GIA to Open Lab in Dubai

RAPAPORT... The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) will return to Dubai after an absence of around two years, launching a laboratory in one of the emirate's newest skyscrapers.The GIA offices are scheduled to open in mid-2023, the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) said last week. Local subsidiary GIA Laboratory DMCC will lease more than 41,000 square feet across two floors of Dubai's Uptown Tower, a 340-meter-high building belonging to the DMCC. The construction is expected to be complete later this year.The move is part of a nine-year deal between the GIA and the DMCC that, over time, could see the creation of up to 500 skilled jobs, the trade organization added. The announcement coincides with the closure of the GIA's Antwerp lab, which was due to take place Sunday. The latest development contrasts with the GIA's actions in 2018 and 2019, when it expanded its Antwerp facilities and shut its Dubai office. "The growing importance of Dubai as a diamond center and its outstanding infrastructure make the DMCC an excellent choice for a significant expansion of GIA's capacity," Tom Moses, the GIA's executive vice president and chief laboratory and research officer, said in a statement. "Dubai's close proximity to the important diamond-manufacturing and producing centers, in addition to efficient transportation links to global diamond markets, will help support our clients and, very importantly, extend our important consumer-protection mission."Image: The Uptown Tower, Dubai. (DMCC)