Consumer Info

At Suncoast Gem Lab our goal has always been to provide our clients with the most current and accurate information on gems and jewelry. Our Consumer Information page has links to a variety of educational sites and consumer advocate sites where you can research gems and jewelry topics and legal issues relating to the industry. As always, if you can't find the answer here, contact us at our office and we will be happy to assist you.

• American Gem Trade Association - AGTA is an association of United States and Canadian natural colored gemstone and Cultured Pearl industry professionals dedicated to promoting the natural colored gemstone trade. www.agta.org
   
• American Society of Appraisers - Established in 1936, the ASA is the oldest and only major appraisal organization representing all the disciplines of appraisal specialists. www.appraisers.org
   
• Cultured Pearl Information Center - Sponsored by the Japan Pearl Exporters Association this site has a wealth about the Japanese Akoya (cultured) pearl industry. www.pearlinfo.com
   
• DeBeers - Established in 1888, DeBeers Consolidated Mines Ltd. Has successfully controlled the diamond industry for over a century. www.debeersgroup.com
   
• Diamond Trading Company - Sponsored by The Diamond Promotion Service, the marketing company for DeBeers, www.adiamondisforever.com, is an information source on diamonds
   
• G.I.E. Perles de Tahiti - The international promotion of Tahiti's black cultured pearls is handled by the G.I.E. Perles de Tahiti, which was created in 1993 by the French Polynesia Territorial Government and three local pearl producer associations. The G.I.E. is a special non-profit economic interest group. It has the objective of promoting Tahitian black pearls and their by-products in overseas markets. www.tahiti-blackpearls.com
   
• Gemological Institute of America - Established in 1931, this nonprofit education research and gemological laboratory services organization is the premier organization of its kind in the world. www.gia.edu
   
• Jewelers Mutual Insurance - Founded in 1913, Jewelers Mutual Insurance is the leading insurer for the jewelry industry insuring more than 10,000 jewelers and 100,000 individuals in the U.S. Personal Jewelry Insurance is available from Jewelers Mutual for those of you who can't get insurance through your homeowners policy. www.jewelersmutual.com
   
• Jewelers Vigilance Committee - Established in 1912 this nonprofit organization is considered the industry's guardian of ethics and integrity and is a resource for the trade and consumers. www.jvclegal.org
   
• Kitco - One of the world's premier retailers of precious metals with up to the minute live quotes or current market prices. www.kitco.com
   
• Mason - Kay - The largest dealer of Jadeite Jade in the industry. This site contains a wealth of information on jade including its characteristics, color, grading, and identification. www.masonkay.com
   
• National Association of Jewelry Appraisers - The National Association of Jewelry Appraisers (NAJA) was founded in 1981. It is the only appraisal association in the United States that devotes itself solely to the appraisal of gems and jewelry. The Association's primary purpose is to recognize, and make available, the services of highly qualified, informed, experienced, independent, and professional appraisers of gems and jewelry to those members of the public requiring such expertise. www.najaappraisers.com
   
• National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors - Founded in 1943, the NAWCC is a nonprofit scientific organization that serves as a unique educational, cultural and social resource for its membership and the public. www.nawcc.org
   
• The American Numismatic Association - A nonprofit educational organization chartered by the U.S. Congress to promote the study and collection of money including coins, tokens, models and paper currency. www.money.org
   
• The Gold Institute - the Gold Institute is an international industry association whose goals are to highlight the gold industry's social and economic importance, and to improve understanding of the industry, its member companies and their products. www.goldinstitute.org
   
• The International Colored Gemstone Association - The ICGA is a nonprofit association founded to represent the international gemstone industry. The ICGA's goal is to build closer international cooperation between all levels of the gemstone trade. www.gemstone.org
   
• The Platinum Guild - The Platinum Guild represents the platinum jewelry industry and this site has technical information as well as fashion information about platinum. www.preciousplatinum.com