Hi All,
I bought a cool Alexandrite specimen recently that came with an American International GemLab certification. The certification company looks good, but it also looks like it was trying to imitate another certificate company or group called American International Gemologists, and the AIGemLabs has an office in Delaware (which is known for being an easy state to register shell companies in). The main offices are located in Bangkok. The website looks legitimate but also very slim: http://www.aigllabs.com/
Currently, from my personal testing, it seems like natural Alexandrite:
RI of 1.754
Fluorescence of medium red in LW and yellow-green in SW
Lots of inclusions (it's intended to be a specimen - not for jewelry.)
Low-medium color change from Green to gray-purple.
AIG Gem Identification number: GEM2020042324995
There are some certification companies that of course are like budget versions of the major certifiers, and I always wonder if they can determine the binary answer of whether the stone is 1) natural and 2) the true type of stone. I get the impression the stone is legitimate but it's just OK quality, so it would not make sense to send it to AGTA or GIA or something like that. Ideally we would all be able to send each of our stones to GIA easily and spend the $200 to get them certified, but financials are tight and so I sometimes hedge risk while I pursue my gem collecting hobby.
How do you all navigate the budget or less reputable certification companies from foreign countries?
I bought a cool Alexandrite specimen recently that came with an American International GemLab certification. The certification company looks good, but it also looks like it was trying to imitate another certificate company or group called American International Gemologists, and the AIGemLabs has an office in Delaware (which is known for being an easy state to register shell companies in). The main offices are located in Bangkok. The website looks legitimate but also very slim: http://www.aigllabs.com/
Currently, from my personal testing, it seems like natural Alexandrite:
RI of 1.754
Fluorescence of medium red in LW and yellow-green in SW
Lots of inclusions (it's intended to be a specimen - not for jewelry.)
Low-medium color change from Green to gray-purple.
AIG Gem Identification number: GEM2020042324995
There are some certification companies that of course are like budget versions of the major certifiers, and I always wonder if they can determine the binary answer of whether the stone is 1) natural and 2) the true type of stone. I get the impression the stone is legitimate but it's just OK quality, so it would not make sense to send it to AGTA or GIA or something like that. Ideally we would all be able to send each of our stones to GIA easily and spend the $200 to get them certified, but financials are tight and so I sometimes hedge risk while I pursue my gem collecting hobby.
How do you all navigate the budget or less reputable certification companies from foreign countries?