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Reliable lap / cert. for colored stones

Double E

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jun 23, 2018
Messages
956
New to colored gems, is CGL & LGL cert. reliable for purchasing colored stones. Thx a lot~
 

chrono

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 22, 2004
Messages
38,364
Depending on the size and type of stone (and common treatments), I like GIA, AGL, SSEF. GRS is also reputable. I am ok with AIGS for certain type of gemstones.

There are several labs with the name CGL, Which one are you referring to?
Ceylon Gem Lab?
Certified Gemological Laboratory of Europe
Central Gem Laboratory
CGL-GRS Swiss Canadian Gemlab
 

Double E

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jun 23, 2018
Messages
956
Depending on the size and type of stone (and common treatments), I like GIA, AGL, SSEF. GRS is also reputable. I am ok with AIGS for certain type of gemstones.

There are several labs with the name CGL, Which one are you referring to?
Ceylon Gem Lab?
Certified Gemological Laboratory of Europe
Central Gem Laboratory
CGL-GRS Swiss Canadian Gemlab

Thx! it’s Ceylon Gem Lab. reputable? Coloured stones look like a more diverse world.
 

LilAlex

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Mar 3, 2018
Messages
3,589
GIC is pretty good in Sri Lanka. A reputable vendor there feels it is the best there. It is not on par with GIA, AGL, SSEF, or Gubelin.

I know nothing about any other Sri Lankan labs.
 

T L

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Sep 20, 2008
Messages
25,159
Depends on the stone. For sapphire, ruby, emerald, alexandrite, I would only go with AGL, GIA, SSEF or GRS. I think most other reputable gem labs suffice for other gem species.
 

peacechick

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jun 6, 2013
Messages
1,709
If you are buying a stone directly from Sri Lanka, they may not want to send it to any labs outside the country. So GIC, CGL, etc is what they will offer. When you receive the stone, you can double confirm by sending to your own lab. That is what I would recommend for a high value purchase.
 

Frost

Shiny_Rock
Trade
Joined
Nov 9, 2017
Messages
171
New to colored gems, is CGL & LGL cert. reliable for purchasing colored stones. Thx a lot~

CGL no, it's literally not worth the paper it's printed on. Seen synthetic padparadscha IDed as natural, spinels IDed as padparadschas, and absolutely anything and everything can get whichever color distinction you'd like. I once saw a bleh muddy blue with a "100% color change" report which the stone didn't reflect even 1% of, you would have needed to be delusional to see a color change in that.
LGL, no clue, never heard of it, but labs in Sri Lanka are like mushrooms after a rain. There are 3-4 good, established, research-capable labs with strict policies and integrity and the rest are mostly paper shops bidding for customers by handing out whatever is asked for.
 
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