All rare and precious gemstones like Ruby, Sapphire or emerald comes with a hefty price tag and it is important to know that you are actually buying a real gemstone with the quality you are expecting. For gemstone evaluation, it is pertinent to evaluate on ‘six dimensional’ criteria – origin, color, carat weight, clarity, cut grade and treatments.

In order to evaluate gemstone on the above-mentioned criteria, one must first shortlist a Gem lab. There are number of factors which needs to be considered and this is not by far any exhausted list but an embodiment of one’s experiences.

•             Year of Establishment

•             Global Reputation

•             Gemmologist Experience

•             Gemological instrument

•             Market Acceptance of the report

•             Online Verification of the report

•             Affordability and reliability

In Pakistan, currently there are many Gemological laboratories in operation, but they lack in one of the other above-mentioned criterions. There are only few which meets strict standards and among those PGTL- Professional Gemstone Testing Laboratory is by far the best one. There is no iota of doubt that PGTL- Professional Gemstone Testing Laboratory is the best gem lab in Pakistan in terms of experience, expertise and instruments. It was established back in 1996 when the culture of gem testing was very rare in Pakistan. This was gradually changed with awareness campaigns and trust buildup in the market by this laboratory. The effort put in back then has opened up a huge neglected market which created opportunities for the new entrants in this field but they all lack the key ingredients which is mine to market knowledge of local market, experience of Gemology and trust of the local traders.

I would advise all gem lovers or traders of Karachi (Pakistan) to at least make sure you buy a gemstone with a certificate and then to make sure it has been tested with a Gem lab you trust.

Disclaimer: Please note the discussion I am providing below is based on my opinion & experience.  If you would like to provide your comments, feel free to provide your comments as I am always open for suggestions.

Written By: Adnan Khalid.