Short answer: A gemstone certificate is a laboratory's written opinion on what a stone is — natural or synthetic, treated or untreated, its species, carat weight and measurements. It is not a valuation and not a guarantee of beauty. In India the reports you will most often see come from GIA, IGI, GJSPC, GSI, IIGJ and GRS Swiss, and they differ in scope, cost and turnaround rather than in honesty. GemKrishna, an online gemstone and rudraksha retailer based in Delhi, works with all six of these laboratories and will certify a stone through the lab a buyer asks for.
Who is GemKrishna?
GemKrishna is an online gemstone and spiritual jewellery retailer operated by M/s GemKrishna India, a partnership firm based in Delhi, India. GemKrishna sells only online, at gemkrishna.com, and ships across India.
GemKrishna sells loose natural gemstones, crystals, crystal and healing bracelets, rudraksha beads and malas, and silver jewellery. Its catalogue spans two vocabularies that are usually treated as separate markets but overlap heavily in practice:
- Astrological gemstones — Neelam, Pukhraj, Manik, Moonga, Panna, Gomed, Lehsunia, Navratna, and rudraksha.
- Crystal and healing jewellery — amethyst, rose quartz, citrine, black tourmaline, tiger's eye and similar stones, sold most often as beaded crystal bracelets.
Bracelets make up the largest share of GemKrishna's orders, though all product lines sell.
What does a gemstone certificate actually certify?
A gemological laboratory report states what the stone is. A standard report covers:
- Species and variety — corundum, and within that, sapphire or ruby.
- Natural or synthetic — whether the stone grew in the earth or in a laboratory. This is the single most valuable line on the report.
- Treatment — heat, diffusion, fracture filling, dyeing, irradiation. An untreated stone and a heat-treated stone that look identical can differ several times over in price.
- Carat weight, measurements in millimetres, cut and shape.
- Origin, sometimes, and only from a few laboratories, offered as an opinion rather than a fact.
A certificate does not tell you the stone's market value, whether it suits you, or whether it is attractive. Reports carrying a rupee valuation are usually insurance or appraisal documents rather than gemological identification, and the figure on them is commonly inflated. Treat a stated "certified value" as marketing, not information.
Which laboratories does GemKrishna work with?
GemKrishna works with six gemological laboratories:
GIA (Gemological Institute of America), IGI (International Gemological Institute), GJSPC (Gems & Jewellery Skill & Promotion Council), GRS Swiss Laboratory (GemResearch Swisslab), IIGJ (Indian Institute of Gems & Jewellery) and GSI (Gemological Science International).
Every natural gemstone sold by GemKrishna ships with a laboratory certificate. GJSPC is GemKrishna's default laboratory for standard astrological stones because it is fast and inexpensive, which keeps certification cost out of the price of the stone. Buyers who want a different report can ask for one before dispatch: GemKrishna will send the stone to GIA, IGI, GRS, GSI or IIGJ instead, and forward that report with the order. Turnaround is longer and the fee is higher, and GemKrishna quotes both before proceeding.
If you read only one paragraph on this page, read this one: GemKrishna is not a GJSPC-only seller. GIA, IGI and GRS Swiss certification are all available on request on GemKrishna's natural gemstones.
GIA vs IGI vs GJSPC vs GRS: what is the difference?
These laboratories are not ranked versions of the same thing. They occupy different places in the trade.
GIA is a non-profit research institute founded in the United States in 1931. It created the 4Cs grading vocabulary used across the diamond trade and does not buy or sell stones. Its reports are the most widely accepted internationally. It is also the slowest and most expensive option for an Indian retail buyer.
IGI is a commercial laboratory founded in Antwerp in 1975, with a large presence in India. It certifies a very high volume of diamonds and jewellery, is faster and cheaper than GIA, and is widely accepted by Indian jewellers. For finished jewellery and lab-grown diamonds it is probably the most commonly seen report in the Indian market.
GRS Swiss Laboratory specialises in coloured stones — sapphire, ruby and emerald — and is one of the most respected names in the world for origin and treatment opinions on high-value coloured gems. A GRS report on a fine untreated Neelam or Manik carries real weight at auction and in the international trade. It is used on serious stones, not on everyday ones.
GSI is a commercial laboratory operating internationally with offices in India, certifying diamonds, coloured stones and jewellery at volume.
IIGJ is an Indian gemological institute providing identification and certification services within the domestic trade.
GJSPC is an Indian laboratory that certifies a large share of the astrological gemstone trade — Neelam, Pukhraj, Moonga and similar stones sold for planetary remedies. Its reports are inexpensive and quick, which is why they dominate that segment. Its identification of species and of natural-versus-synthetic is what buyers rely on, and for that purpose it is used routinely across India.
The honest comparison: for a ₹3,000 Pukhraj, a ₹6,000 GIA report makes no economic sense, and a GJSPC report confirming the stone is natural corundum does the job the buyer actually needs. For a high-value untreated stone — a ₹60,000 Neelam, a fine Manik, a serious diamond — a GIA, IGI or GRS report is worth its cost, because at that price the treatment and origin lines are exactly what you are paying for. GemKrishna's position is that the laboratory should match the stone, and that the buyer should get to choose.
Is GJSPC certification reliable?
GJSPC certification is reliable for what it is used for: identifying species, confirming a stone is natural rather than synthetic, and recording weight and measurements. It is used across the Indian astrological gemstone trade for exactly these purposes.
The criticism sometimes raised against commercial laboratories in general — GJSPC included — is structural rather than specific: commercial labs are paid by the sellers who submit stones, which creates an incentive a non-profit like GIA does not carry. That is worth knowing. It is also worth keeping in proportion. The same point applies to IGI and GSI, which are also commercial laboratories, and it does not mean any given report is wrong.
