Alexandrite with an American International GemLab

[Nicko1702]

Hi All,
I bought a cool Alexandrite specimen recently that came with an American International GemLab certification. The certification company looks good, but it also looks like it was trying to imitate another certificate company or group called American International Gemologists, and the AIGemLabs has an office in Delaware (which is known for being an easy state to register shell companies in). The main offices are located in Bangkok. The website looks legitimate but also very slim: http://www.aigllabs.com/

Currently, from my personal testing, it seems like natural Alexandrite:
RI of 1.754
Fluorescence of medium red in LW and yellow-green in SW
Lots of inclusions (it's intended to be a specimen - not for jewelry.)
Low-medium color change from Green to gray-purple.
AIG Gem Identification number: GEM2020042324995

There are some certification companies that of course are like budget versions of the major certifiers, and I always wonder if they can determine the binary answer of whether the stone is 1) natural and 2) the true type of stone. I get the impression the stone is legitimate but it's just OK quality, so it would not make sense to send it to AGTA or GIA or something like that. Ideally we would all be able to send each of our stones to GIA easily and spend the $200 to get them certified, but financials are tight and so I sometimes hedge risk while I pursue my gem collecting hobby.
How do you all navigate the budget or less reputable certification companies from foreign countries?

 

[Bron357]

With great care!
Unfortunately there are a large number of “fake” lab reports, some better than others. Some are obviously total crock others are potentially well intentioned but untrustworthy as their expertise and equipment is lacking.
Some tests, especially for coloured gems and jadeite require specialised and expensive testing equipment together with well qualified and experienced Gemologists. That’s why the costs of getting a lab report from a well known, well regarded lab is expensive. And why smaller lab can’t offer the same full services.
It’s always a concern when a gem lab “names” itself very similarly to another well known and well regarded lab. The reason for the similar name is obvious!
With reports from AIG, as per the website, they don’t state the Gemologists qualifications or name. The website says they train their Gemologists? That’s not a reassuring sign. Nor are the grammar and spelling errors in their “blurb”. Further, under the “Grading” Tab, their inclusion gallery comprises photos taken off the internet ie not theirs and under “Ruby” their photos have been lifted from GemSelect (many of the photos are watermarked) and includes a photo of banded Agate! So none of that is an indication of a reputable, trustworthy lab!
That said, you get what you pay for. If a gemstone is lower priced and comes with an lesser or unknown lab report it may not be as described and/or it may not be worth the money submitting It to a better regarded lab for confirmation.
Irrespective of the quality or reliability of a lab report, a 1 carat piece of genuine Alexandrite could be worth between $20 and $30,000. The $20 piece being a totally included specimen crystal chip and the $30,000 piece being a near flawless, certified Russian origin 98% colour change from green to purple red.
If your Alexandrite piece is a specimen and not suitable or attractive enough for faceting AND you didn’t pay a lot for it, it isn’t really worth the money to get say a AGL report because the report doesn’t alter the fact that your Alexandrite is just a crystal specimen and was priced accordingly.

 

[whitewave]

I delay my purchase until I can afford what I want and know to be true.

For instance, I still want a 2-3 carat blue sapphire for a pendant and I also want a sizable ruby. I can’t afford either right now, so I’m not buying.

 

[Nicko1702]

Irrespective of the quality or reliability of a lab report, a 1 carat piece of genuine Alexandrite could be worth between $20 and $30,000. The $20 piece being a totally included specimen crystal chip and the $30,000 piece being a near flawless, certified Russian origin 98% colour change from green to purple red.
If your Alexandrite piece is a specimen and not suitable or attractive enough for faceting AND you didn’t pay a lot for it, it isn’t really worth the money to get say a AGL report because the report doesn’t alter the fact that your Alexandrite is just a crystal specimen and was priced accordingly.

Thanks Bron357! I did not do a lot of digging on the website, and I did not see the obviously copied stock images. That's kind of funny.

The color change is stronger than I originally noticed, and it is a fun little specimen, so I am happy with my decision to buy. I bought it for $125 and it's a light pastel green, very included but it will be fun to play with it. This one is roughly 1 carat but of course it's not fine quality. On another stone, this kind of makes me laugh because my ex-boyfriend, who is a naive sweetheart and one of my best friends, payed about the same price for a melee size 0.09 Alex as a birthday gift for me.

I am working with a friend to set a different proper Alex I bought from GIL International, which is a reputable Alex dealer. I bought it in Tucson at the AGTA show, so I am confident about the stone, and I am very excited for the ring we are making. The price on this Alex at this wholesale event was good at ~$1000/carat and the stone is about 1/2 carat. It has a feather inclusion if you look hard but it will be gorgeous set, and personally I like a subtle inclusion.

 

[Deengee]

Thanks Bron357! I did not do a lot of digging on the website, and I did not see the obviously copied stock images. That's kind of funny.

The color change is stronger than I originally noticed, and it is a fun little specimen, so I am happy with my decision to buy. I bought it for $125 and it's a light pastel green, very included but it will be fun to play with it. This one is roughly 1 carat but of course it's not fine quality. On another stone, this kind of makes me laugh because my ex-boyfriend, who is a naive sweetheart and one of my best friends, payed about the same price for a melee size 0.09 Alex as a birthday gift for me.

I am working with a friend to set a different proper Alex I bought from GIL International, which is a reputable Alex dealer. I bought it in Tucson at the AGTA show, so I am confident about the stone, and I am very excited for the ring we are making. The price on this Alex at this wholesale event was good at ~$1000/carat and the stone is about 1/2 carat. It has a feather inclusion if you look hard but it will be gorgeous set, and personally I like a subtle inclusion.

Emm i bought a stone called alexandrite certified from the same lab.. It is cheap compared from the usual alexandrites.. have you done any further tests other than playing with the stone since you got it.? I did some reading saying that we have to test for chromium to get the so-called "alexandrite" title.. otherwise the stone is just a colour-change chrysoberyl.. (alexandrite is a chrysoberyl variant)

Thank you