International gem lab for Sri Lanka
Lapidarist at work
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National Gem and Jewellery Authority (NGJA) is to establish a
fully-equipped laboratory to examine gem stones in accordance with
international standards.
For sometime the establishment of such a lab was in the minds of Sri
Lanka’s gem and jewellery traders who even established a ‘Laboratory
Development Fund’ for this purpose. Based on a decision made in the year
2000, 0.25 percent of the value of the gems exported from Sri Lanka from
2001 was credited to the account of the above fund maintained by the
NGJA.
Today the fund has reached nearly Rs.100 million. This will become
the initial capital investment in establishing the new gem testing
laboratory.
It will be formed jointly by the State and the private sector and
registered as a company under the name Lanka Gemological Laboratory
Private Limited. Western countries such as the United States, Germany,
Switzerland, Japan and Asia’s Thailand already have such modern
laboratories with the latest equipment.
The lack of such a lab was a major setback for Sri Lanka all these
years. Although the NGJA presently does a thorough examination of gem
stones before certifying them for export, most foreign buyers of gems
expect certification of international standards. Chairman of NGJA
Hasitha Tillekeratne said that the main equipment and expertise required
for differentiating natural gems from heat-treated stones as well as
identifying and certifying rare gem stones will be readily available
after the establishment of the new laboratory.
He requested the cooperation of all Sri Lankan gem traders to ensure
that this lab continues to meet international standards.
The Chairman observed that the establishment of the international
laboratory would help to save foreign exchange often spent by some local
gem exporters in getting rare precious stones and heat-treated gems
examined at Thailand’s laboratories.
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