Gemological Institute of Cambodia
Gemological Institute of Cambodia
5
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
About
The Gemological Institute of Cambodia offers an overview of Cambodian gemstones. You will be greeted by a professional gemologist. Permanent exhibition of more than 300 kinds of gemstones from Cambodia and from all over the world. Free visit! Visit the laboratory for gemstones identification and certification, and do your gems shopping. We offer gemology courses for beginners. For a period of a half day or a full day. Free transportation from your hotel with a return to your hotel. Please contact us for information and booking.
Duration: < 1 hour
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
5.0
181 reviews
Excellent
158
Very good
16
Average
4
Poor
2
Terrible
1
Lionel C
Phnom Penh, Cambodia21 contributions
Apr 2015 • Solo
For long time I wanted to learn about stones, and jewellery in Asia. After some research I have found the gemological Institute of Cambodia. This place is managed by a Frenchman who is officially certified to give you real identification about stones. The place is setup like a mini museum for stones and gems. You will get for free a complete tour with comments on all Cambodian or foreign stones. You can add well buy jewellery and gems on site. Nice place that I suggest to visit...
Written April 28, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank so much to visit us! We had a great time. Thank you for this advice! We hope to see you soon!
Written March 25, 2016
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Knotty3010
Adelaide, Australia20 contributions
Nov 2018
After seeing some dubious stones in the markets, we were wanting to buy something special for a birthday gift. Having seen the ad for the above on the back of the Map provided to us at our hotel, we got them to ring and they sent a complimentary tuktuk to pick us up. The saleslady explained on the wall map the areas that the gemstones are mined in Cambodia. We bought a Blue Zircon only found in Cambodia to take home. All budgets catered for here and they provide a money back guarantee.
We would highly recommend this store for genuine stones.
We would highly recommend this store for genuine stones.
Written November 27, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Eleni J
Melbourne, Australia5 contributions
Jul 2018 • Couples
Highly recommend anyone go here for Jewellery in Cambodia. An amazing selection of Gemstones and the Jewellery is beautiful. The staff are very helpful and have great knowledge of the gemstones. Definitely worth a visit!
Written July 1, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Eleni,
Thank you very much for your nice review.
Indeed, we actually offer a large collection of gemstone and jewelry. Currently over 200 varieties of gemstones from Cambodia and around the world. We always do our best to collect new stones and improve our services.
Thank you for your support.
We hope to see you again if you have the opportunity to come back to Siem Reap again.
Written July 3, 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Joe
Kuala Selangor, Malaysia11 contributions
Aug 2019 • Solo
Good range of items and products sold.
Price is not too expensive and staff are not pushy to pressurise you to buy!
Price is not too expensive and staff are not pushy to pressurise you to buy!
Written August 22, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Victoria K
48 contributions
Apr 2019 • Couples
For my milestone birthday, I bought a beautiful gemstones ring from here in 2018. I was loving it as the ring represents so well about my life so far. Unfortunately I lost one small gemstone of the setting a few months later. I was so sad as I love the ring so much!
On my return visit to Siem Reap, I took the ring back to them to see what they can do? The wonderful Alice actually helped repair it!!!! This has nothing to do with money, but Alice and the team understand a piece of jewellery is far more than just looking pretty. It can represents so many different meanings and milestones in life.
I truly appreciate Alice’s sincere help and the awesome customer service from the team. Thank you!
On my return visit to Siem Reap, I took the ring back to them to see what they can do? The wonderful Alice actually helped repair it!!!! This has nothing to do with money, but Alice and the team understand a piece of jewellery is far more than just looking pretty. It can represents so many different meanings and milestones in life.
I truly appreciate Alice’s sincere help and the awesome customer service from the team. Thank you!
Written June 26, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Justin
Indianapolis, IN10 contributions
Oct 2018 • Family
So my wife and I shopped here on a Friday and purchased a matching set of earrings, ring and pendant. Two days later while preparing for our flight my wife opened her jewelry that had not been worn since we purchased to find a stone had fallen out of one of the earrings. So we decided this was a bad omen and chose to return it.
According to the website there is a 30 day money back guarantee. When we arrived we were informed that they usually only allow returns if the jewelry is fake. (Seems to me this is admitting that you could possibly purchase fake stones here). They did decide to grant us a refund after a bit of argument and talking to two different bosses. To top it all off we had to take less cash as a refund than we paid in order to avoid missing our flight because they cannot put a refund back on your card and apparently carry zero cash on hand.
