With highly qualified staff, and an owner who loves to share his knowledge, you’ll be pleased you called.
About The Gem Lab
The Gem Lab is the place to go for all your gemstone appraisals and training.
Meet Jeremy Rothon
With nearly three decades in the industry, Jeremy Rothon started his career under the guidance of the world-renowned gemmologist, Ian Campbell.
His international training, through the Gemmological Association of Great Britain (FGA), and then the Gemmological Institute of America (GIA), gives Jeremy the depth of knowledge he needs to do his job to the highest standard.
The Gemmological Association of Great Britain
FGA Gemmological qualification is recognised as the equivalent of a BA degree.
The Gem Lab was founded in Durban in 1989, and was affiliated to Ian Campbell’s ICSL lab, until Ian’s retirement in 2009.
Alongside his encyclopaedic knowledge of gemstones, Jeremy’s career extends to jewellery retail management and design, giving him a well-rounded knowledge of the industry. He also spent two years running the European Gemological Lab (EGL) in Cape Town, where he indulged his love of teaching by lecturing in the college.
Sharing Knowledge
Having delivered a paper at each of the three symposiums held by the Gemmological Association of South Africa – on the subject of ethics and disclosure of artificial treatment of gemstones – Jeremy loves sharing his knowledge with anyone interested. He also regularly presents fascinating audiovisual seminars to the public.
If you would like Jeremy to be a guest speaker at one of your functions, or come to your retail outlet and speak to your staff, please contact us to make a booking, and he will gladly present a very interesting audiovisual on the subject of gemstones.
Meet Olivia Chiara
Olivia Chiara Uliana is a Gemmologist and the General Manager of The Gem Lab (Pty) Ltd. She brings a unique blend of scientific precision, artistic appreciation, and human understanding to her role.
Olivia began her academic journey studying Computer Science at the University of Cape Town, but her passion for people led her to pivot, graduating cum laude with a Bachelor’s Degree in Community and Health Psychology. While gemstones had always been a personal passion, she decided to pursue them professionally – earning her Accredited Jewellery Professional (AJP) certification with the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) in 2014, followed by her Graduate Diamond Diploma in 2016. She later completed her FGA with the Gemmological Association of Great Britain.
She joined The Gem Lab in 2018, where her love of gemstones and human stories found their natural home.
What Olivia values most in her work is the deep human connection embedded in every gemstone and piece of jewellery. Each item carries a story – a human story, as it passes through various hands on its journey – whether its a story of joy, sorrow; transformation or empowerment. Gemmology, for her, sits at a fascinating intersection of precision, humanity and beauty: the perfect fusion where technical analysis meets the wonder of nature’s artistry and brilliant human creation and intervention.
Olivia has travelled the world since her early 20’s, spending months and years in various locations: Europe, South East Asia, and in the many parts of West Africa. With a Namibian mother and Italian father, Olivia is deeply community-driven and sees the industry as her extended “la famiglia”. She truly cares about each and every individual she encounters and is always seeking meaningful ways to be of help and service. When she’s not zooming around the laboratory, she’s probably outdoors – or obsessing over different gemstone cuts.