Terms & Conditions

These Terms and Conditions ("Terms") govern the issuance, use and reliance upon any certificate, report, card, label or online verification result (each a "Certificate") produced by R.G.S.T — Real Gem Stone Testing Lab (the "Laboratory", "we", "us" or "our"). By requesting, receiving, holding, relying upon, presenting, forwarding or otherwise using a Certificate, you ("you", the "Client", or any subsequent holder) acknowledge that you have read, understood and agreed to be bound by these Terms in full.

If you do not agree with any part of these Terms, you must not rely upon the Certificate. These Terms apply to the original Client and equally to any retailer, reseller, gift recipient, insurer or third party into whose possession the Certificate or the item it describes may come.

"Item" means the specific gemstone, bead, bracelet, ornament or object physically submitted to the Laboratory and examined at the time of testing. "Report Number" and "PIN" mean the unique identifiers printed on a Certificate that allow its status to be verified online. "Examination" means the visual, gemmological and instrument-based observations performed on the Item at a single point in time.

A Certificate records the considered professional opinion of the Laboratory regarding the Item as it existed at the moment of Examination, based on the equipment, samples, standards and gemmological knowledge available to us at that time. It is a statement of opinion and observation, not a warranty, guarantee, or statement of absolute fact.

Gemmology is an interpretive science. Reasonable, qualified experts may differ in their conclusions, and different laboratories may apply different nomenclature, grading conventions, tolerances or disclosure thresholds. A conclusion by another laboratory that differs from ours does not, by itself, indicate that either opinion is wrong.

Any photograph, image, thumbnail or graphic appearing on a Certificate, on this website, or in any online verification result is provided purely for illustration and general identification. Such images are approximate representations only.

Colour, tone, saturation, lustre, transparency, texture, size, proportion and surface detail as shown in any image may differ materially from the actual Item, owing to photography, lighting, cropping, compression, screen calibration and display settings. Images must not be used to judge the quality, value, condition or precise appearance of the Item, and must not be relied upon for matching, re-identification or authentication in place of the physical Item and its Report Number and PIN.

Natural gem materials are inherently variable. Inclusions, colour zoning, surface reaching features, fractures, cavities and other natural characteristics are normal and are not defects. Descriptions such as "natural", "semi-natural", "treated", "heated", "synthetic", "lab-grown" or "assembled" reflect our opinion under prevailing trade conventions at the time of Examination.

Many gem materials are routinely subjected to treatments or enhancements that may not be detectable by standard testing, may be undisclosed by prior handlers, or may become detectable only with technology not available to us. Where our Examination does not disclose a treatment, this does not constitute a guarantee that no treatment exists.

A Certificate describes the Item only as at the date of Examination. Gem materials are physical objects and their appearance and condition may change over time through wear, abrasion, chipping, cleavage, fracture, heat, light exposure, chemicals, cosmetics, perspiration, moisture, dehydration, cleaning, repair, re-cutting, re-polishing, re-stringing or ordinary ageing.

Certain materials are soft, porous, brittle, light-sensitive or otherwise delicate and may fade, discolour, crack, dry out or deteriorate. The Laboratory gives no assurance that the Item will retain the characteristics recorded, and accepts no responsibility for any change in the Item after it has left our custody.

A Certificate is not an appraisal, valuation or statement of monetary worth, and contains no representation as to the price, market value, resale value, insurance value or investment merit of the Item. Any monetary figure, if ever shown, is not a valuation.

Gem markets fluctuate and value depends on many factors outside our assessment. Nothing in a Certificate constitutes financial, investment, tax or legal advice, and you should not make any purchase, sale, insurance or investment decision in reliance on it. Obtain independent professional advice for any such decision.

Weights, dimensions, bead counts and similar figures are recorded to the practical accuracy of our instruments and methods and may be approximate or rounded. Where an Item is mounted, set or strung, weights and measurements may be estimated and are subject to greater tolerance. Minor discrepancies between our figures and those obtained elsewhere are to be expected and are not evidence of error.

Examination is non-destructive unless expressly agreed otherwise, and is therefore inherently limited. Some determinations of origin, species, treatment or synthesis cannot be made with certainty by non-destructive means, and certain conclusions are expressed to the balance of gemmological probability rather than as certainties. The Laboratory may decline to express an opinion on any characteristic it considers indeterminable.

