GZplus0518_Gesamt_ohneRuecken_ENG

Tradition & Institution
DSEF
Ehenis est des et
laborem ea dolupta
tiatia quiaeserum qui
dolessi tatur Vendam
eat alis acipicim quam
Hot on the
trail of fakes
As we all now know, not everything that glitters is gold.
Whether in Idar-Oberstein or out and about in their mobile lab, the experts at the
DSEF German Gem Lab will sniff out anything that’s not quite right.
For as long as people have worn precious
stones, there has always been
the temptation to improve their external
appearance or attractiveness using
a range of different methods. There are
also all kinds of different synthetic versions
or imitations made out of glass or
reconstructions created from crushed
stone. Of course we understand why
people want these engineered stones: they
give people who wouldn’t normally be able
to afford precious stones the opportunity
to wear beautiful jewels at a fraction of the
cost. What we object to is unscrupulous
salespeople passing off these imitations
as real stones without making the buyer
aware, and unfortunately this is a problem
that we see time and again. “Occasionally,
there is a real intention to deceive,“ says Dr.
Claudio Milisenda. The mineralogist and
head of the DSEF German Gem Lab in Idar-
Oberstein and his team are always one
step ahead of the counterfeiters: “Whether
it’s uncut stones, high-value jewels or piec-
es from the middle-low range, we see imitations
of stones and jewels across all of
the price brackets,” confirms Milisenda.
Since its foundation in 1969 by the German
Gemmological Association (DGemG),
the DSEF German Gem Lab has proven itself
a valuable partner to anyone working
in the gem industry or trade. The permanent
laboratory in Idar-Oberstein satisfies
all the demands for a modern, international
gemmological service facility. On top of
that, the DSEF also recently acquired a mo-
052 GZ plus 05/18