AIGS Came to Lab Grown Dreams to Source Lab-Grown Gemstones — We Sent Them Back With Educational Specimens

By Lab Grown Dreams | Silom Road, Bangkok | Published July 18, 2026

When the Asian Institute of Gemological Sciences (AIGS) — one of Asia's most established gemological institutes, based in Bangkok — contacted Lab Grown Dreams about sourcing lab-grown gemstones, it confirmed something we have watched build for two years: the institutions that set gemological standards are engaging directly with Bangkok's lab-grown gemstone trade.

This is the story of that engagement, and why we chose to support AIGS and its future students with certified educational specimens.

AIGS at Lab Grown Dreams: The Sourcing Evaluation

AIGS first reached out to Lab Grown Dreams to source lab-grown gemstones. Their team visited our Lab Grown Dreams Headquarters on Silom Road to examine our inventory of lab-grown emeralds, rubies, and sapphires in person.

We then brought our samples to the AIGS school, where their gemologists conducted a hands-on evaluation. The stones were examined and returned within two days — a thorough, professional process reflecting the institute's standards.

The Educational Specimens We Contributed

When we returned to collect our samples, Lab Grown Dreams contributed three stones to AIGS as educational specimens. Documented material for teaching, provided to support the institute and its future students:

• One hydrothermal lab-grown emerald — grown by the hydrothermal method, which recreates the water-based, high-pressure conditions under which natural emeralds form. Hydrothermal emeralds show characteristic growth features that students must learn to recognize.

• One Czochralski-grown ruby — produced by the Czochralski (crystal-pulling) process, which yields exceptionally clean corundum. Its very cleanliness is a key identification lesson: clarity that looks "too perfect" is a signal to test further.

• One Czochralski-grown sapphire — pulled-growth corundum with the distinct optical and inclusion characteristics of the method.

Each specimen came from documented production with certification, which is what makes them useful for teaching: identification training depends on reference stones of known, verified origin.

Why We Support Gemological Education

Lab Grown Dreams is built on 35+ years of family heritage in the Bangkok gem trade. Supporting gemological education is a long-term commitment for a simple reason: every properly trained gemologist makes the market more transparent, and transparency rewards honest dealers.

Every student AIGS trains will work in a market where lab-grown diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and sapphires sit alongside mined stones. Their ability to identify growth methods (hydrothermal, Czochralski, flux, CVD, HPHT) protects consumers and the trade alike. Contributing specimens is the most direct way a manufacturer dealer can strengthen that training.

This is not our first engagement with gemological education. In 2024, the JK Diamond Institute of Gem and Jewelry brought its students and directors to our headquarters for a 40-minute presentation on lab-grown gems and the Bangkok market. Read it here now.

Why Institutes Come to Bangkok's Lab-Grown Trade

Bangkok concentrates the entire gemstone value chain: dealers, cutters, laboratories, and schools within walking distance around on Silom Road. When an institute like AIGS wants to evaluate lab-grown material, it can do so at the source, from a manufacturer-dealer with certified inventory, rather than through intermediaries.

Lab Grown Dreams supplies IGI certified lab-grown diamonds and colored gemstones from the JTC to retail, wholesale, and now educational buyers across Europe, the US, UK, the Middle East, and Asia.

Educational Support From Lab Grown Dreams

We offer four forms of support to gemological institutes, universities, and training programs:

1. Certified educational specimens: Lab-grown emeralds, rubies, sapphires, and CVD diamonds of documented origin for teaching collections.

2. Study-stone parcels: Classroom-sized parcels priced for institutional budgets.

3. Sourcing evaluations: Institutes are welcome to examine and test our inventory at the JTC, as AIGS did.

4. Presentations: Market and technology talks at our office or on campus, as delivered to JK Diamond Institute.

Educational institutions can contact us here or visit our office at the Lab Grown Dreams Headquarters, Silom Road, Bangkok.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did AIGS visit Lab Grown Dreams?

Yes. AIGS contacted Lab Grown Dreams to source lab-grown gemstones, visited our Jewelry Trade Center office to examine stones, and conducted a two-day hands-on evaluation of our samples at their school.

What specimens did Lab Grown Dreams give AIGS?

Lab Grown Dreams contributed three educational specimens to AIGS: one hydrothermal lab-grown emerald, one Czochralski-grown ruby, and one Czochralski-grown sapphire, provided to support the institute's teaching.

What is a hydrothermal emerald?

A hydrothermal emerald is a lab-grown emerald created in a water-based, high-pressure, high-temperature environment that recreates natural emerald formation. It is chemically and optically emerald, with growth features gemologists learn to identify.

What is Czochralski growth for rubies and sapphires?

The Czochralski process grows ruby and sapphire by pulling a crystal from molten corundum. It produces exceptionally clean material, and recognizing that characteristic cleanliness is part of gemological identification training.

Why do gemological institutes need lab-grown specimens?

Identification training requires stones of known, documented origin. Certified lab-grown specimens from a verified manufacturer let students learn the growth features of each method on reliable reference material.

Can other institutes get educational specimens from Lab Grown Dreams?

Yes. Lab Grown Dreams supplies certified educational specimens and study-stone parcels to gemological institutes, universities, and training programs, from its office on Silom road in Bangkok.