Each genuine Certificate carries a unique Report Number, a PIN and, where applicable, a QR code linking to an online verification result. Only a result returned by our official website for a valid Report Number is an authoritative indication that a Certificate was issued by us.

A printed Certificate, image or QR code can be copied, altered or forged. You should independently verify any Certificate through our website before placing reliance on it, and treat any Item as unverified where the online record cannot be found, does not match the Item, or is marked revoked. We are not liable for reliance on any Certificate that has not been so verified.

A Certificate relates solely to the single Item examined and identified by its Report Number. It must not be associated with, presented alongside, or used to represent any other item. Separating a Certificate from its Item, or pairing it with a different item, voids any reliance on it and may constitute misrepresentation or fraud for which you, and not the Laboratory, are responsible.

We may, on request and subject to our fees, re-examine an Item and issue a revised opinion. A later Examination may reach a different conclusion owing to changes in the Item, advances in technology, or further analysis, and any such revised opinion supersedes the earlier one. We may revoke or mark as superseded any Certificate at our discretion, including where fraud, error, tampering or misuse is suspected.

Once an Item is returned to you or your agent, its care, storage, security, insurance and handling are entirely your responsibility. We are not responsible for loss, theft, damage, deterioration, substitution or tampering occurring after the Item has left our custody, nor for any consequence of improper cleaning, wear or repair.

The Laboratory tests and describes the physical and gemmological properties of materials only. We make no representation whatsoever regarding any metaphysical, spiritual, healing, therapeutic, medicinal, astrological, "energy", luck, wellness or similar property attributed to any material. Any such belief is outside the scope of our Examination, is not endorsed by us, and must not be inferred from a Certificate. Gem materials are not a substitute for professional medical, psychological or financial care.

Where a retailer, shop or brand name or logo appears on a Certificate (for example under "Issued Via"), it indicates only the party through whom testing was requested. It does not make that party our agent, does not signify our endorsement of that party, and does not make us a party to any sale, warranty or representation between you and that party. Any dispute concerning the purchase, price or condition of an Item is solely between you and the seller.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Laboratory, its owners, officers, employees and gemmologists shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, punitive or exemplary loss, or for any loss of profit, revenue, value, opportunity, goodwill or data, arising out of or in connection with any Certificate, opinion or the use of this website, whether in contract, tort (including negligence), statute or otherwise.

Without limiting the above, our total aggregate liability arising from or connected to any Certificate shall in no event exceed the amount of the testing fee actually paid to us for that specific Certificate. Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits any liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited.

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Laboratory and its personnel against any claim, loss, liability, cost or expense (including reasonable legal fees) arising from your breach of these Terms, your misuse of a Certificate, your misrepresentation of an Item or its Certificate, or your infringement of any third-party right.

The design, format, wording, marks, logos and layout of our Certificates and this website are the property of the Laboratory and are protected by applicable law. You may not reproduce, imitate, modify or use them except to present a genuine Certificate for its intended purpose. Unauthorised reproduction of a Certificate or of our branding is prohibited.

When a Certificate is verified online, we may record limited technical information relating to the scan (such as a hashed identifier, time, user agent and referring page) for security, fraud-prevention and analytical purposes. We do not thereby seek to identify individuals. Handling of any personal data is subject to applicable data-protection law.

Any forgery, alteration, duplication or misuse of a Certificate, Report Number, PIN, QR code or our branding, and any use of a Certificate to misrepresent an item, is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. We reserve the right to invalidate affected Certificates and to pursue all available remedies.

We are not liable for any failure or delay in performance caused by events beyond our reasonable control, including equipment failure, power or network outages, acts of God, fire, flood, epidemic, labour dispute, or governmental action.

If any provision of these Terms is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue in full force. Our failure to enforce any provision is not a waiver of it.

We may amend these Terms at any time by posting the revised version on this page. The version in force at the time you rely on a Certificate governs that reliance. Please review this page periodically.

These Terms and any dispute arising from or connected with a Certificate are governed by the laws of India, and are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent courts having jurisdiction over the Laboratory's principal place of business, without regard to conflict-of-laws principles.

Questions about these Terms or about a Certificate may be sent to support@realgemstestinglab.in, or through the contact details published on realgemstestinglab.in.