EditorsSep 27, 2021
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AIGS has added a report for “jedi” spinel that aims to set quality standards for the trade term.
To be called “jedi,” a spinel must have medium to strong fluorescence, among several other quality factors, according to the Asian Institute of Gemological Sciences.
Bangkok—In order to set standards for what can be referred to as a “jedi spinel,” the Asian Institute of Gemological Sciences has launched a grading report for the stone.
Field gemologist Vincent Pardieu first used the term “jedi” to communicate with AIGS founder Henry Ho on their trips to Myanmar from 2002-2004, helping identify a spinel of highly saturated pink to red coloring with strong fluorescence.
They got their name from the Star Wars characters, inspired by the gemstones’ lack of any dark tone, which has left them “untouched by the dark side.”
The name became popular after Pardieu published a field report in the spring 2014 issue of GIA’s Gems & Gemology journal and a translated Chinese version.
Gem dealers in the Asian market quickly adopted the term “jedi spinel,” especially as demand for colored stones surged in China.
But there has since been some discrepancy in its interpretation—an issue that surrounds other trade terms like pigeon’s blood—and for this reason, AIGS now offers grading reports to create a strict quality standard.
“Retailers and dealers commonly utilize trade names as a marketing strategy to make colored gemstones more enticing and sellable; however, they might use trade names from their perspectives and perceptions,” AIGS Chairman Kennedy Ho said.
"With a unified standard, a trade name can root deeper in the market. By launching the Jedi Spinel Grading Report, AIGS intends to address discrepancies of the quality standard by comprehensive gemological and quality analysis.”
“Retailers and dealers commonly utilize trade names as a marketing strategy to make colored gemstones more enticing and sellable; however, they might use trade names from their perspectives and perceptions,” AIGS Chairman Kennedy Ho said.
"With a unified standard, a trade name can root deeper in the market. By launching the Jedi Spinel Grading Report, AIGS intends to address discrepancies of the quality standard by comprehensive gemological and quality analysis.”
AIGS’s color reference for what constitutes, and does not constitute, a “jedi spinel”
AIGS’s “jedi” grade applies to six quality aspects: color, fluorescence, clarity, cut, brilliance, treatment, and origin.
It refers to natural, untreated, faceted spinel with evenly distributed hues of red, pinkish red, reddish pink, or orangey red, in medium to high saturation and without dark tones.
The stones must be from Myanmar and have eye-clean clarity, excellent brilliance, and medium to strong fluorescence.
The proportions of the stone and the way it is cut also should be appealing to the eye, AIGS said.
AIGS officially launched these grading reports in September.
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