One of the benefits of a strong fair trade gems policy is that it mandates a strict chain of custody of each gem that we produce. We carefully control and document each link in the gemstone supply chain and examine our products at every step.
This means that we can guarantee the quality and integrity of every gem we sell. We know where it was mined, how it was cut, whether or not it was enhanced in any way, and we can make sure that no synthetics or simulants have been mixed in with our natural gems.
Columbia Gem House also tests random gem samples at the AGTA Gem Trade Laboratory. "This is especially important for quartz, since many parcels on the market are salted with synthetics," Braunwart says. "Even though we trust everyone we work with and only buy rough, we've been testing monthly for more than three years to make sure we are doing everything we can to secure our supply. No quartz has ever tested as synthetic."
Many gemstone varieties are routinely enhanced in ways that may not be detectable, like heating them to improve color. Ruby and sapphire, for example, are generally heated to make sure that they have reached their maximum potential. Because enhancement can't always be detected, ethical dealers must assume gems have been enhanced unless they can prove otherwise and disclose this information to their customer who then should pass this information on so that it eventually reaches the consumer.
Because Columbia Gem House and Trigem Designs have control of a gem from the mine to the finished jewelry design, we can guarantee that we are giving full and complete information about that gem. We know that there is no chance of undisclosed treatment or synthetics slipping through the cracks. Often, we can guarantee that a gem is untreated as well.
