The Sri Lankan government plans to set up a modern gem testing laboratory which can issue internationally accepted test certificates within the next few months, Daily News reported Thursday.

"What we need is to set up a gem testing lab and this must be done within this year," said Rohitha Bogollagamahe, Minister of Advanced Technology and National Enterprise Development.

He said the plan was made as almost every type of gem is being produced synthetically and most gems are being treated in various ways to enhance their value.

However, The Federal Trade Commission of USA has set guidelines that all treatments should be disclosed at the time of sale. The other major consuming countries are following these guidelines.

Sri Lanka as a gem producing nation has been called upon to provide full disclosure at the time of sale. Ever since the State Gem Corporation was established in the early seventies the gem testing facilities available have been very basic and the traders had to send their stones abroad for certification spending large sums of money.

"We are setting up 10 modern lapidaries in the country. I am trying to establish Sri Lanka as a destination for sourcing high quality gems and Jewelry. We have to do more value addition," he added.

Source: Xinhua