We find the stone.
A lab proves it.
Tell us the stone you want. We search dealers, cutters and markets in any producing country, inspect every candidate, and buy only once an independent laboratory report supports your brief.
- Search area
- Any producing country
- Testing
- Independent laboratory
- Stock held
- None
- Stages
- 5, brief to handover
Who sends
us briefs.
One stone or a parcel, for a ring or a vault. The process and the paperwork are the same for each.
C-01
Private clients & collectors
An engagement stone, an anniversary ruby, a gap in a collection. You set the brief. We do the travel, the inspection and the paperwork.
C-02
Jewelers & maisons
Center stones and matched parcels for commissions, with the laboratory report in hand before a single prong is closed.
C-03
Family offices & advisors
Documented stones for clients who ask for them. We report facts and laboratory findings. We do not forecast prices or give investment advice.
One stone,
or a whole parcel.
Every search starts from a written brief. We don’t hold stock, so nothing is steered toward what happens to be in a safe.
- S-01
Single stones
One stone to a written brief: species, size, color, treatment and origin. We search until one matches, then an independent laboratory tests it.
Brief → lab report → handover
- S-02
Pairs & suites
Earrings, rivières and calibrated layouts need stones that agree in color, size and cut. We assemble the set and document every stone in it.
Calibrated sizes · color matching
- S-03
Rare & collector gems
Padparadscha, Paraíba tourmaline, red beryl, benitoite. Some of these surface a few times a year. We follow the dealers and cutters who see them first.
Collector species · documented provenance
- S-04
Rough & parcels
For jewelers and cutters: rough with export papers, melee and calibrated parcels, bought where the goods are sorted.
Kimberley Process papers for rough diamond
Brief to handover,
in five stages.
You approve each stage before the next one starts. The laboratory stage is the condition of the sale, not a formality after it.
Brief
You tell us what the stone must be and what it must not be: size, color, treatment, origin, budget, deadline. We confirm feasibility in writing.
You receiveSearch plan and fee letter
Search
We work dealers, cutters, auction previews and markets in producing countries. Candidates come back with photos, video and the seller’s papers.
You receiveShortlist with photos, video and prices
Inspection
A gemologist examines each shortlisted stone in person, checks weight and measurements, and rejects anything that fails the brief.
You receiveInspection notes and inclusion images
Independent lab
The chosen stone goes to an independent laboratory suited to the stone and its market. The purchase completes only if the report supports the brief.
You receiveOriginal laboratory report
Handover
Insured shipping or hand delivery, customs handled, and the full dossier. An independent valuation is added if you ask for one.
You receiveStone, lab report, sourcing dossier
Twelve laboratories.
None of them ours.
We don’t issue grading reports and we don’t own a laboratory. Each stone goes to the lab that suits the stone and the market where you will insure or sell it, or to the lab you name in the brief.
L-01Est. 1931
GIA
Gemological Institute of America
Carlsbad, USA
Nonprofit; created the D-to-Z, clarity and cut scales; diamonds, colored stones and pearls; origin reports for six gem types
L-02Est. 1975
IGI
International Gemological Institute
Antwerp, Belgium
Diamond, laboratory-grown diamond and jewelry grading; lab-grown reports since 2005; Blackstone-owned since 2023
L-03Est. 1973
HRD Antwerp
HRD Antwerp (from the Hoge Raad voor Diamant)
Antwerp, Belgium
Diamond and jewelry grading and education; separated from the Diamond High Council in 2007; laboratories in Mumbai and Dubai
L-04Est. 1972
SSEF
Swiss Gemmological Institute SSEF
Basel, Switzerland
Nonprofit foundation; high-end colored stones, pearls and diamonds; treatment and origin; LMHC member
L-05Est. 1923
Gübelin Gem Lab
Gübelin Gem Lab Ltd
Lucerne, Switzerland
Colored stones, treatment and origin; offices in Hong Kong, Bangkok and New York; LMHC member
L-06Est. 1996
GRS
GRS GemResearch Swisslab AG
Meggen, Switzerland
Colored stones; color-term appendices such as pigeon's blood, royal blue and Muzo green; offices in Paris, Hong Kong, Bangkok and New York
L-07Est. 1977
AGL
American Gemological Laboratories
New York, USA
Colored stones; country-of-origin reporting; acquired by IGI in 2026 and kept as a separate brand
L-08Est. 2013
Lotus Gemology
Lotus Gemology
Bangkok, Thailand
Ruby and sapphire specialists; treatment, origin and color descriptions
L-09Est. 2003
GIT
Gem and Jewelry Institute of Thailand
Bangkok, Thailand
Public organization under Thailand's Ministry of Commerce; testing, research and training; LMHC member
L-10Est. 1970
CGL
Central Gem Laboratory
Tokyo, Japan
Diamond grading and gem identification; LA-ICP-MS since 2004; LMHC member since 2011
L-11Est. 1929
LFG
Laboratoire Français de Gemmologie
Paris, France
Colored stones, pearls and diamonds; owned by the French jewelry trade body UFBJOP since 2010
L-12Est. 2017
DANAT
Bahrain Institute for Pearls and Gemstones
Manama, Bahrain
Natural pearl and gemstone testing; owned by the sovereign fund Mumtalakat; successor to a 1990 government laboratory
Listed for reference from Chapter 09. A listing is not a partnership or an endorsement.