According to the website there is a 30 day money back guarantee. When we arrived we were informed that they usually only allow returns if the jewelry is fake. (Seems to me this is admitting that you could possibly purchase fake stones here). They did decide to grant us a refund after a bit of argument and talking to two different bosses. To top it all off we had to take less cash as a refund than we paid in order to avoid missing our flight because they cannot put a refund back on your card and apparently carry zero cash on hand.
Written October 28, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Justin,
We are sincerely apologies for this inconvenience. However, we want to clarify this problem.
First, we fully refund the jewelry if the customer is not satisfied, even if the jewelry has no defect.
Second, there is only one boss, I am the only one. Unfortunately, you went to the store one morning, very quickly. The manager was sick, she went back home few minutes before your arrival and she came back to the shop a few minutes after you leave. Unfortunately, you arrived exactly when there was no manager in the shop. The salesgirl was not trained in this situation, this is our mistake.
Third, we sell only natural stones, without any ambiguity. What seems to you is not necessarily the reality. We are not a fake souvenir shop, but the only gemological laboratory in Cambodia, the only place to testing and certified gemstones and study gemological science.
Fourth, our sales people are not American like you. They don’t have your level of English. And in Khmer culture, it's not polite to reply straightly. The salesgirl tried to find a way to manage the problem, even she didn’t know what to do. She contacted the manager and then, the manager contacted me. She told me that you had already left because you were in a hurry.
Fifth, our Bank does not allow us to refund bank card payments. We are in a developing country; the banking system is still imperfect. You can contact the bank who will explain you that they are responsible: www.acledabank.com.kh. We must therefore refund our customers in cash.
Sixthly, we never have a lot of cashflow on hand, to avoid theft. The saleswoman gives you the phone to talked to the manager. The manager asked you to wait a few minutes, waiting she arrives with cash to refund you the $ 9 that was missing at the checkout to refund your entire bill of $ 299. But unfortunately, you did not have time. We therefore apologize again, but we want to emphasize that there would have been no problem if you had not in rush.
And finally. You have my business card. You could send me an email before posting such a negative review. We can see a real desire to harm us by copying the same message on different website by choosing systematically the lowest grade as possible. Your behavior is quite dishonest.
Regards
Jean-Philippe LEPAGE.
C.E.O
Written October 29, 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
cool_satchmo
Mumbai, India1,127 contributions
Oct 2017 • Friends
They have a huge collection of gem stones but you cannot be sure if they are genuine or synthetic. Be prepared to bargain hard if you are willing to take the risk about the quality of the gems. I would suggest avoiding to buy anything from this tourist trap
Written November 12, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear visitor. You have apparently been very disappointed by the free visit. We are sincerly sorry for that. All the advices are welcome to improve ourselves. Unfortunately, we only read slander in your commentary. If you want to know the difference between real and fake gemstones, we offer gemology classes for beginners, so you can finally have an objective opinion on the stones. We offer short time classes if you don't have a lot of time. From only one-hour, a half-day or a full-day . You can book directly here on TripAdvisor. It is by making mistakes that we learn.
For our future customers who have stones to test. We inform you that we are the only gemological laboratory in Cambodia. Stones are tested and certified by an accredited gemologist, who is also a teacher of gemological science.
Our customers comes from all around the world to learn gemology or buy natural gemstones. Just read all the other reviews and see all the pictures of our customers on TripAdvisor, Google, and on our website.
We look forward to meet you and we will be delighted to welcome you in the Gemological Institute of Cambodia
Written November 13, 2017
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Steve L
Minneapolis, MN2 contributions
Dec 2015 • Couples
While visiting Siem Reap, we were looking for a unique experience and quality jewelry and/or gemstones. After seeing the good reviews on this site, we decided to give The Gemological Institute of Cambodia. We called for directions, since our hotel was unaware of the location. After a few quick minutes, a driver arrived and brought us to the location at no cost! Upon our arrival, we were given an in-depth explanation of their facility, background, and several of the gemstones on display. As we moved on to the gemstones that were being presented for purchase, we knew we were in the right place! We shopped for quite awhile and end up leaving with a few wonderful gemstones.
We would both highly recommend making this a stop for anyone interested in gemstones, art, or just has an overall curiosity of something unique! Can't wait to go back and we hope to utilize their online shop more for the beautiful Zircon.
We would both highly recommend making this a stop for anyone interested in gemstones, art, or just has an overall curiosity of something unique! Can't wait to go back and we hope to utilize their online shop more for the beautiful Zircon.
Written January 7, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank so much to visit us! Zircon is an excellent choice. We hope to see you soon! Thank you for this advice!
