How origin is determined — and why it can double a stone's value
SSEF and Gübelin's reference collections, the limits of origin calls, and what 'declared' vs 'confirmed' actually means on a passport.
Coming soon
Insights
The reference notes.
Plain-language explainers on origin, treatment, custody and exit — the questions a serious owner or buyer actually asks.
Published
VerificationLab reports·6 min read
How to check an SSEF report
Verify an SSEF report at MySSEF with its Prooftag number, read the emerald filler wording, and see why a genuine report can't prove the stone in hand.
VerificationLab reports·6 min read
How to check a GRS report
GRS report verification step by step: the number, date and weight GRS asks for, how to spot a fake or lookalike site, and what a report can't prove.
ValuationRuby·7 min read
How much is my ruby worth?
How much is your ruby worth? What sets the price, how an appraisal differs from a lab report, and what a buyer would actually pay you.
ThailandBuying·6 min read
Buying gemstones in Pattaya and Phuket
Buying gems in Pattaya or Phuket: what resort-town shops sell, the sales pitches to walk away from, and how to check a stone before you pay.
ThailandBuying·7 min read
Chanthaburi gem market: a buyer's guide
When the Chanthaburi gem market runs, how its brokers work, what a visitor can expect, and how to check a stone before you pay.
VerificationLab reports·6 min read
How to check a GIT report
Verify a GIT report number on the Gem and Jewelry Institute of Thailand's own site, spot a fake, and see what a genuine report still can't prove.
ValuationSapphire·7 min read
How much is my sapphire worth?
How much is your sapphire worth? What sets the price, how an appraisal differs from a lab report, and what a buyer would really pay you.
VerificationEmerald·6 min read
Is my emerald real? Imitations, synthetics, fillers — and what only a lab can tell
Is my emerald real? What you can check yourself, why synthetics and oiled or resin-filled stones beat simple tests, and which lab report settles it.
TreatmentSapphire·7 min read
Heated vs unheated: what the difference is, and what it does to price
Heated vs unheated sapphire and ruby: what heat does, how labs detect it, why unheated stones cost more, and which other treatments change value.
ValuationAppraisal·7 min read
Gemstone appraisal: what it is and what it is not
A gemstone appraisal values a stone for a stated purpose; a lab report says what it is. Which one your insurer, buyer or heirs need, and who should do it.
InheritanceValuation·6 min read
Inherited a gemstone? What to do next
Inherited jewelry with colored stones? How to identify the stones, value them, document them for the estate and insurer, and sell fairly if you choose.
BuyingDisputes·5 min read
How to dispute a stone that does not match its listing
Your stone does not match its listing? How the 48-hour check works, what written proof you need, how to raise a dispute and how to send the stone back.
VerificationRuby·6 min read
How to tell if a ruby is real — fakes, synthetics and glass-filled stones
How to spot a fake ruby: what home tests miss, what a loupe shows, how synthetic and lead-glass-filled rubies are caught, and which lab report to ask for.
VerificationSapphire·6 min read
Is my sapphire real? What you can check yourself, and what only a lab can tell
Is my sapphire real? What home tests, a loupe and a refractometer can show, how synthetic and treated stones are caught, and which report to ask for.
VerificationLab reports·6 min read
How to check a GIA report
Check a GIA report number at the source, spot an altered or fake report, and see why a genuine report can't prove the stone in hand is the one tested.
VerificationLab reports·5 min read
A scan proves nothing: cross-checking a lab report
Check a report number at the issuing lab, spot an altered certificate, and see why a genuine report doesn't prove this stone is the one tested.
LegalCustody·6 min read
What a warehouse receipt actually guarantees under Thai law
Civil and Commercial Code §775–796 in plain language: where your title lives, and what happens if the intermediary disappears.
Coming next
The 30% problem: why colored-stone exits cost so much
Auction commissions, buyer's premiums, and the illiquidity tax — and how a verified, vaulted exit changes the math.
Coming soon
Custody without a custodian bank
How separation of duties — vault, lab, record-keeper — gives you the guarantees of custody without concentrating risk in one party.
Coming soon
Want the next piece when it lands?
We'll send the origin-determination explainer to pilot subscribers first.