OUR INSTRUCTORS
Wim Vertriest
- Since joining GIA in 2015 at the Thailand laboratory, Wim Vertriest has participated in GIA field expeditions on different continents focusing on ruby, sapphire and emerald mining areas to collect samples for GIA’s research.
- He has co-authored articles on new gemstone localities, updates on existing mining localities, in-depth gemological studies and treatment experiments. In his role as manager of field gemology, Wim oversees the field gemology department and is in charge of GIA’s colored stone research collection in Bangkok.Wim graduated from the Catholic University of Leuven (KULeuven) in Belgium. He obtained a masters in Geology in 2014, specializing in ‘Geodynamics & Geofluids’ and also gained his FGA and GG diplomas.