Of course. We promote 100% ethical transparency and educational sharing when it comes to the public's knowledge about gemology and the jewelry industry. Feel free to ask our gemologists anything related to your item, the trade, or gemstones in general. We will always be happy to accomodate your inquiries and feed your curiosity. Your item will be examined directly in front of you, with all tests conducted in your presence, so that you can feel safe and comfortable with the handling of your diamond, gemstone or jewelry.

Yes. Gemcamp Laboratories is solely based in the 2nd floor, 88, Capitol Hills Dr., Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines. Clients who avail of our services will be met with accomodating expertise from our Philippine team, led by our gemological director who is a GIA graduate gemologist, and a recipient of the international educational scholarship grant bestowed by the Gemological Institute of America.

We convey grading and/or identification results to you in two different ways. The first is verbally, which is significantly less costly in terms of laboratory fees. We launched this service so that we could help people to gain knowledge about their gemstones and jewelry, hopefully to avoid scams, fraudulent activity or generally being cheated by others. Our primary objective is to help buyers learn.

Each gemstone or diamond can take anywhere from 7 to 40 minutes to identify and grade if applicable. For verbal delivery of results, we give the data to you on the spot, so there would be no need for waiting. In the case of printed report generation, your item will be returned to you right after the examination, and you would have to return to the laboratory in approximately 2 to 3 days for the pick-up of your gemological reports.

Within the duration of your original appointment only (before the stone physically leaves the laboratory), you may still decide to switch from a verbal package to a printed report package, but not vice versa, as additional macro-photography work is required to be done on the spot for printed packages.

Regardless of what tests were undertaken, once any stone or item leaves the laboratory premises after an appointment concludes time-wise, the service is considered finished. If the same stone or item is brought back to the laboratory, whether for verification, addtional quality evaluation or for any other viable request, that stone or item would incur our laboratory's standard testing fees again. It would also not be assumed automatically that the item is the same item that was brought before. Items can undergo damage, treatment or alteration procedures while away from the laboratory, and therefore any returning item would have to be evaluated in full once more if returning for a second time.

This also means that any stone that has undergone a verbal package in the past, must be physically re-evaluated in full during a later date if the owner or representative of the item requests for a printed report after he or she has already left the laboratory. The conversion from verbal-to-printed packages cannot be done on stones that have already left the laboratory premises, and full standard fees would have to accompany a re-evaluation of the stone or item should they have a change of mind and want a printed report instead.

When you buy a stone, or a piece of jewelry from a business establishment, they should be responsible for ethically providing you with a guarantee that your purchase is authentic and legitimate. This is so, because you conferred upon them the agreed payment for an item that they described to you as their merchant. Despite this, not all jewelry stores, merchants or tradespeople are as honest as we would hope for them to be. Diamond grades in particular, are often changed or manipulated to create better marketing or pricing points, for a specific product's selling potential. Here at the laboratory, we do not sell gemstones, or jewelry with gemstones set into them. Because of this, we remain objective and unbiased in our opinions, testing each and every material thoroughly and without any vested interest in grading or identification results. The gemological reports that we produce reflect on the objectivity and third-party position of our laboratory, giving you better peace of mind about your possession.

We make use of high-grade inclusion magnifiers, spectrometers, carat scales, UV radiation lamps, polariscopes and some advanced gemological software programs here at the Gemcamp laboratory. It's our initiative to provide you with an internationally updated setup for the testing of your items. Despite this however, technology is ever changing, and every gemological lab in the world is playing catch-up to the new developments made in the trade for producing imitation, synthetic and fake alternatives to gemstones. We are a very modern laboratory environment, but as we share discoveries and information about gemology with other international gemological organizations abroad for the betterment of the science, we cannot possibly step in front of those people who are at the forefront of literally inventing new methods of gemstone synthesis. Each time a new fake is recorded, examined and documented here or abroad, laboratories help each other, by providing the data by which these new materials may possibly be identified.

These terms refer to a man-made material that has the same essential chemical composition and atomic structure as its natural gemstone counterpart, but is manufactured using a variety of controlled processes. Lab-grown gemstones do not cost as much as their natural counterparts, and as technology improves, they may only become more commonplace in the jewelry public sectors. Differentiating them should be done by a fully equipped gemological facility, to be certain of identity.

Due to updates in our terminologies and nomenclature, a natural gemstone (unless otherwise stated in the comments section) will have its identification stated in any of the following ways: 1.) The gemstone species or variety stated simply on its own (i.e. "Ruby" or "Corundum var. Ruby"), or 2.) The gemstone species or variety along with the word 'Natural' either before or after (i.e. Ruby (natural), Natural Ruby, Ruby, Corundum (Natural) or similar phrasing). For lab-grown or potentially lab-grown stones, you will see at least one of the following terms present on the report's main section: "lab-grown, cultured, potential lab-grown, synthetic, or man-made". This applies for all gemstones except pearls, which maintain some differences due to the majority of fine pearls on the jewelry market being cultured products. These terminologies apply for all standard reports, unless superceded by specific entries, articles or comments stated on the report itself.

