The Gemological Institute of America (also known as GIA) has made some tweaks to the reports for colored stone and pearls, which will go into effect February 1, 2015.
Beginning February 1, 2015, GIA is planning to issue a report that is similar for pearls and colored stone that will not only have better imagery for consumers, but they will also include more information that may be useful to consumers. These reports will still list information that is only pertinent to the specific gem. (For instance, the pearl report only entails information about pearls).
Other changes that will appear in these reports include: a portrait-oriented layout for the stones and newer paper that will support higher-quality photos. GIA also has an online report check that will feature documents for both pearls and colored stones that are consumer friendly and lead consumers to information about treatments that these gems have been subjected to.
Proportion diagrams and feature plots will also be featured on Report Check so that consumers can learn more about diamonds, as well.
All in all, these reports are supposed to help consumers understand gemstones better so that they can make more educated purchasing decisions.