Certification
Every SÈVE piece is accompanied by a Standard Certificate issued by the Hong Kong Jade & Stone Laboratory — the most established and authoritative jade testing institution in Asia.
Why HKJSL
The Hong Kong Jade & Stone Laboratory (HKJSL) was founded in 1993 by the Hong Kong Jewellery & Jade Manufacturers Association. Its establishment was a direct response to a market crisis: in the early 1980s, Hong Kong's jade market was flooded with chemically treated and resin-impregnated jadeite — material that conventional testing could not reliably identify. HKJSL was created to restore trust through rigorous, instrument-based scientific testing.
Today, HKJSL is equipped with advanced infrared spectrometry and staffed by experienced gemmologists trained exclusively in Fei Cui identification. Their certificates are recognised by leading international auction houses. Among Hong Kong's several testing laboratories, HKJSL stands apart for its institutional history, scientific standards, and the depth of its certification process.
SÈVE issues the HKJSL Standard Certificate with every piece — not the abbreviated Mini-Testing Certificate used for simpler transactions. The Standard Certificate documents thirteen individual testing criteria and provides a complete scientific record of the stone.
What the Standard Certificate Confirms
The HKJSL Standard Certificate records three categories of information.
Description covers shape and cut, weight in carats, dimensions in millimetres, degree of transparency, and colour — recorded by evenness of distribution, depth of tone, and hue.
Tests and findings cover polariscope analysis confirming jadeite is anisotropic and polycrystalline; refractive index; specific gravity; UV fluorescence; visible spectrum analysis; surface magnification; Chelsea colour filter; and infrared spectrum analysis detecting the presence of resin or excessive wax.
Conclusion states definitively whether the stone is Natural Fei Cui (Type A), Chemically Treated and Resin Impregnated (Type B), Dyed (Type C), or a combination.
For a full explanation of what each section means:
How to Read a Certificate
What Type A Means
Natural Fei Cui — classified as Type A — is jadeite that has not been subjected to any form of chemical treatment. Its colour and internal structure are entirely as formed in the earth. Surface polishing with colourless wax, a traditional finishing practice that does not alter the stone's crystalline structure, is not considered a treatment under HKJSL's classification.
Type A is the only category accepted for serious collecting and investment-grade pieces. Every stone sold by SÈVE is Type A certified.
The Limits of Certification
A certificate is indispensable. It is also incomplete.
Certification confirms identity: jadeite, natural, untreated. It does not fully explain quality.
The HKJSL Standard Certificate records transparency, colour evenness, tone, and hue. These observations are important, but they cannot capture the qualities that make exceptional jadeite exceptional: colour depth, saturation, internal luminosity, grain fineness, lustre, and the movement of light through the stone.
This is not a limitation of HKJSL alone. No universal jadeite grading system exists. There is no equivalent to the GIA 4Cs for diamonds, and leading gemmological institutions acknowledge how difficult jadeite is to standardise.
This is the gap SÈVE was founded to address.
Your Certificate
A physical HKJSL Standard Certificate accompanies every SÈVE piece at the time of delivery.
Every HKJSL certificate includes a unique serial number. To verify authenticity, you may contact HKJSL directly or use their online verification portal:
Certification Replacement
If your original HKJSL certificate has been lost or damaged, we can facilitate a replacement request on your behalf. All replacement certificates are issued directly by HKJSL; associated fees and processing time are the client's responsibility.
Secondary Certification
Every SÈVE piece is accompanied by a certificate from HKJSL, confirming its authenticity, natural status, and grade.
For clients who wish to go further, we are pleased to facilitate an additional independent certificate from an internationally recognised gemological authority.
This service is available for any piece in the SÈVE collection, at the client's expense and coordinated entirely by our team.
Certifying Bodies
SÈVE facilitates submissions to two internationally recognised gemological laboratories, both of which maintain permanent operations in Hong Kong:
- GIA (Gemological Institute of America)
- Gübelin Gem Lab
Both institutions are relied upon by major auction houses, insurers, and private collectors worldwide.
If you have a preference for a specific laboratory not listed above, please let us know. We are happy to accommodate alternative arrangements wherever possible, subject to the laboratory's submission requirements and location.
How It Works
Contact our team at any point — before or after your purchase — to request a secondary certificate. SÈVE will coordinate the laboratory submission on your behalf, provide an estimated turnaround time, and ensure your piece is handled with full care throughout.
Certification fees are borne by the client. We will provide a cost estimate from the relevant laboratory at the time of your request.
Timing
Secondary certification can be arranged at two stages:
Before delivery — your piece is submitted to the laboratory prior to shipment. Delivery will be extended by the laboratory's processing time, which our team will communicate clearly upfront.
After delivery — your piece may be returned to SÈVE at any time for laboratory submission. Our team will coordinate collection, submission, and redelivery.
Return Window
If your piece is undergoing laboratory assessment, your 14-day return window is paused from the date the piece is received by the laboratory and resumes from the date it is returned to you.
Returns & Secondary Certificates
If you choose to return a piece for which a secondary certificate has been obtained, both the piece and the secondary certificate must be returned together for the return to be eligible. The cost of the secondary certificate will be reimbursed in full as part of your refund.