[PHNOM PENH POST]
London-based checker of rare gems and jewellery Intertek has established
a laboratory in Cambodia to help regulate and provide guidelines for
the gem trade. Officially opening today,
it is the Kingdom’s
first gem laboratory. Intertek director in Cambodia Khut Sothy said the
country had been lacking in proper quality-assurance methods and
resources, and that scams were easy to pull off.
“In the market
in Cambodia, no one checks the quality when buying gems; they usually
just believe the sellers. If the salesman says the gem is good, people
believe them.”
He added that tourists fooled into buying fake gems had filed complaints to their respective Cambodian embassies in the past.
The
laboratory will hopefully increase the confidence of foreign buyers, EK
Chea, deputy director of the Ministry of Commerce’s product development
office, said.
“We want our gems to be world-famous, but first they must have recognisable certificates,” he said.
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