Sales of high-quality coloured gemstones are on the rise in greater China, and with them the demand for identification reports and country of origin reports. EGL Asia CEO Joseph Kuzi reports that consumers often wish to receive a country of origin report with the purchase of jewellery that includes a quality specimen of one of the 'big three' gemstones - emerald, ruby and sapphire.

At the same time, beryllium treated or diffused gemstones, predominantly sapphires, are now widely available in the international gemstone markets. In view of these developments, EGL Asia, a Hong Kong-headquartered diamond and gemstone laboratory, resolved to add country of origin reports as well as gem testing reports for beryllium treated stones to its current menu of identification services. "By adding these services, we join those few international labs that have the know-how, staff and the equipment to reliably determine origin and to test gemstones for these particular treatments," Kuzi stated.

Together with the enormous rise in popularity of coloured gemstones in the jewellery consumer market in greater China, the need to test high-quality sapphires for beryllium or diffusion treatments became more apparent. Beryllium treatments cannot be detected using a standard spectrometer. Instead, a laser is used to sample the gemstone material. This is achieved using a laser induced breakdown spectrometer (LIBS) or a laser ablation inductively couple plasma mass spectrometer. "At EGL Asia, we have the use of a LIBS," Kuzi said.

Chow Tai Fook, the world's largest jewellery retailer, has been using EGL Asia's lab services for some time for beryllium testing of its sapphires.

"Testing precious coloured gemstones for treatments requires deep knowledge and experience," Kuzi continued. "Often, we receive gemstones that have been submitted to more than one treatment, for example to traditional heat treatment as well as to a diffusion process. It takes highly professional gemmologists to detect this, as you need the expertise and experience to not only operate the testing equipment, but also the ability to understand, read and report the testing results correctly."

"As one of the leading international laboratories operating in a young, quickly growing consumer market, we need to make sure consumers can rely on their suppliers and the information retailers consequently make available to the consumer. Therefore, by adding these beryllium testing and origin reporting services to our product package, we hope to contribute to the responsible growth of the gemstone market here in China," Kuzi said.