Industry members get tour of AnchorCert Lab

The AnchorCert Gem Lab opened its doors to the industry earlier this month, allowing retailers and gemmologists to tour its facilities.

The tour of the laboratory, which is filled with state of the art equipment, allowed those in attendance to gain a better understanding of the sophisticated technology which is required to identify treatments and synthetic stones.

Members of the British Jewellers Association (BJA), along with valuers and diamond ring manufacturers were also present and toured the AnchorCert Lab. It is the only fully equipped gem laboratory in the UK using Raman Spectrophotometry, infrared and ultraviolet techniques to check stones and X-ray to authenticate pearls.

Senior gemmologist Anu Manchanda explained to the visitors the various procedures followed to check each stone. Gemmologists, Krishna Powar and Cheryl Owen demonstrated how the characteristics of sample treated stones such as glass filled rubies and fracture filled diamonds are tested.