and including, the end consumer.
“Overall, you get a kind of complete history of that stone,” Nyfeler said.
They are designing it to be easy to use on the front end.
Nyfeler said
they are building their technology based on smartphones (as they’re early in the development process, they are still working to figure out, beyond that, what form the tech will take). A blockchain for a gemstone will be started by entering simple data, such as its weight or a picture of the stone.
When asked about possible barriers for use for artisanal miners, he said the cost to use the blockchain technology is very small: “It’s indeed something that should function with the guy who is sitting in the small-scale mining, as long as he has a smartphone and is willing to give transparency on what he’s doing.”
While it is designed to give supply chain transparency, it wouldn’t be able to stop someone from swapping a mined stone for a synthetic or treated stone somewhere along the way.
“But the good thing is that once it gets detected, you can basically trace it back and most likely find the place where something went wrong,” Nyfeler said. “That’s due to the fact that the blocks are immutable.”
This is also why the lab believes that the blockchain paired with the emerald paternity test provides an “extremely powerful package.”
“The combination of something physical with something digital, we believe, really takes a step forward in our overall attempt to bring more transparency to our industry.”
The paternity test, launched at Baselworld 2017, makes emeralds completely traceable by applying DNA-based nanoparticles directly onto the rough crystals at mining sites.
The lab wants to expand the technology, or something similar to it, to all gems.
Nyfeler said the current type of nanoparticles they use on the emeralds can also now be applied to pearls and Paraiba tourmaline.
The lab is developing other solutions, likely also based on nanoparticles, for rubies and sapphires, though they are only at the lab trial stage for those now.
“We want to develop the technologies that, again, is something physical, that we add to the stone or write in the stone, something that is invisible and that becomes part of the stone and can be retrieved or read at any late stage.”
Since the investment required by anyone interested in the paternity test is quite large, Nyfeler said the lab also is partnering with a consultancy company in the artisanal mining sector on a project to see how the technology can be applied in such an environment.
When asked about possible barriers for use for artisanal miners, he said the cost to use the blockchain technology is very small: “It’s indeed something that should function with the guy who is sitting in the small-scale mining, as long as he has a smartphone and is willing to give transparency on what he’s doing.”
While it is designed to give supply chain transparency, it wouldn’t be able to stop someone from swapping a mined stone for a synthetic or treated stone somewhere along the way.
“But the good thing is that once it gets detected, you can basically trace it back and most likely find the place where something went wrong,” Nyfeler said. “That’s due to the fact that the blocks are immutable.”
This is also why the lab believes that the blockchain paired with the emerald paternity test provides an “extremely powerful package.”
“The combination of something physical with something digital, we believe, really takes a step forward in our overall attempt to bring more transparency to our industry.”
The paternity test, launched at Baselworld 2017, makes emeralds completely traceable by applying DNA-based nanoparticles directly onto the rough crystals at mining sites.
The lab wants to expand the technology, or something similar to it, to all gems.
Nyfeler said the current type of nanoparticles they use on the emeralds can also now be applied to pearls and Paraiba tourmaline.
The lab is developing other solutions, likely also based on nanoparticles, for rubies and sapphires, though they are only at the lab trial stage for those now.
“We want to develop the technologies that, again, is something physical, that we add to the stone or write in the stone, something that is invisible and that becomes part of the stone and can be retrieved or read at any late stage.”
Since the investment required by anyone interested in the paternity test is quite large, Nyfeler said the lab also is partnering with a consultancy company in the artisanal mining sector on a project to see how the technology can be applied in such an environment.
More on Sourcing
The Latest
FinancialsMay 22, 2026
Richemont’s Jewelry Brands Lead the Charge in Q4The company’s jewelry sales were up in Q4 and the fiscal year, with Richemont raising prices in part because of the cost of gold.
CollectionsMay 22, 2026
Leigh Maxwell Celebrates 5 Years at Couture With ‘Bauble’ CollectionThe “Bauble” capsule collection of colorful one-of-a-kinds includes our Piece of the Week, the “Bauble” earrings, featuring rose zircon.
Brought to you by
All Eyes on Gold Prices. Alternatives to Look For. And What to BEWARE of in VegasAs gold prices rise, today’s retailers are looking for alternatives at prices that will appeal to wider audiences.
MajorsMay 22, 2026
Stuller’s New Packaging, Display Catalog Is Out The updated catalog has a newly dedicated section for gift wrapping.
Weekly QuizMay 21, 2026
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
PodcastsMay 21, 2026
Episode 5: Sotheby’s Frank Everett Puts the Auction Market in PerspectiveEverett covers colored stones’ surging popularity, the mellow return of the “Mellon Blue,” and his “The Devil Wears Prada” doppelgänger.
