Anybody have experience with CGJL?

[MAC-W]

I saw a stone I liked advertised with a certificate from CGJL (Canadian Gemstone and Jewellery Laboratories) but had never heard of them so searched here and found nothing then tried to google more info but what I found was very limited. Couldnt find anything about what equipment they use etc. From what I found on google it seems that they are more like appraisers than anything, but is that right?

Does anybody know anything about them? or had experience of them? Are their certificates reliable?

Thanks
mac-w

 

[Arcadian]

you mean these guys?

http://www.canadiangemlab.com/


if so, I''ve never worked with them before. Hopefully someone will chime in as a yay or nay.

-A

 

[MAC-W]

Hi Arcadian,
sorry I should have been clearer - I mean these guys http://www.skyjems.net/cgjl/
M

 

[Arcadian]

No problem. I don''t have any experience with them either. would love for someone to chime in though!

-A

 

[T L]

It drives me nuts when appraisers use the name "laboratory" in their office name when they don''t have anything but standard gemological equipment. A lab should have a spectrometer and other very expensive devices you cannot get with an appraiser. That''s why lab reports are expensive and they should be (they need to pay for that million dollar equipment!!).

 

[MAC-W]

Date: 5/22/2010 8:57:45 AM
Author: tourmaline_lover
It drives me nuts when appraisers use the name ''laboratory'' in their office name when they don''t have anything but standard gemological equipment. A lab should have a spectrometer and other very expensive devices you cannot get with an appraiser. That''s why lab reports are expensive and they should be (they need to pay for that million dollar equipment!!).

Hi TL,
I''m assuming from your reply you also think they are appraisers rather than proper gem testing laboratory?

Have you heard of them before?

 

[tmaca]

I've dealt with these guys, because I've bought quite a few stones from Skyjems/MuzoMines (same people). If I'm remembering right from back in about 2006 or 2007 when I did some research on them, CGJL is owned by the same people. And yes, appraising stones that you sell is considered less than ethical. They might be getting around that by there being two different companies, the selling company and the appraising company. Or something like that. Anyway, you won't find that their certificates are recognized very many (if any) places, so if you're planning on reselling stones they aren't very useful.

That being said, Skyjems/Muzomines is a reputable seller of gemstones. They own some mines themselves, particularly some Colombian Emerald mines. And I've yet to see a certificate from CGIL that overstated the retail value of a stone, or misdescribed it, and I've actually had a couple stones run through places like GIA just to see how accurate the certs were. If anything, the few I've seen used what seemed to be a pretty conservative retail value.

So the certs aren't as useful as one from GIA, AGS, or EGL, but if you just want something that gives you some accurate info about the stone, with a reasonable retail value, I'd say they're worthwhile, especially being as inexpensive as they are.