Australian Gem Testing Laboratory

01/01/2026

Today is day 1 of 2026. It has been rocky, unstable, fragile, and without many loved ones, whom I miss dearly, that are now at peace. Somehow upright and very slowly achieved and a good day overall🌻

Today started the rebuild of many things, and in many ways. 2025, for me, was finally the reset year, albeit bumpy and unexpectedly and heartbreaking, losing our dear Nikki. Still the closest to the reset year, that I've been trying to achieve, both personally and in business, since covid, losing my precious mumma in 2021, my daughter moving to the GC in 2022, losing our beloved Chris in 2024, and 2023 a total blur ❤️

January 2025 saw the expansion and opening of our new beautiful laboratory and office space.

January 2026, with a delayed re-opening now to be on Monday 19th January, 2026, you will see us all back refreshed, renewed and ready to regroup, to get Blood Consulting, Blood Recruiting and the Australian Gem Testing Laboratory, back on track finally, bigger and better than ever.

New and exciting ventures are coming our way. Watch this space, and as always, our door is open to everyone. Pop past for a visit and/or to see how we may support or assist you and your business successes in 2026.

From all the team, we wish you a happy, healthy, safe, and prosperous 2026! 🎆 🎇

30/12/2025

28/12/2025

Nikki's funeral details for Tuesday in link below 😥🙏

https://tobinbrothers.com.au/tribute/nikki-papaioannou-2510409 🌸

View the tribute page for Nikki Papaioannou. See Funeral Service Details, View the Webcast, Post Condolences and More.

23/12/2025

Too sad for words 😢

17/11/2025

𝑪𝒐𝒑𝒂𝒍 𝑹𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒏 𝒗. 𝑨𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓

A little gemmological education:

Even though 'copal resin' and 'amber' may have similar appearances, they are distinctly different materials. Therefore, they should always be identified separately.
We recently saw a striking piece of 'copal resin' that had developed crazing, a common issue with this type of material. Both copal resin and amber are 'tree resins'. They both can hold fascinating flora and fauna inclusions.

One key difference is age; genuine amber is several millions of years older than copal resin. The age gap causes significant differences in physical and chemical properties, as all gemmologists would know.

Copal resin, at just two to three million years old, is only partially fossilised and much less stable. This instability can result in partial degeneration due to exposure in our natural environment, producing web-like fractures (crazing). Proper care will help preserve its condition, sadly existing crazing cannot be reversed.

Too often, 'copal resin' is often mistakenly called 'amber' or 'copal amber'. This is absolutely incorrect.

We hope you have enjoyed our 'copal resin' v. 'amber' journey, now better understanding some of the key differences between the two materials.

Scroll through our images to view some of the fascinating inclusions we captured from this specimen of 'copal resin', enjoy!

05/11/2025

Believe it or not, the AGTL team do stop for a break from time to time. We spotted Amina admiring a rainbow over St Paul's cathedral on a rainy day, and thought we should capture the moment!

04/10/2025

What a bumper of a week it has been. A little blue sky and sunshine, with a little bit of winter thrown in, that's Melbourne right? 🌞🌧

Also, my gorgeous granddaughters joined the AGTL team for a few days, working hard and bringing much entertainment. Topped off with a great visit from Josh and his gem collection. The girls and the AGTL team definitely enjoyed seeing his amazing collection, especially with budding gemmologists in the making, with Josh and our very own gemmologist, James Christie, leading the way (Nanny Margaret hopes anyway)!

And what would Josh's first visit to our beautiful open space be without discovering his hidden 'gymnastic' skills. Very quickly, with shoes off, and Oakleigh and Ashtyn joining him, there were cartwheels, bridges, and double jointed bend OUCH! (sorry no photos, and no injuries!).

Too much fun really, this could only happen in the AGTL lab right 😊

28/09/2025

Occasionally, great lengths are taken to disguise synthetic or treated gemstones from natural gems.

The crackle quenched flux healing method, applied to natural or synthetic corundum (ruby or sapphire) for instance, is one such technique.

It involves quickly heating then cooling a natural or synthetic corundum (ruby or sapphire). This causes internal fractures to form. Then reheating and using a 'flux' mixture, helps to heal the fractures from the inside.

These healings in some cases can improve the look of a poor quality natural gemstone, or make a synthetic gemstone look like a natural gemstone.

The web-like, honeycomb pattern of the healed fractures themselves is an indication of the treatment. However, to the untrained eye, it may appear or assumed to be natural inclusions.

Our next 'treatment' topic, will be on 'glass filled' gemstones.

24/09/2025

Psst! It's officially 3 months until Christmas!

Whilst this hallmark looks like it could be straight from Santa's workshop, it's actually from Portugal!

Using the extensive resources available at AGTL, we were able to determine the origin. The reindeer and outer profile indicate this bracelet was manufactured in Porto, Portugal between 1985-1998. '800' is the metal purity mark for 19 carat gold. Metal testing confirmed that this piece is stamped correctly.

We loved doing our research on this one!

22/09/2025

~ Frequently Asked Question ~

Can AGTL identify rough gemstones or crystals?

We certainly can, however, the Australian Gem Testing Laboratory (AGTL) is primarily set up to examine fashioned (cut and/or faceted) gemstones and jewellery.

Each uncut gem is unique in its form and attributes. Uncut gemstones have a limited range of testing available as opposed to their 'fashioned' counterparts. Whether or not we can assist in the identification of an uncut gemstone is dependent upon a combination of factors.

We pride ourselves on delivering the best service therefore, we always take into consideration the cost of testing versus the potential value of an identified piece. In the event we deem it is not viable for us to charge for laboratory based testing, we do have contacts you can reach out to, who may be able to assist you further.

We welcome all enquiries and will do our best to assist wherever possible.

Call for an appointment today.

18/09/2025

The tale of 'whose tail is it anyway?'

This delightful little creature came in for valuation recently, and the debate of it's identity was on. Is it a fox? Panda? Lemur? A blend of all three? Have your say, let us know your opinion!

Debates aside, full gemmological testing was completed on this ring, allowing us to capture a fantastic reaction under long wave ultraviolet light.

17/09/2025

There are many gemstones this pictured gem could be; ruby, spinel, garnet, glass (paste), the list goes on, and all with widely variable price outcomes.

If you look closely at the picture, you will see a 'join line' wrapping its way around the circumference, just above the girdle. Beyond the join line is a single, consistent plane of 'bubbles'. Bubbles can be indicative of a synthetic gemstone or glass/paste, but in some unique occasions, also could be natural. Interestingly, there are also natural looking inclusions inside this gem!

This is because the pictured 'gemstone' is made up of two separate pieces of material, commonly known as a 'doublet'. In most cases, the top section is of a natural origin, while the bottom portion is synthetic or imitation material. When set in a piece of jewellery, it is the 'top' section only that may be accessible for testing. To the untrained eye, identification mistakes can be made. In this pictured instance, the gemstone has been produced to imitate a natural ruby.

If natural, the price could be estimated at hundreds to thousands of dollars. Whereas the doublet at $10 to $100 maximum. So, you can see why engaging a gemmologist is crucial in gem identification.