Ian Ho~~Erik Wang~~Jasper (Chun Long) Ma~~Jack Nalen~~Boli Chen~~Christopher Wong~~David Yun~~Stephanie Chan~~Makiko Harunari~~Anuj Shah~~Alvin Kwong~~Lori Lesser~~Kate Mirino~~Étienne Renaudeau~~Sarah Chaudhuri~~Leah Malone~~Emily Holland~~Steven DeLott
January 24, 2026
Blackstone Acquires International Gemological Institute

1 min
AI-made summary
- Simpson Thacher advised private equity funds managed by Blackstone in the acquisition of International Gemological Institute (IGI) from Shanghai Yuyuan Tourist Mart (Group) Co., Ltd., a Fosun subsidiary, and Roland Lorie of the founding family
- IGI, established in 1975, operates 29 laboratories and 18 gemology schools in 10 countries, and is recognized for its ISO-accredited certification of both natural and lab-grown diamonds
- Multiple Simpson Thacher teams participated in the transaction.
Simpson Thacher represented private equity funds managed by Blackstone in its acquisition of International Gemological Institute (“IGI”) from Shanghai Yuyuan Tourist Mart (Group) Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Fosun, and Roland Lorie, who belongs to the founding family.~~Founded in 1975, IGI is a global leader in independent certification of diamonds, gemstones, and jewelry, with a global footprint of 29 laboratories and 18 schools of gemology across 10 countries. IGI is the world’s first gemological laboratory to hold ISO accreditation in both natural and lab-grown diamonds. Since 2005, IGI has pioneered the certification of lab-grown diamonds, paving the authentication and standardization of a rapidly growing industry.~~The Simpson Thacher team included Ian Ho, Erik Wang, Jasper Ma, Jack Nalen, Boli Chen and Uyen Linh Tu (M&A); Christopher Wong, David Yun and Stephanie Chan (Capital Markets); Makiko Harunari, Rick Wei, Anuj Shah and Alvin Kwong (Credit); Jonathan Goldstein and Scott Grundei (Tax); Lori Lesser, Jessica Cohen and Kate Mirino (IP); Pasco Struhs (Executive Compensation and Employee Benefits); Étienne Renaudeau and Sarah Chaudhuri (Antitrust); Leah Malone and Emily Holland (ESG); and Steve DeLott (Insurance).
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Ian Ho~~Erik Wang~~Jasper (Chun Long) Ma~~Jack Nalen~~Boli Chen~~Christopher Wong~~David Yun~~Stephanie Chan~~Makiko Harunari~~Anuj Shah~~Alvin Kwong~~Lori Lesser~~Kate Mirino~~Étienne Renaudeau~~Sarah Chaudhuri~~Leah Malone~~Emily Holland~~Steven DeLott
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