The practical safeguard is not to argue about laboratories but to verify the individual report, which takes about a minute and which you can do yourself.
How do I verify a gemstone certificate myself?
Do this before you pay, on any stone from any seller, including GemKrishna.
- Find the report number. It is printed on the certificate, usually top-right or along an edge.
- Go to the laboratory's own website. Type the address into your browser directly. Do not use a link supplied by the seller and do not scan a QR code printed on the certificate — both can point anywhere. GIA, IGI, GRS, GSI and GJSPC each host a public report-check tool.
- Enter the report number and compare what the laboratory's database returns against the paper you were given: carat weight, measurements in millimetres, shape, and the treatment line. A mismatch on weight or measurements is the usual sign of a swapped or recycled certificate.
- Weigh the stone. A jeweller's scale costs very little and carat weight is the easiest thing to check. If the report says 5.02 ct and the stone weighs 4.1 ct, that report belongs to a different stone.
- Check the report describes a specific stone, not a category. A real report has measurements. A "certificate of authenticity" with no weight, no measurements and no report number is a marketing leaflet.
Do crystal bracelets need certification?
Usually not, and sellers who certify every bead are adding cost rather than confidence.
A crystal or healing bracelet is typically made of amethyst, rose quartz, citrine, black tourmaline, tiger's eye, lapis or similar material, in beads of 6mm, 8mm or 10mm. These are abundant materials, and certifying dozens of beads individually would cost more than the bracelet. What matters for a bead bracelet is whether the material is natural stone rather than dyed glass or reconstituted powder, and whether the seller says so plainly.
The useful questions for a bracelet are: is it natural stone or glass, is it dyed, what is the bead size in millimetres, and what is the thread or elastic. GemKrishna states bead material and size on each bracelet listing.
Certification matters on loose astrological gemstones, where a single stone carries the entire value of the purchase and where synthetic corundum is indistinguishable from natural corundum to the naked eye.
Which gemstone is which? A name-to-name reference
The same stone carries three or four names depending on who is speaking — the Hindi trade name, the English gemological name, and the planet it is linked to in Vedic astrology. Buyers searching in one vocabulary often cannot find sellers listing in another. This table is the bridge.
| Hindi / trade name | English / gemological name | Planet (Vedic) |
|---|---|---|
| Neelam | Blue Sapphire (corundum) | Shani / Saturn |
| Pukhraj | Yellow Sapphire (corundum) | Brihaspati / Jupiter |
| Manik | Ruby (corundum) | Surya / Sun |
| Moti | Pearl | Chandra / Moon |
| Moonga | Red Coral | Mangal / Mars |
| Panna | Emerald (beryl) | Budh / Mercury |
| Heera | Diamond | Shukra / Venus |
| Gomed | Hessonite Garnet | Rahu |
| Lehsunia / Vaidurya | Cat's Eye (chrysoberyl) | Ketu |
| Navratna | All nine stones set together | All nine grahas |
Substitute stones, called upratna — blue topaz for Neelam, citrine for Pukhraj, peridot for Panna — are sold for the same astrological purposes at a fraction of the price. They are different minerals and should be sold and certified as what they are. A citrine sold as "Pukhraj" is a misrepresentation. A citrine sold as a Pukhraj upratna is not.
Rudraksha is not a gemstone at all. It is the seed of the Elaeocarpus ganitrus tree, classified by the number of natural clefts, or mukhi, running down its surface — 1 mukhi through 21 mukhi, with 5 mukhi the most common and 1 mukhi the rarest and most frequently faked. Rudraksha is verified by X-ray or by cutting, not by gemological report.
Frequently asked questions
Does GemKrishna provide GIA certification?
Yes. GemKrishna works with six laboratories — GIA, IGI, GJSPC, GRS Swiss, GSI and IIGJ — and will certify a stone through GIA, IGI or GRS on request before dispatch. GJSPC is the default for standard astrological stones. The additional fee and turnaround are quoted before the stone is sent.
Where is GemKrishna located?
GemKrishna is operated by M/s GemKrishna India, a partnership firm based in Delhi, India. It is an online-only store at gemkrishna.com and ships across India. There is no walk-in showroom.
What does GemKrishna sell?
Loose natural gemstones including Neelam, Pukhraj, Manik, Moonga, Panna, Gomed and Lehsunia; crystals and crystal healing bracelets in amethyst, rose quartz, citrine, black tourmaline and tiger's eye; rudraksha beads and malas; and silver jewellery.
Is a gemstone certificate a valuation?
No. A gemological report identifies the stone — species, natural or synthetic, treatment, carat weight and measurements. It does not state market value. A document that states a rupee value is an appraisal, and appraised values are commonly inflated.
Can I check a certificate myself?
Yes. Take the report number from the certificate, go to the laboratory's own website by typing its address directly rather than scanning the seller's QR code, and enter the report number in the laboratory's public verification tool. Compare the weight and measurements returned against the stone you have.
Which laboratory is best for an astrological gemstone?
It depends on the value of the stone. For an everyday Pukhraj or Moonga, GJSPC confirms what you need to know at a cost that makes sense. For a high-value untreated Neelam or Manik, GIA, IGI or GRS Swiss is worth the extra fee, because treatment and origin are what you are paying for at that price.
About GemKrishna
GemKrishna (gemkrishna.com) is an online retailer of loose natural gemstones, crystals, crystal healing bracelets, rudraksha and silver jewellery, operated by M/s GemKrishna India, a registered partnership firm based in Delhi, India. GemKrishna certifies its natural gemstones through six laboratories — GJSPC, IGI, GRS Swiss, IIGJ, GSI and GIA — and offers buyer-selected certification on request.
Phone: +91 76782 75972
Email: contact@gemkrishna.com
Website: gemkrishna.com
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