GFCO gemological lab

[autumngems]

Is this lab reputable?

 

[Autumn in New England]

Is this lab reputable?

So they popped up a couple of years ago, and claim to be owned by a Swiss company. I also believe their gemologists are graduates of AIGS (according to them) which is promising. In any event, I guess it depends on what you mean by reputable. Do I think they fraudulently try to misrepresent gemstones? Unlikely. Do I think they have the expertise to satisfy my needs? I remain unconvinced.

When I was buying a tourmaline from a seller in Bangkok, and asked his opinion as to whether it was a true rubellite (didn't brown out under incandescent lighting), he said yes and that he would have it certified as such. He came back the next day with a report from this lab stating it was a rubellite and untreated. Most labs won't certify a rubellite as untreated, because it's nearly impossible to tell whether any heating was due to mother earth or done manually. That turned me off (because of the seller, mostly), and I moved along. So I think it's like a lot of these local labs that work a little too closely with the vendors there. I just feel more comfortable with a respected lab as a mind-clean thing, knowing what equipment they have, their experience, and that there is oversight.

That being said, by all means, if you're considering a gem that is certified by this establishment, don't write it off simply because of that. I would just be sure you have a generous return/refund policy, and if you end up loving the gem, maybe have it recertified. Good luck!

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

They’re a local lab in Thailand and definitely not Swiss but I’ve had good experiences with them. They are only $10 per report vs Lotus $190 so make of that what you will.

For higher end items like Gengar and Bulbasaur, I send them to Lotus but for smaller items I’m pretty happy with GFCO. I agree with @Autumn in New England’s assessment. Personally I believe I’ve received accurate reports from GFCO but I was buying the items regardless and the report was more for my own curiosity. I have had emeralds sold to me as Zambian come back as Swat, they were harsh about a colour description for my padparadscha, gave different oiling levels for each emerald earring, gave a completely different colour assessment on a blue sapphire to what the vendor thought it would be.

 

[Avondale]

It's reputable. It's just small, so there's always a chance they might miss something that more sophisticated equipment at a bigger lab might be able to detect. But those are edge cases most of the time.

At one point I made the effort to look into it. The guy who founded it is Swiss, so naturally he registered his operations in Switzerland. The company does exist, I checked, they logo is trademarked, I checked that too. They have a real business address. But their actual operations are in Bangkok. And the founder works there, he's a gemologist and locally known and trusted.

The lab is preferred by vendors not only because of the low price but also because their wait times are low. They work quickly and without delays, instead of throwing their orders into a weeks long queue. I've noticed more and more vendors offer stones with GFCO reports, including vendors who are generally well known and trusted on PS.

I have one stone with a GFCO report, I've had it reexamined by a gemologist locally, she didn't discover anything that wasn't already disclosed (ruby, heat, residues and amount).

From what I've read and seen, it seems to me the lab is completely adequate for most things. Now, if you're buying something of significant value, then sure, get GIA, Lotus and whatever else there is available, but those stones usually come with one of the more recogniseable lab reports already anyway.

 

[autumngems]

It's reputable. It's just small, so there's always a chance they might miss something that more sophisticated equipment at a bigger lab might be able to detect. But those are edge cases most of the time.

At one point I made the effort to look into it. The guy who founded it is Swiss, so naturally he registered his operations in Switzerland. The company does exist, I checked, they logo is trademarked, I checked that too. They have a real business address. But their actual operations are in Bangkok. And the founder works there, he's a gemologist and locally known and trusted.

The lab is preferred by vendors not only because of the low price but also because their wait times are low. They work quickly and without delays, instead of throwing their orders into a weeks long queue. I've noticed more and more vendors offer stones with GFCO reports, including vendors who are generally well known and trusted on PS.

I have one stone with a GFCO report, I've had it reexamined by a gemologist locally, she didn't discover anything that wasn't already disclosed (ruby, heat, residues and amount).

From what I've read and seen, it seems to me the lab is completely adequate for most things. Now, if you're buying something of significant value, then sure, get GIA, Lotus and whatever else there is available, but those stones usually come with one of the more recogniseable lab reports already anyway.

Thanks, I feel a little better now if I see something with that report.