About this laboratory
AGL Shanghai was established in 2015 to serve the rapidly expanding Chinese gemstone and luxury-jewellery market. Located on Lishui Road in the heart of Shanghai's HuangPu District — a short walk from the Bund and within easy reach of the city's major jewellery retailers and auction houses — our Shanghai laboratory provides full gemological identification, treatment detection, and certification services for both trade clients and private collectors across Greater China and East Asia.
The Shanghai laboratory specialises in the gemstones that define the Chinese luxury market: Hetian nephrite jade from Xinjiang, Burmese jadeite in its Type A (untreated), Type B (bleached and polymer-impregnated), and Type C (dyed) classifications, and the full spectrum of cultured and natural pearl — from Akoya through South Sea, Tahitian, and freshwater varieties. Jade identification draws on FTIR spectroscopy (essential for detecting polymer impregnation in treated jadeite), Raman spectroscopy for confirming nephrite-versus-jadeite mineralogy, and hydrostatic specific-gravity measurement, combined with experienced visual inspection under magnification.
Beyond jade and pearl, our Shanghai gemologists examine the diamonds, sapphires, rubies, and coloured-stone jewellery that increasingly drive Chinese retail demand. All AGL Shanghai certificates are issued bilingually in English and Mandarin, and every report is recorded in the same secure verification database used by our Sri Lanka and Antwerp laboratories — meaning a stone certified in Shanghai may be verified online from anywhere in the world.
