Gemological Institute of America Inc

“Two members of the board of governors, lawrence ma and elliot tannenbaum, have a business relationship.”

“The board of governors delegates the detailed review and approval of form 990 to a 990 review team. The 990 review team consists of: gia president / ceo; its senior vice president and chief financial officer; its senior vice president and general counsel; gia's outside counsel specializing in non-profit and tax matters; and the vice president of global tax of gia. The 990 review team schedules a meeting with the firm that prepares the form 990 to conduct a detailed review. The firm responds to any outstanding questions or concerns raised by the 990 review team. Once the review team completes its detailed review, the form 990 is made available to the board of governors prior to its filing with the irs.”

“The institute regularly and consistently monitors and enforces compliance with its conflict of interest policies through annual circulation of a conflict of interest questionnaire, which is completed and signed by all members of the board of governors, officers, and members of executive management. In addition, gia requires all employees (including those of its international affiliates) to review its code of conduct, as it may be augmented by gia from time to time, and to acknowledge by signature adherence to its ethical standards, including its conflict of interest policies, as a condition of employment. The legal department reviews contractual relationships entered into by the organization and is responsible for monitoring conflicts of interest as reported through disclosures and by other means. Further, it is incumbent upon all of the aforementioned parties to disclose any conflicts of interest in the course of the year.”

“The board of governors executive committee meets annually in november to review the officer compensation and to set the pay rate for the subsequent year. Gia has retained the services of mercer, international compensation and benefits consultants, which distributes periodic market pay comparisons of comparable jobs to those of gia officers. This information is provided to the board executive committee for review and use. In the interim years between comprehensive market studies, gia obtains such market data as average merit increases from mercer and also takes the cpi into consideration.”

“Gia's employee code of conduct, which includes a section on conflicts of interest, is posted on gia's website. This code governs employees of gia and its global subsidiaries. Financial statements are incorporated into the form 990, which is available to the public. The institute's governing documents are also available to the public upon request.”

“The board periodically reviews the board compensation process and sets new compensation amounts. Committee chairs and the chair of the board receive additional compensation in light of their additional responsibilities. The amount of compensation was found by expert opinion of frederic w. Cook & co. Inc. To be reasonable and comparable to board compensation paid by similar organizations. Each governor has the option to decline this stipend.”

“Certain payments by related organizations are reported as exempt function revenue (column b) and are treated on schedule a as gross receipts from a related charitable activity per treasury regulations section 1.509(a)-3(m). Such payments are received under license agreements by which gia licensed its intellectual property specifically to enable its affiliate diamond grading laboratories outside the us to grade diamonds cut and polished in other regions of the world and as dividends paid by such affiliate laboratories. Enabling its affiliates to grade diamonds in the diamond manufacturing regions of the world is directly related to gia greatly increasing the proportion of the world's diamonds graded pursuant to the institute's systems and standards and thereby to significantly enlarging the number of diamond consumers gia protects from fraud and misrepresentation. Had gia itself undertaken diamond grading in those regions, the resulting revenue would clearly have been gross receipts from a related activity for purposes of irc section 509(a)(2).”

“The gemological institute of america was established in 1931 by robert m. Shipley who introduced correspondence courses in the same year. Subsequently, gia corporations were formed in ohio and in california. The current gemological institute of america, inc. ("gia or "the institute") is a california nonprofit, public benefit corporation, which is the successor to the california corporation initially incorporated in 1982, which in turn is the successor to the ohio corporation incorporated in 1943.”

“Gia is the world's largest and most respected nonprofit institute of gemological learning and research. The institute's mission and most significant activities are (a) operating a school providing education and granting diplomas in gemology and related areas; (b) protecting the public from misrepresentation pertaining to gems, deterring gem theft, assisting in the recovery of stolen property and prosecution of criminals, and promoting state-of-the-art research into the techniques by which gems are modified technologically or grown in a laboratory; and (c) supporting, performing, and publishing scientific research and analysis related to gems and gemology and learning in related fields. Gia offers a comprehensive gemology curriculum taught by a full-time, professional faculty to regularly enrolled students at its on-campus facilities in carlsbad, california and new york city, new york, and through subsidiaries in various other countries. Gia also offers extensive distance education. Gia's researchers utilize sophisticated analytical techniques and equipment to advance the science of gemology, and to detect laboratory grown and altered gems. Gia's library and quarterly publication, gems & gemology, collect and disseminate research on gems. Gia's laboratory protects the public from misrepresentation about gems, deters gem theft, and helps law enforcement by tracing stolen gems, while promoting state-of-the-art research. Gia has been certified by the responsible jewellery council since 2011, as meeting the highest ethical, social and environmental standards established by the rjc's code of practices.”

