Wim Vertriest 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. Since joining GIA in 2015 at the Thailand laboratory, Wim has participated in GIA Field Expeditions on different continents focusing on ruby, sapphire and emerald mining areas. During these expeditions, samples are collected for GIA’s research and the local situation is documented. 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, Wim is overseeing the field gemology department and is in charge of GIA’s colored stone research collection in Bangkok.