Three documents, three different jobs
Buyers often use the word "certificate" for anything printed on card. In practice there are three separate documents, and each answers a different question.
GemStore guarantee card
This is our own written promise about the stone you bought: that it is natural, that it matches the listing, and that our 7-day return policy covers it. It is a promise from the seller, backed by the return window. It is not a test result.
In-house certificate
A GemStore certificate of authenticity is available on request for any stone you buy. It records what we found when we inspected the stone ourselves: the variety, carat weight, measurements, colour and any treatment we know of. It is a careful record from the people who sold you the stone.
Independent lab report
A lab report is written by a gemmological laboratory that has no stake in the sale. The lab tests the stone with instruments and states what it is, whether it is natural or synthetic, and what treatments it can detect. This is the document to ask for when you are buying a high-value stone or want a second opinion from outside the shop.
How to request lab certification before you pay
- Choose the stone on the site and copy its link.
- Send the link on WhatsApp +92 308 887 3888 and say you want an independent lab report.
- We explain how testing works for that stone, including the time it takes and the cost of the report.
- Once you agree, we arrange the test. You see the report before you pay for the stone.
- If you go ahead, the stone is dispatched with the report by insured, tracked courier, with Cash on Delivery as usual.
What a lab report shows
- Identification: the species and variety, for example corundum, variety sapphire.
- Natural or synthetic: whether the stone formed in the earth or was grown in a factory.
- Treatment: heating, oiling, filling, dyeing, coating, irradiation or diffusion, where the lab can detect it.
- Weight and measurements: carat weight to two decimal places and dimensions in millimetres.
- Shape, cut and colour: a plain description, often with a photo of the stone.
- Origin: some labs add a country-of-origin opinion for stones such as sapphire and emerald. This is an opinion, not a fact on the same level as identification.
How to read a report
Start with the identification line. It should name the stone you paid for. Next, read the comments or treatment section: "no indications of heating" and "indications of heating" mean very different things for price. For emerald, look for the degree of clarity enhancement, often written as minor, moderate or significant. Then match the weight and measurements on the report to the stone in your hand. Finally, check the report number and use the lab's own verification service where one exists.
A report describes the stone on the day it was tested. If a stone is later re-cut or re-treated, the old report no longer applies.
Stones buyers most often have tested
Requests come mostly for blue sapphire, yellow sapphire (Pukhraj), ruby, emerald, red coral (Marjan) and cat's eye (Lehsunia), because treatment and imitations change their value most. Lab testing is also available for opal, aquamarine, amethyst, Feroza, peridot, garnet, topaz and kunzite. Each has its own guide below, explaining what the lab checks for that stone.
No listing carries a lab report yet. As reports are added, those stones will be marked lab-certified and shown on this page. You can read how we inspect every stone on our authenticity page.
References
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