For jewelry and gemstones, only test reports bearing the CMA mark are acceptable; you must also verify the issuing agency on the regulator’s official website.

34. For jewelry and gemstones, only test reports bearing the CMA mark are acceptable; you must also verify the issuing agency on the regulator’s official website.

Cost: No cost at all. Checking an agency’s qualifications takes just a few minutes before placing any order.

In plain terms: Certificates can be forged, so what truly matters is confirming the agency that issued it. Any testing organization allowed to issue reports must hold proper credentials, and its reports must display the CMA mark. The regulatory authority publishes a list of certified agencies on its website, making it easy for consumers to confirm whether a given provider is on that list. In actual enforcement cases, some “national inspection certificates” accompanying goods were found to have been fabricated by unrelated parties.

Benefit: The relevant rules are laid out in the *Administrative Measures for Qualification Recognition of Inspection and Testing Agencies*. Article 2 states that qualification recognition is a licensing process for agencies that provide data and results with evidentiary value to the public; it involves a thorough review followed by issuance of certification. Article 15 specifies that the CMA mark comprises both the CMA logo and the corresponding certificate number. Article 21 requires any agency issuing such data to display this mark on all reports. Article 22 mandates that authorities publish all certified agencies and their current status online. Article 34 imposes a fine of up to 30,000 RMB on any agency operating without proper certification. Article 37 similarly penalizes up to 30,000 RMB any act of forging, altering, or misusing such certification marks. Real-world examples illustrate these rules: in June 2026, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation released typical cases of fraud in the traditional crafts market. One involved a livestream in Donghai, Jiangsu, where sellers claimed to offer “natural, unacid-washed, unprocessed Burmese A‑grade gems” and displayed a “national inspection certificate.” Laboratory tests, however, revealed the items to be dyed quartzite, treated jadeite, glass, and plastic; the certificate had been produced by a contact of the seller. Another case in the same county uncovered 469 suspected counterfeit crystal products; 210 proved to be natural crystal while 259 were synthetic. In Zhenping, Henan, a shop displayed a board claiming partnership with a “GIA CMA China Gemstone Testing Center” and sold 181 counterfeit “National Gemstone Quality Supervision Center” certification tags alongside bracelets nationwide.

Evidence grade: A

Sources: General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (announced in 2015, revised in 2021). Measures for the Administration of Qualification Accreditation of Inspection and Testing Institutions (Articles 2, 15, 21, 22, 34, 37). <https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/2021-04/22/content_5723677.htm>; State Administration for Market Regulation of China (2026). State Administration for Market Regulation of China announced a number of typical cases of "cracking down on counterfeiting" in the traditional craft market. <https://www.samr.gov.cn/xw/zj/art/2026/art_1529399cfe874b8780c4496eb0158020.html>; National Standardization Administration Committee. GB/T 16552—2017 "Jewelry and Jade Name" (current, 2018 Implemented on May 1). <https://openstd.samr.gov.cn/bzgk/gb/newGbInfo?hcno=18FFB042811998A0309E05CF452B2438>

Notes: China has established national standards for naming jewelry and gemstones. Test conclusions are often phrased as “quartzite (dyed)” or “jadeite (treated)”; the words inside the parentheses indicate the price difference. Terms such as “A‑grade,” “old‑mine,” and “unprocessed” are marketing buzzwords, not technical conclusions; the livestream mentioned earlier used exactly these phrases. Other deceptive tactics documented in these cases include faking mining sites, staging “miner” livestreams, deploying online trolls to hype sales, and inventing stories about urgent financial needs or family emergencies. Claims that products can “treat rheumatism, boost immunity, improve sleep, or clear blood vessels” are also deemed false advertising and are prosecuted accordingly. For larger purchases, the general verification method is outlined in Section 32 (checking sampling reports and 3C certification). Information on whom to contact when problems arise in a livestream is provided in Sections 29 and 30 (referring to platform rules and requesting data from the platform).