A comprehensive audit covered The Assay Office's diverse range of services, which extend far beyond its statutory duty of assaying and hallmarking.  Policies and procedures for hallmarking, precious metal melt and assay, and all the other analytical services carried out by The Laboratory came under scrutiny. AnchorCert's gemmological services were also included, giving the Certification an extremely wide scope. An active supporter of Fairtrade Gold and CIBJO, The World Jewellery Confeder…

No expert could detect these with the naked eye, nor even the basic equipment found in every gem lab, as the stones have the same chemical composition as natural diamonds. It is only by using sophisticated equipment to check the growth structure and spectrum created by the stones that they can be properly identified. Synthetic gemstones are a perfectly legitimate and acceptable alternative to natural ones, as long as they are properly disclosed and priced accordingly. An AnchorCert report…