Yes, our laboratory makes use of photoluminescence spectrometry, microscopy (under CPF), SWUV evaluation and phosphorescence tests to identify and verify the vast majority of natural diamonds (specifically type 1aAB stones and in certain conditional situations other types as well). It should be noted that lab created diamonds, also known as synthetic diamonds, man-made diamonds or cultured diamonds, are near impossible to detect with the naked eye alone. At the gem laboratory however, our professionally trained gemologists have extensive access to some of the newest detection equipment supporting the international diamond trade. We combine field knowledge with software pioneered by the world's leading institutes to accurately provide informative data on the identity of your diamond or gemstone.

From our research trips to various international jewelry trade fairs, we have found that CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) synthetic diamonds often cost about 40 to 60% cheaper than their natural counterparts at the loose-stone dealer's level. Retail markups and jewelry manufacturing costs would evidently add more to its asking price, but generally this is the data we've been able to observe.

The range of equipment utilized by our gemologist will vary specifically to the case of each item. Our laboratory maintains a full suite of scientific instruments precisely designed for the identification and grading of gemstones and diamonds. From lab necessities like the gem refractometer and polariscope, to advanced spectroscopic analyzers and software pairings, Gemcamp keeps up-to-date with the latest tools and technologies used in the trade.

While we strive to accommodate anyone and everyone who wants to learn more about their gemstones, due to existing schedules we would have to ask you to set an appointment with us via our facebook messaging channel. Our gemologists are not able to meet with walk-in clientele due to pre-existing appointments already set days or even weeks in advance.

To fastforward your appointment setting, please send 1 to 2 pictures of your item along with your initial message or inquiry. Our staff will also normally ask you for other details about the item or its respective images. Please bring a valid photo-ID as well for the lobby reception when you do visit our laboratory, so as to comply with our building's standard protocol. (We do not identify gemstones based solely on pictures or videos as proper testing is always needed.)

As the laboratory only operates by pre-scheduled appointments, please note the following information for ease of booking reservations: A.) Appointments may be requested for non-holiday weekdays (10am to 5pm), but are not valid until formally confirmed by our laboratory staff, who may need to ask some questions regarding the item(s) to be brought, before being able to set a schedule of appointment. B.) All appointment requests that are made assume that the inquiring party is aware of our corresponding laboratory policies, terms, fees and service limitations regarding the testing of their item(s). If any information needs to be verified by the inquiring party, questions or inquiries must be asked before setting or agreeing to an appointment schedule. C.) If found unable to arrive for the appointment schedule by the designated time, please send an update message to our facebook page's messenger account to notify us of your changes, cancellations or requests. Schedule change requests may only occasionally be accommodated at the discretion of our staff or gemologists depending on itinerary, but this also might not be possible if another appointment is already set during the new timeslot preferred or requested for. Appointments that are missed without any update of cancellation will be formally noted by our staff. The laboratory reserves the right to decline an appointment request for reasons including, but not limited to: I.) Any degree of misconduct or mistreatment of our staff through online, written or verbal correspondence. II.) Prior uninformed absences for any previously scheduled timeslots committed to by the inquiring party. III.) Any potential issue of safety, whether regarding our staff or other visiting clients of the laboratory. IV.) Suspected misrepresentation of identity, or lack of confirmable identity from the inquiring party. V.) The current laboratory setup being unable to provide service for a particular or specific item during the requested period of time. Instrument availability and offered services of the laboratory for specific types of items may change without prior notice.

No. We do not store any diamonds gemstones or jewelry accessories at the laboratory. Every item is examined in the presence of its owner, and is dutifully returned right away after the examination occurs.

No. Our laboratory institute (Gemcamp Laboratories) is not a branch of the Gemological Institute of America, nor do we claim that the results of our evaluations would be identical or similar to those derived by GIA or by any other laboratory in the world. This is stated in our terms, limitations and conditions (online and on printed reports), and recurringly stated on our laboratory service forms. We are completely separate institutes that operate independent of each other.

Gemcamp is an independent laboratory group that does however, employ gemologists who have formally graduated under the rigorous G.G. program offered directly by GIA (Cumulatively the Graduate Diamonds, Graduate Colored Stones & Graduate Gemologist program completions). We also make use of several professional setups (microscopes, software, spectrometers, refractometers, etc.) created and distributed by GIA Instruments™ as well. Our resident staff members follow a proprietary procedure system developed by our own gemologists who were instructed and trained hands-on at the Gemological Institute of America during their years of education.

