Laboratory independence and absence of conflict of interest
Laboratoire Gem Quebec is a gemmological analysis and certification entity. It carries out no sales activity, no brokerage and no marketing of precious stones. This strict separation is the foundation of the credibility of its reports.
Principle of separation
Laboratoire Gem Quebec does not buy, sell, consign or promote any stone analyzed in its premises. Stones submitted to the laboratory remain the exclusive property of their owners and transit through the laboratory solely for identification, characterization or appraisal purposes.
What the laboratory does
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Gemstone identification : determination of the mineralogical nature through standard and instrumental methods.
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Qualitative characterization : evaluation of color, clarity, cut and surface characteristics according to international standards.
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Treatment detection : Raman, spectroscopy, LA-ICP-MS, microscopic observation.
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Natural versus synthetic distinction : dedicated protocols for diamonds and colored stones.
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Certified report issuance : nominative documents describing only the observed characteristics.
What the laboratory never does
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No gemstone sales to its clients, whether private individuals, jewellers or institutional buyers.
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No commission collected on transactions involving analyzed stones.
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No commercial partnership with sellers, dealers or trading platforms, whether formal or informal.
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No referral of sellers or buyers within gemmological reports.
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No paid matchmaking between stone owners and potential purchasers.
Impartiality safeguards
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Anonymized identification : reports describe the stone, not an ongoing commercial transaction.
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Standardized protocol : each analysis follows an identical procedure, regardless of the client's identity.
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No financial incentive : laboratory fees are set by a public rate schedule, with no link to the declared market value of the stone.
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Complete documentation : observations, measurements and conclusions are preserved and traceable.
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Right to review : any client may request a second reading by an independent gemmologist.
Position of Pierre Lafrance, GG (GIA)
Pierre Lafrance, Graduate Gemologist from the Gemological Institute of America and senior active member of the Geological Association of Canada, operates exclusively as an analyst and certifier within Laboratoire Gem Quebec. He conducts no gemstone trading under this professional identity. Historical references to international sourcing travel, published in Le Courrier Laval (1998), concerned a prior activity that is now dissociated from the laboratory's mission.
Compliance with international standards
The principle of separation applied by Laboratoire Gem Quebec aligns with the practices adopted by major international gemmological laboratories, notably the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), the Swiss Gemmological Institute (SSEF) and the Gübelin Gem Lab. These institutions also refuse any direct commercial involvement in the stones they analyze, in order to preserve the evidentiary value of their reports.
Public commitment
Laboratoire Gem Quebec publicly commits to maintaining this strict separation. Any future change to its operational model would be the subject of a formal declaration published on labgemquebec.com. Clients may, at any time, request a written attestation confirming the absence of commercial interest held by the laboratory on the stone covered by a report.
Certificate accuracy guarantee
Every gemmological certificate issued by Laboratoire Gem Quebec is guaranteed accurate. Results are verified through a tiered gemmological protocol: refractive index, specific gravity, darkfield microscopy and video microscopy as the standard examination, complemented case-by-case by one or more advanced instruments (FTIR, UV-Vis-NIR, Raman spectroscopy, photoluminescence, energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence or X-ray micro-computed tomography) when the stone requires further characterisation. The bilingual report is signed by a Graduate Gemologist (GG, GIA) and archived with a unique QR code on labgemquebec.com for independent re-verification at any time.
Laboratory EDXRF LGQ