My PERSONAL advice would be that they should not purchase any
gemstones overseas if they are not gem experts or gemologists. Even
with gemological training, they would need a ‘Porta Lab.’ from GIA to
do it properly (and safely.)
I AM a G.G., and have experience purchasing rubies and sapphires in
Bangkok, and a layperson is much better off buying here in the U.S…
Here, there would be some legal recourse in the case of
misrepresentation or outright fraud.
Your customer could receive treated stones, low quality genuine
stones or even synthetic stones. And then, what would they do about
it from thousands of miles away?
They are also unlikely to get any ‘bargains.’ The best thing that you
can do for them is to explain that YOU can get them ANYTHING that
they might buy in Bangkok, and they’ll be dealing with someone they
can trust.
Feel free to show them this letter. (OK to remove my name.)
David Barzilay
Lord of the Rings
607 S Hill St Ste 850
Los Angeles, CA 90014-1718
213-488-9157