The GJEPC-Gem Testing Laboratory (GTL), Jaipur, and global e-commerce company eBay today signed an agreement under which the former will offer certification services to all eBay sellers of gemstones for a specially agreed nominal fee. Under this arrangement, all gemstones sold through eBay will be accompanied by a GTL certificate.

The certificates will be issued at a nominal rate without any compromise on existing standards and protocols of testing, GTL said. It is a big step to boosting consumer confidence in these products sold through the online platform and will also help enhance exports of gemstones and gemstone studded jewellery from India, it added.

GJEPC said that currently, many sellers cannot afford to pay certification fees for low-value goods being commonly sold on e-commerce websites (such as eBay.com), and hence, such gemstones are sold without any report or with reports from ill-equipped laboratories or even with fake reports. Reduction in certification fees will encourage sellers to provide reports from a reputed lab even for low-value gemstones.

This is a significant step as India's gem & jewellery industry through GJEPC is working on popularising 'Make in India' products and Indian craftsmanship/ artisanship globally.

Pramod Kumar Agrawal, Chairman GJEPC said, “This strategic initiative enhances consumer trust and credibility in the global markets and also helps to promote brand India internationally through credible certification. It will help the sellers on eBay to build customer confidence as well as assist in increasing sales of Indian handcrafted gemstones and allied jewellery in overseas markets.”

Stressing that Jaipur is globally renowned as a source for quality polished gemstones, Agrawal added, “This is a significant step in taking Indian gemstone craftsmanship and designs to international markets in 2020. And we expect many more ecommerce platforms to sign similar agreements with GTL Jaipur.”

eBay provides multinational e-commerce related services that facilitate consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer sales through its platform. eBay India is focused on creating online retail export opportunities for MSME’s and artisans. The eBay global marketplace platform has more than 15,000 MSME’s and artisans from India exporting across 195 countries. Indian jewellery is one of the popular products across 180 million eBay global buyers.

Vidmay Naini, Country Head, eBay, said “eBay India’s effort is to build trust and saliency for Indian jewellery sellers to enhance their business. In this endeavour we are partnering with GJEPC to enable sellers on eBay India certify gemstones sold on eBay marketplace. The GTL certification ensures that global customers are assured of the best quality of gemstones which are Made in India. India gemstone sellers will definitely see an edge over other global sellers.”

GTL is one of the oldest laboratories in India established by The Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) in 1972. It offers gemmological services to both domestic and overseas clients, as well as undertaking research & development in the field.

The GJEPC Chairman said that the laboratory is being upgraded with world class facilities with an investment of Rs 5.48 crore on latest equipment under TIES Scheme of Ministry of Commerce & Industry. It will soon shift to new and larger premises at Sitapura.

At the outset, Regional Chairman of GJEPC Nirmal Kumar Bardiya gave the welcome address. He said that Jaipur is known for its coloured gemstones and gemstone studded jewellery. This step by GJEPC and eBay will prove to be a milestone in the export sector, he averred.

The agreement was then signed by Vidmay Naini, Country Head, on behalf of eBay and Sanjay Singh, GJEPC Regional Director, Rajasthan on behalf of GJEPC-GTL.

Following the formal signing ceremony, the Convener of GTL, Vijay Kumar Chordia thanked all present on this occasion.