“The institute's mission and most significant activities are (a) operating a school providing education and granting diplomas in gemology and related areas; (b) protecting the public from misrepresentation pertaining to gems, deterring gem theft, assisting in the recovery of stolen property and prosecution of criminals, and promoting state-of-the-art research into the techniques by which gems are modified technologically or grown in a laboratory; and (c) supporting, performing, and publishing scientific research and analysis related to gems and gemology and learning in related fields.”

“Education: gia offers a comprehensive gemology curriculum at the institute's california and new york campuses, and through international subsidiaries in india, thailand, hong kong, england, south africa, botswana, and taiwan. Distance education courses are distributed domestically and internationally in a variety of languages. In 2022, total enrollments were 16,632, comprised of 2,277 on-campus and 14,355 through distance education. Gia's educational offerings cover the gamut of gemology subjects, including, but not limited to: (a) the use of gemological instruments, (b) the optical and physical properties of diamonds, gemstones, pearls and other natural organic gem materials, (c) laboratory grown diamonds and diamond simulants, (d) detection of fracture-filled diamonds and laboratory grown diamonds, (e) determination of color, clarity, cut, and carat weight of diamonds, (f) application of ftc guidelines for jewelry transactions, (g) detection of laboratory grown, treated, imitation or assembled colored gem materials, and (h) detection of cultured, imitation, assembled and treated pearls. Gia offers varying levels of certification in the areas of diamonds, colored stones, pearls, and jewelry. A graduate gemologist (g.g.) diploma from gia is recognized around the globe as a key credential in the gemological world. In 2003, in response to a growing need for quality science courses for children, gia created the junior gemologist program. The gemkids program teaches gemology, geology and mineralogy to local students and youth groups, with instruction provided by the institute's instructors and members of the gem and jewelry industry. In 2022, gemkids content was delivered via zoom to approximately 3,100 students at roughly 50 schools. Additionally, gemkids presence at in-person events in 2022 resulted in 1,500 contacts with kids, parents, and educators. Gia has also curated the gemkids website since 2014, bringing interactive, online gemology and geology education to students ages 9-12. Gia hosts a jewelry career fair and open house at one or more of its campuses on an annual basis. The event is free and open to the public. As the jewelry industry's largest job fair, the event always attracts the industry's top retailers, manufacturers, laboratories and wholesalers interested in hiring gia students and graduates. In 2022, approximately 300 individuals attended the career fair and open house event in california. The mission of the institute's richard t. Liddicoat gemological library and information center in carlsbad, california is to continue as the world's premier resource for information in the fields of gem and jewelry-related studies. As such, the institute promotes the use of its resources for education and research by the public, the gem and jewelry industry, and the institute's students, faculty and alumni. The institute's library houses the world's largest collection of diamond, gem and jewelry resource materials. Whether by phone, e-mail or in person, the library staff serves scientists, jewelers, gemologists and students from every corner of the globe. The expert library staff draws upon a growing collection of over 16,700 items in its circulating collection, over 49,800 items in the renowned cartier rare book repository and archives, over 253,000 photographic images, 2,000 videos (vhs and dvd format), approximately 1,200 journal and magazine titles, 250 cd-roms and 130 audio cds to provide ready reference in the fields of gemology and jewelry. Gia's library collection also includes 347 unique ebook titles (517 copies of ebooks and audiobooks) purchased through overdrive, a digital content provider. The ebook collection is accessible through the libby app. There are 947 digitized versions of rare works, scanned from its collection, available on internet archive (archive.org). The institute's museum educates the public on gems and gemology, displaying cut gems, mineral specimens and jewelry. During 2022, museum exhibits w”

“Laboratory: the mission of the institute's laboratory is to protect the public from misrepresentation pertaining to gems (whether innocent, negligent or intentional), to deter gem theft, to assist in recovery of stolen property and prosecution of criminals, and to promote state-of-the-art research into the techniques by which gems are modified technologically or grown in a laboratory. The fbi's jewelry and gem program has designated gia as a partner listed on the fbi website in combating gem theft. In 2022, gia continued its practice of flagging stolen gemstones in its database, and recovered multiple gemstones in cases in which stones were resubmitted to the laboratory after having been stolen. Gia also graded stones for law enforcement at no cost and responded to many information requests from law enforcement agencies. Furthermore, gia provided many documents at the request of law enforcement to assist them in their duties. The laboratory fulfills its mission by examining and classifying individual gem materials submitted to the gia laboratory and its international subsidiaries' laboratories. Natural and laboratory grown diamonds are identified and graded, with reports issued on their precise identifying features and with quality assessments on the 4cs: color, clarity, cut and carat weight. Colored gemstones, laboratory grown colored stones, pearls and cultured pearls are identified, with reports issued upon client request. The distinguishing characteristics and features of a given gem are unique to that gem in much the same way a fingerprint is unique to an individual person. Once a gem has been submitted for examination, its characteristics and features are recorded for future reference in case it is ever resubmitted, either in the normal course of events or in questionable circumstances, such as with lost or stolen items. Additionally, if requested, an identification code can be laser inscribed upon the gem. The substantial and continuous volume of gem materials that are submitted for examination, together with the large collection of comparison gems acquired by gia, constitute an invaluable database for the research and public service conducted by the institute. To make this public service possible, gia charges relatively modest fees that vary by the type and size of the gem material. It should be noted that gia does not appraise any gem materials or otherwise establish their market value. Commerce in gems is global, with the result that many gem materials sold by foreign gem owners or dealers ultimately find their way to the u.s. Market, either through wholesale distribution or future resale. Most diamonds purchased in the u.s. Have been mined and processed outside of this country. Some proportion of those diamonds have historically not been submitted to gia's laboratory because of the geographic distance between gia's laboratory facilities in california and new york and the distant locations of mines and dealers. To enhance its ability to pursue the mission of protecting the gem purchasing public, deterring theft, and assisting in recovery of stolen property and prosecution of criminals, gia operates laboratories through its branches and wholly-owned subsidiaries in belgium, botswana, hong kong, india, israel, japan, south africa, and thailand.”