Chapter 09 · Labs & certificationEverything that
came with the stone.
A report says what the stone is. The dossier says where it has been. You receive both, and either one stands on its own.
Laboratory report
Independent laboratory report
Report no. 0000 0000 00
Original enclosed · verify with the issuing laboratory
Identity
- Species
- Corundum
- Variety
- Blue sapphire
- Weight
- 3.08 ct
- Measurements
- 8.61 × 7.94 × 5.12 mm
- Shape & cut
- Cushion, mixed cut
Treatment & origin
“No indications of heating.”
“Origin: Sri Lanka.”
Quoted as the laboratory words it
Chain of custody
- Source regionMonth 1
- CutterMonth 1
- DealerMonth 2
- InspectionMonth 2
- LaboratoryMonth 3
- ClientMonth 3
Trade documents
- Commercial invoice
- Export permit
- Kimberley Process n/a
Screening
- Seller identity
- Sanctions lists
- Declared origin
Imaging
Valuation · optional
Independent appraiser, on request
- 1
Laboratory report
The original report from an independent laboratory, with a number you can check on the lab’s own verification service where it offers one.
- 2
Identity of the stone
Species, variety, weight, measurements, shape and cut, as measured by the laboratory.
- 3
Treatment and origin
Quoted exactly as the laboratory words them. An origin statement is an expert opinion, not a certainty.
- 4
Chain of custody
Every documented hand the stone passed through, from source region to you, with dates.
- 5
Trade documents
Invoices and export permits, plus Kimberley Process certificates wherever rough diamond is involved.
- 6
Screening record
Checks on sellers and declared origin against the sanctions and anti-money-laundering rules that apply to the purchase.
- 7
Imaging
Photographs, video and inclusion images taken at inspection, so the stone can be recognized later.
- 8
Valuation, optional
An insurance valuation from an independent appraiser. We never value the stones we source.
Paperwork first,
stone second.
A beautiful stone with a gap in its history is a stone we walk away from. These checks run before money moves.
Due diligence
We follow the OECD due-diligence guidance for mineral supply chains and document each step. Rough diamond moves only with Kimberley Process certificates.
Chapter 17 · EthicsSanctions
Sellers, stones and declared origins are screened against the sanctions that apply to the purchase, including the G7 and EU measures on Russian diamonds.
Chapter 17 · Russian diamondsKnow your client
Many jurisdictions require dealers in precious stones to identify their clients. We ask for identification before a purchase, not after.
Chapter 18 · AML and KYC
How the fee
is built.
No commission from sellers and no markup on the stone. The exact figures go in a fee letter you sign before the search starts.
| Part | When | How it is set | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| F-01 Search retainer | When the search plan is agreed | Fixed per brief, set by scope and travel | Covers the search itself. Credited against the success fee if we find the stone. |
| F-02 Success fee | When the purchase completes | A percentage of the purchase price | Agreed in the fee letter before the search begins. Nothing is due if no stone passes the laboratory. |
| F-03 Costs at cost | As incurred, itemized | Passed through without markup | Laboratory fees, insured shipping, inspection travel, duties and taxes, each with its receipt. |
Figures depend on the brief. Ask for the fee letter with your search plan.
Before you
brief us.
The questions clients ask most often. Anything else goes in the notes field of the brief.
Q-01Do you keep stones in stock?
No. Every search starts from a brief, so there is no inventory to sell you instead.
Q-02Which laboratory will test my stone?
The one suited to the stone and to where you will insure or resell it. Colored stones with an origin question usually go to a specialist colored-stone laboratory, diamonds to a diamond grading laboratory. You can name a laboratory in the brief.
Q-03What if the report disagrees with the seller?
The purchase does not complete. The laboratory report is the condition of the sale, not a formality after it.
Q-04Do you handle laboratory-grown diamonds?
Only when a brief asks for one, and always disclosed as laboratory-grown on every document. Natural diamonds we source are screened for synthetic origin as part of the lab work.
Q-05Can you deliver to my country?
In most cases. We arrange export and import papers. Some destinations restrict certain stones or origins, and we say so before the search starts.
Q-06Is a gemstone a good investment?
We don’t give investment advice. The markets chapter explains liquidity, dealer spreads and how prices are set, so you can judge for yourself.
Brief received
ER-000000-0000