Yes, however evaluating stones that are already mounted onto a jewelry setting will add additional important limitations to any resulting opinions derived from testing. Gemstone and diamond identification procedures will mostly not be affected, as our instruments can test for gem identity as long as a suitable area of the gem is left visibly unobstructed in the sense that light can still pass through easily. Limitations can be observed most obviously when dealing with carat weight. For stones that cannot be weighed, due to the presence of a jewelry setting, our report will only indicate an 'estimate' carat weight, which is based on what measurements we can derive from each stone (length, width, depth) and established formulas for weight estimation based on cutting style, proportions and material density. These are not meant to reflect exact weight values, as the only way to obtain a gem's exact carat weight is by utilizing a carat weighing scale, which the lab also possesses on-site (for use with loose stones). Estimated weights will vary anywhere from 10-15% from actual weights, depending on the degree of visual limitation imposed by a particular jewelry setting. Our reports will always indicate if a stone was checked in-setting, implying that the aforementioned additional limitations and restrictions apply.

Note that only one authorized gemological report from our laboratory may exist in circulation per item. The laboratory no longer issues duplicate reports upon request, however an item may always be resubmitted for regular evaluation again by our in-house gemologists, which will incur normal fees. All void and invalidated reports (report numbers displayed) may be viewed here for public knowledge.

The fraudulent act of stone switching or stone swapping (defined as the act of using one stone's gemological report to sell a completely different but similar looking stone), is a concern that has always faced the worldwide jewelry industry, with targets making use of existing lab reports from many different gemological institutes around the world.

All gemological laboratories in the trade including our own, appropriately claim no liability towards the external actions of others with regards to what they intend do with report documents that they have previously commissioned or acquired into possession (this also applies to reports that have transfered in ownership to another person later on in time). This clear limitation is due to the fact that, even if a laboratory ethically check a person's gemstone or jewelry item and provides him or her with a proper report for that item, he or she can still have the undisclosed intention of fraudulently trying to use the report to sell off another item with similar characteristics to the one originally documented. Verification before purchase is the key to protection. Experienced gemologists and jewelry collectors may be able to catch attempts of stone-switching early on, but less-careful buyers may blindly trust the integrity of the seller without properly verifying if the report is indeed for the item being sold to them. Our reports include dimensions, photography, and even luminescence traits like fluorescence that help people check if the stone in question is actually the one listed on the report, but not everyone feels the need to verify or double-check these indicators before purchase. Gem verification is very important, for all stones and gem-set jewelry items, including those with pre-existing lab reports from all institutions.

Verification should always be done before any purchase for proper awareness and security, even for people looking to buy gemstones from external parties that accompany our own reports. On-site verification is also done here at Gemcamp Laboratories, incurring the standard fees of our checking service. Additionally, you may also view our list of void or invalidated reports here.

Absolutely not. Any grading opinions stated by our resident gemologists are done so without any vested interest in the item being checked or its eventual sale. We also will not accept money offerings for recommendation giving, sale leads or private information sharing. Our laboratory always keeps to the utmost ethical integrity possible under our set terms, conditions and limitations. Gemcamp Laboratories does not reccommend or discourage sale from any specific brand of jewelry, retail or wholesale. We remain as a completely third-party evaluator in the Philippine jewelry circles. Please do not attempt to ask if you can pay additional fees for better grades, as we will turn your request down immediately.

Terms, limitations, conditions and restrictions of our provided services are listed on the reverse-side of our report sheets for your convenience. Disclaimer information regarding result discrepancies between different laboratories is also present here on our FAQ page and on the back of our report covers. Remember that our laboratory does not claim liability for the actions taken by any individual or company on the basis of report(s) requested from us. Our service is limited to providing a document that serves as a tool to deliver information- which may still be potentially used or misused by external parties in a manner undisclosed to us or the general public. Either ask our gemologists about these terms before you have your stone checked (to see a physical copy), or read an online PDF version linked here. Note that all gemstones examined and evaluated at the laboratory (whether results are conveyed verbally or through printed report) are only done so under the limitations of these terms.

Most gemological laboratories operate by similar terms of service. For comparative reference, here is a link to the terms of service specified by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) for their own reports. Do note that while our gemologists are recognized graduates from the Gemological Institute of America, we are an independent laboratory that is unaffiliated with their alma matter. We do however make use of the methods and techniques that were taught to our gemologists by GIA during their own educational programs. Our lab also uses several pieces of gemological equipment created and sold by GIA Instruments, because we concur with their performance quality.