Source Policy

What qualifies as a source

We rely on: official publications of public bodies (for regulatory topics), standards organisations such as CIBJO, established gemological institutions and laboratories, recognised mineralogical references, and long-standing public educational resources. The full list of recurring references is in our source library.

Attribution

Regulatory statements name the responsible public body. External organisations are referenced as sources only, a reference never implies endorsement, approval or partnership in either direction.

Directory listings

A business listing is published only when its details have been checked against a verifiable source, with the source and a last-checked date recorded. Unverified entries remain unpublished drafts. The directory policy covers what a listing means and never means.

What we do not use

Anonymous claims, seller marketing material presented as fact, and statistics whose origin we cannot trace. Where the best available information is uncertain, we say so in the text.