This content was first published on IGR – Italian Gemological Review no. 10 in 2020. The information provided here is therefore current as of the original publication date.
Proof of Provenance, ie nanoparticles that penetrate precious minerals and remain as physical trackers capable of transporting information. This has been already completed and it’s under a process of experimentation with rough and cut emerald producers. Blockchain? Signed in 2018 a partnership with Everledger, an outstanding player in digital recording processes.
What was missing from Gübelin Gem Lab’s race towards innovation? Artificial intelligence was missing and that is why it in September 2020 a collaboration with CSEM, a specialized Swiss company has been announced, to create a project called “Gemtelligence”.
This step intends to automate the gemological identification process using machine learning, a key area of artificial intelligence. Philipp Schmid, Head of Industry 4.0 and Machine Learning at CSEM said: “We are dealing with data with different degrees of structuring ranging from spectra, concentrations of chemical elements to microscopic images, handwritten descriptions and subjective reflections from various experts. The goal is to create a sort of super-expert, working side by side with human experts”. It is worth remembering that Gübelin Gem Lab holds a very large catalog, records of tens of thousands of customer gems that Gübelin Gem Lab tested since the 1970s, along with additional in-depth data from the exclusive Gübelin Reference Stone Collection which includes over 27,000 gems.
The super-expert that is emerging out of Gübelin’s strategy is obtained through the construction of a new and powerful identity that each single stone assumes thanks to the combined use of information including its gemological characteristics, its geographical origin and its own particular history starting from raw material, proceeding with the production process up to ownership.
Gem News published on IGR – Italian Gemological Review #10, Autumn 2020
