What "Certified" Actually Means at Zanvari
Every jeweller in Pakistan says "certified." Almost none of them will tell you what the certificate does, who issued it, or what it actually proves.
Here is ours, in full, including the parts that are less impressive than the word suggests.
Two different documents, two different meanings
We sell natural gemstones and we sell moissanite. They come with different paperwork, and conflating the two is how the trade misleads people.
Natural gemstones — GGI certificates
Our natural stones — ruby, sapphire, emerald, topaz — can be supplied with a certificate from the Galaxy Gemological Institute (GGI), an independent gemological laboratory.
A GGI certificate documents:
- Stone type — is it actually corundum, or is it garnet, glass, or synthetic?
- Treatment status — heated, oiled, filled, or untreated
- Weight, cut, colour, clarity
- Origin where determinable
This is a real check on a real stone. It is why we offer it, and why it costs extra — the laboratory charges for the work. Choose "With Certificate" or "Without Certificate" at checkout. Either way the stone is the same stone. The certificate is third-party confirmation of what we have told you.
What a GGI certificate is not: a GIA report. If you want the depth of grading that GIA or SSEF provides, send the stone to them and pay accordingly. We will tell you how.
Moissanite — GRA grading cards
Every moissanite of 1 carat and above comes with a GRA card. This is a different class of document entirely, and you should know that.
GRA is not a gemological laboratory. The cards are pre-printed, bought in bulk by trading companies with control numbers already assigned, and no facility examines your individual stone. Verifying a number online confirms the card is genuine — not that anyone measured your moissanite.
We include one because it is a useful specification record and because it is the convention of the trade. We call it a grading card, not a certificate, and we do not price it as certification.
Your moissanite is almost certainly genuine moissanite. The card just does not prove it. The full explanation is here — including why nearly every seller in Pakistan calls it something it isn't.
What we actually promise
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Natural stones | Ruby, sapphire, emerald, topaz, citrine, amethyst, turquoise, pearl |
| Natural stone certification | Galaxy Gemological Institute (GGI) — optional, priced separately |
| Moissanite documentation | GRA grading card — a specification record, not a lab report |
| Metals | 925 sterling silver (rhodium plated), 21k gold |
| Labelling | Natural or lab-grown, stated plainly on every product |
| Craftsmanship | Handmade at our Saddar workshop, made to order |
| Replating | Lifetime free rhodium replating |
| Buy-back | 50% of invoice as exchange credit, or 30% in cash |
| Resizing | Available at the bench |
| Delivery | Nationwide Pakistan, cash on delivery |
The honest bit about resale
You will read that a certificate gives your stone resale and insurance value. That is half true and worth unpacking.
For a natural stone, a GGI certificate genuinely helps — it documents that the thing is what you say it is, which matters when you sell it or insure it.
For moissanite, there is no meaningful secondary market in Pakistan regardless of paperwork. The stone is manufactured, supply is unlimited, and a new one costs so little that nobody shops for a used one. A card does not change that arithmetic.
This is why our buy-back exists: 50% of invoice as exchange credit, or 30% in cash. It is a real number, published, and more than the open market will offer. We can do it because the piece comes back to a workshop that can rework it.
What actually stands behind your piece
A certificate is a piece of paper. Some of them mean something. Some of them mean considerably less than the word implies.
What we offer instead is an address. Shop No. 5, Gems Jewelers and Trade Centre, Blenken Street, Saddar. Three generations, since 1947. The people who set your stone are at the bench, and you can walk in and talk to them.
That is a less impressive-sounding promise than "certified." It is one you can actually hold us to.
Zanvari
Shop No. 5, Gems Jewelers and Trade Centre, Blenken Street, Saddar, Karachi 74400
Monday–Friday, 2pm–8pm, by appointment
WhatsApp 0342 8269771