IndependentsMay 21, 2026
Springer’s Jewelers’ New Flagship Will Serve Next-Gen Luxury ShoppersFourth-generation CEO Lilly Mullen wants to emphasize experience, connection, and personalized service.
Brought to you by
How Modern Training Is Becoming a Competitive Advantage for Jewelry RetailersWith the trade and customer trust in mind, GIA® developed NextGem™ – on-demand training designed specifically for retail.
Events & AwardsMay 21, 2026
JA Announces Nina Pugliese Memorial ScholarshipThe new award, created in partnership with Henne Jewelers, honors the late designer’s legacy through supporting jewelry education.
CrimeMay 20, 2026
NYPD Warns of Jewelry Swap Scams Targeting SeniorsThe NYPD is warning elderly New Yorkers to keep their jewelry hidden when walking outside to avoid being a target.
IndependentsMay 20, 2026
Adornment & Theory’s New Store Feels Like Home Designer Viviana Langhoff has realized her dream of owning a space for her Chicago jewelry store that looks and feels like her brand.
Events & AwardsMay 20, 2026
Here Is Couture’s 2026 Education Lineup The sessions will run from Friday, May 29, to Sunday, May 31, with one being a live taping of an episode of Couture’s podcast.
Lab-GrownMay 20, 2026
Savannah Friedkin Jewelry Names New CEOFormer Stephanie Gottlieb Fine Jewelry executive Morgan P. Richardson is joining the lab-grown diamond jewelry brand.
WatchesMay 19, 2026
Here’s the AP x Swatch Pocket Watch That Caused PandemoniumThe $400 pocket watch is a blend of Audemars Piguet’s iconic eight-sided Royal Oak and Swatch’s unserious Pop watches from the ‘80s.
CollectionsMay 19, 2026
Chris Ploof’s New Collection Makes an Ancient Metal ModernWith gold prices on the rise, the “Modern Electrum” collection uses an alternative, non-tarnishing metal alloy composed of gold and silver.
IndependentsMay 19, 2026
Ellen and Michael Fruchtman Retire, Sell Marketing Agency Fruchtman Marketing has new owners, Erin Moyer-Carballea and Manuel Carballea, and will relocate to Miami.
ColumnistsMay 19, 2026
Peter Smith: The (Mostly) Immutable Sales TruthsIn a column for the 2026 State of the Majors issue, Smith lists 10 time-tested principles about sales that still ring true.
ColumnistsMay 18, 2026
Edahn Golan: What a K-Shaped Economy Means for Fine JewelryIn a column for the 2026 State of the Majors issue, Golan spells out how the growing economic divide in the U.S. is reshaping the market.
CollectionsMay 18, 2026
Foundrae’s New Collection Taps Into JoyThe “Limitless Expansion of Joy and Hope” collection evokes summer through colored gemstones and motifs of butterflies and florals.
CollectionsMay 18, 2026
Hancocks London Acquires Historic ‘Inchiquin’ EmeraldThe jewel, circa 1890, is from the late Victorian era and was owned by descendants of the last high king of Ireland.
Events & AwardsMay 18, 2026
Here Are the 2026 JCK Industry Fund Grant Recipients This is what the nine recipients plan to do with the funds.
AuctionsMay 15, 2026
American Collector Ponies Up Almost $17K for John Wayne’s RingThe Western star’s 14-karat gold signet ring sold for six times its low estimate following a bidding war at U.K. auction house Elmwood’s.
Events & AwardsMay 15, 2026
JA, MJSA To Sponsor Roundtable at TJSThe discussion, "Rebuilding the Jewelry Workforce," will take place on Saturday, May 16, in Troy, Michigan.
AuctionsMay 14, 2026
White Diamonds Lead Sotheby’s Auction, Blue Diamond Does Not SellA matching pair of 18.38-carat, D-color diamonds from Botswana’s Jwaneng mine sold for $3.3 million, the top lot of the jewelry auction.
Supplier BulletinMay 14, 2026
A Diamond Is Forever Continues Desert Diamonds – Bridal ReinvigoratedSponsored by A Diamond Is Forever
SourcingMay 14, 2026
State of Colored Stones: The Spirit of Young American Gemstone CuttersThe next generation of lapidarists are entrepreneurial, engaged online, and see the craft as a means for artistic expression.
AuctionsMay 14, 2026
‘Ocean Dream’ Makes Waves at Christie’s, Fetching $17MIt was the second auction appearance for the fancy vivid blue-green diamond, which sold for $7.8 million at Christie’s Geneva 12 years ago.
