GIA does more than set the integrity standards in the gem and jewelry industry. We provide research, lab services and educate gemologists from around the world. In this 6-minute video, Bev Hori, GIA education director, explains the global impact of GIA, giving you a broader view of what we do in Carlsbad, CA.

BridePOP, the wedding website, helps its readers with all things weddings. Here they help with diamond purchases and talk up GIA. “Purchasing a diamond is a big step and finding the right one to complete your wedding ring can be pretty intimidating.

My grandfather was a client of GIA’s back in the 50s and early 60s. He died only a few years after I was born, but at his company in Long Island City, New York, where both my mother and father continued to work, I grew up surrounded by the tools of an amateur gemologist—which only stopped gathering dust when my sister and I handled them (secretly, so mom wouldn’t yell).

GIA’s mission statement says it perfectly: Ensure the public trust in gems and jewelry by upholding the highest standards of integrity, academics, science, and professionalism through education, research, laboratory services, and instrument development.

But how does that translate to you—the guy who’s about to buy a diamond for the love of his life?