“Research & publications: the institute's researchers utilize sophisticated analytical techniques and scientific equipment to advance the science of gemology, including detection of laboratory grown gems, cultured pearls and treated natural gems. The mission of the research department is to (1) characterize the gemological properties of gem materials and develop practical ways to identify them; (2) understand the conditions of gemstone formation in the earth, as well as the conditions of gem treatment and evaluation of any laboratory growth properties, as a further basis for developing means of gem identification; (3) investigate the factors that are responsible for the appearance of diamonds and other gem materials, so as to establish methods to evaluate their quality; and (4) design and improve instruments for gem stone testing. The institute is the world leader in researching the methods by which gem materials can be enhanced in color or clarity or grown in a laboratory. This research helps protect the public from possible misrepresentations pertaining to gem materials. The institute acts as a consumer advocate to ensure that consumers, along with retailers and wholesalers, are fully apprised of the true character - natural, treated, or laboratory grown - of any specific gem. Since 2011, gia has participated in an agreement with united states customs and border protection to collaborate on analyses of gemstones in order to determine their identity (natural, treated-natural or laboratory grown), indications of country of origin, and develop a database for international, federal, state, and local law enforcement that will facilitate trade and law enforcement. This collaboration helps to lessen the burdens of government. In 2014, gia introduced the gia diamondcheck, a device that draws on gia's decades of research to assist in the identification of diamonds that are potentially laboratory grown or color-treated. As part of its public benefit mission, gia, working with the world federation of diamond bourses (wfdb), made the diamondcheck available at no cost to 20 diamond bourses and other organizations around the world. In 2017, gia introduced a portable instrument id100 for quick separation of natural diamonds from lab grown diamonds. To disseminate their findings, gia researchers speak at seminars, post developments online on the gia website, and publish frequently in scholarly texts and journals, including "gems & gemology," gia's quarterly scientific publication. Gems & gemology, which has been in continuous publication for 89 years, provides information on new gem materials, gem localities, treatment and lab growth techniques, and identification methods. The journal keeps students and professionals alike up-to-date on the most critical topics in gemology. In recent years, the publication of its research by gia scientists has been included in prominent journals such nature and science, often in collaboration with other researchers from other institutions. Gia has published three books containing articles from gems & gemology, on synthetic, colored and treated diamonds. There is a constant demand for back issues by students, professionals and hobbyists researching numerous gemological subjects. In addition, gia summarizes technical articles published by gia researchers in gems & gemology for republication in trade journals nationally and internationally, so the information can be broadly disseminated. Since november 2008, the journal has been available online as well as in print. Beginning in 2013, gia made all of its current and back issues of gems & gemology available online at no cost, as well as supplemental media and data. Gia also launched the gem encyclopedia in 2013, which makes detailed but user-friendly information on a range of gemstones available to the general public on its website. Gia's website is available in three languages. In 2020, gia initiated a facebook group, which has nearly 35,000 members and where g”

“Other fees for services: program service expenses 22,569,292. Management and general expenses 778,037. Fundraising expenses 0. Total expenses 23,347,329. Outsourced research services: program service expenses 5,012,261. Management and general expenses 172,789. Fundraising expenses 0. Total expenses 5,185,050. Other professional service fees: program service expenses 2,815,944. Management and general expenses 97,075. Fundraising expenses 0. Total expenses 2,913,019. Temporary labor: program service expenses 1,227,596. Management and general expenses 42,319. Fundraising expenses 0. Total expenses 1,269,915. Recruiting: program service expenses 723,602. Management and general expenses 24,945. Fundraising expenses 0. Total expenses 748,547. Compliance professional service fees: program service expenses 196,994. Management and general expenses 6,791. Fundraising expenses 0. Total expenses 203,785.”

“Unrealized foreign exchange loss -737,302.”