GCAL and Everledger Announce Agreement to Enhance Provenance Transparency

Everledger, the digital transparency company bringing traceability and transparency to high-value goods, and Gem Certification and Assurance Lab (GCAL), a leading diamond grading lab in the United States, have joined forces to bring increased accountability to diamond sourcing. The relationship will increase the number of Everledger’s certification houses and expand their reach to manufacturers and retailers.

New York City-based GCAL is passionate about accurate diamond grading and protecting consumers’ rights. This well-earned reputation for supporting consumers comes from GCAL’s renowned ethical approach to diamond grading, supported by its pioneering ISO17025 Forensic Accreditation, founder and president Don Palmeri’s 50 years of active consumer advocacy, and more recently, thanks to this partnership with Everledger.

With the Everledger Platform’s Application Programming Interface (API) connection enabling accurate and independent diamond data to be displayed to consumers on their own devices, GCAL will have the ability to query Everledger provenance information on demand, on any device and at all times. Everledger, for their part, will be able to pull data and photos of certification data from GCAL’s API to sit on the Everledger Platform and add the information to other partners’ diamond journeys. With Gemprint^®, Everledger will be able to rely on the world’s leading, non-invasive diamond identification technology.

“Blockchain technology has already demonstrated the enormous positive impact it can have in the world of diamond sourcing, and we’re thrilled to be able to offer this cutting-edge technology to our clients,” said Angelo Palmieri, COO at GCAL. “Combining blockchain with the unique optical fingerprint produced by Gemprint^® creates significantly increased transparency, and an indisputable, unmistakable identity for each and every diamond that passes through the GCAL lab.

“This partnership with Everledger will enable us to combine sourcing and grading for the best possible insight into the provenance and value of a diamond. It will provide end consumers with greater assurance and additional insight into their diamond’s history, and retail jewellers with more substantial information about the diamond to help close more sales.”

“High-value items like diamonds are prime candidates for the clarity of information that blockchain technology can provide, and this partnership with GCAL increases the amount of information that both organizations can provide for their customers,” commented Amy Curtis, Director of Sales and Partnerships, Americas at Everledger.

Scott Austin, Senior Executive Vice President at Everledger, said: “Being able to document the unique attributes of every diamond, including its origin, transformations from rough to cut and polished, its certifications and sustainability record, has become more important than ever before.”

Scott added: “Increasingly, suppliers and retailers must ensure the quality and ethical sourcing for consumers who are more conscientious than ever before. While these elements are all regularly documented, access to authentic stories, validation of origin, and certification that demonstrate the uniqueness of each diamond has historically been difficult to prove over the lifecycle of the stone. This partnership will shed ever more transparency on the journey of each diamond, as well as enable broader reach across both organisations’ customer bases.”