Written March 16, 2016
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
GBflysagain
Osaka, Japan92 contributions
Aug 2015 • Family
Jean-Phillippe greeted my 14 year-old daughter and I as if we were were valued clients and showed and told us about the extensive array of stones he has. My daughter who is a real stone enthusiast, and has a good collection, listened intently and was delighted with access to a real expert who look time (40 minutes) with us, pitched his explanation at just the right level and was genuinely pleased to do so. We bought a beautiful blue zilcon for $36. Jean-Phillippe seem equally please to sell a $10 or a $1000 stone as long as thats what you want.
The Gemological Institute is not easy to find and your driver will much realer take you to an over priced store along the main road. Have concierge call ahead get directions and explain then to your driver. Be firm about were you want to go, you will be glade you did.
The Gemological Institute is not easy to find and your driver will much realer take you to an over priced store along the main road. Have concierge call ahead get directions and explain then to your driver. Be firm about were you want to go, you will be glade you did.
Written August 21, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank so much to visit us! Blue zircon is an excellent choice. thank you for this advice.
Written March 25, 2016
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Anne-Helene N
Fontenay-sous-Bois, France1 contribution
Aug 2015 • Friends
Jean-Philippe Lepage is a real expert in Gemmology and likes to share his passion with fascinating explanations. Looking at the gems from all aver the world, it was a discovery for us to learn so much and admire so many different stones. Besides he is completely trustworthy and definitely puts much emphasis on analysing and testing the gems he sells to professionals or simple clients, like us. A must in Siem Reap.
Written August 12, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nous avons été ravis de votre visite ! Merci de vos précieux conseils pour nos futurs clients.
Written March 25, 2016
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Address: Night Market Street, Siem Reap, CAMBODIA
Written February 3, 2020
Hello!
I Wonder about Custom rulles of gems. May I take away rough stones or faceted ones with me? How much May I take away? Thanks
Regards Sandra
Written May 29, 2019
Hello Sandra!
You supposed to declare any valuable product in excess of $ 10,000. However, even if you carry stones of great value, it is unlikely that you will be controlled, unless you carry several kilograms of stones and the customs officer opens your bag unlucky.
Regards
Written May 30, 2019
Hello! At what time are the 1 hour and 3 hour courses?
Thanks!
Written November 23, 2018
Hello
There are no daily classes at fixed times. We arrange schedules depending to bookings. Short classes of a half day are usually during the week days, on afternoon.
Regards
Written November 23, 2018
Do they take credit cards for jewelry purchases?
Written September 12, 2018
Yes. Visa, Master Card, American Express...
Written November 13, 2018
Hi
Please let me know if any certificate or document is issued to the candidate on completion of the full day course.
Thanks
Kind Regards
Savio Sequeira
Written June 2, 2018
Dear Savio,
A certificate is issued to the candidate on completion of the half day and full day course
Best regards
Written June 2, 2018
This is a question that is difficult to answer. This would require an exchange of accurate informations. We are open daily from 9am to 10 pm. You are welcome anytime. We will be happy to advice you.
Best regards.
Written April 25, 2018
Hi Jean-Philippe,
Thank you for your reply. I would absolutely love the ring. I have sent you a personal message via your face book page, it may be in your others folder. If you don't find it can you please send me your email address here? Thank you so much, Fiona.
Written July 12, 2017
I purchased a ring from your store last week. I left it to be resized but on pick up I was given my money back and no ring. It was a ring with several natural zircons dangling from it and I paid 80us$. I did not understand the shop assistant when she told me why I could have the ring. Can you please explain?
Written July 11, 2017
Sorry for this problem. In fact, at the beginning, you had planned to pick up the ring the next day. But the receptionist from your hotel called us to tell us that your flight timetables had been advanced, and that you would pick it up a day earlier than originally planned. He did of course warn us in advance, so we still had time to finish the work so that the ring is resized in time. The resizing of a ring doesnt take long, but unfortunately our jeweler didn't come to work the day you came to get the ring. So we were not able to finalize the work, and it is of course with regret that we could not finish your ring in time. I therefore asked my assistant to refund you in full and to send you my apologies and explanations. But it was not my assistant who refunded you, she's a simple saleswoman. That would explain why the explanations you received were not clear. If you are still interested in this ring we can resize it and we can offer you the shipping fee to apologize. In that case, we can talk about it as a private message. But in any case, we are sincerely sorry for this problem. We apologize again.
Written July 11, 2017
Hello, How are you?
I have some question about your tutor. I'm not a good English speaker, maybe same or more bad as 9 years old kids. I want to take your course, but worried about my language. Is it possible for poor English user? not difficult?
Written October 23, 2016
Hello,
The course include a lot of visual and practical demonstration.
We give courses for children from 6 years old, so the "english level" is not a problem.
Written October 24, 2016
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