Terms and privacy

Accounts

There is one kind of member account. Anyone may open one and buy. Without an identity check, a member may buy up to US$10,000 in a single purchase and US$15,000 in any 30 days, in line with the international standard for dealers in precious stones. Above that, we ask for a passport and a photograph of the member holding it, which our staff check before the limit is lifted. Staff accounts are separate and cannot trade.

Verified stores

Only a Verified store may sell. The badge is free and is granted at our discretion, on the store’s company documents and its standing in the trade. We may withdraw it.

Anonymity and names

Buyers and sellers do not see each other’s names. A seller is shown as a Verified store with its rating and number of sales; a buyer is not shown at all.

Custody

Stones deposited into the vault remain the property of the consignor until sold. We hold them as custodian, not as owner, in an identified position. Nothing is pooled or commingled.

Verification

Every stone is checked against the issuing laboratory's register and physically matched to its report on intake. We rely on the findings of the certifying laboratory and do not issue our own gemmological opinions.

Offers and sales

Offers are private to the seller. A purchase at the asking price is charged to the buyer’s card at once. An offer places a hold on the buyer’s card for up to seven days; it is charged only if the seller accepts, and released if the seller declines, the buyer withdraws or the offer lapses. An accepted offer forms a binding contract of sale between buyer and seller, settled through the exchange. The buyer pays CGEMX; CGEMX pays the seller once the sale completes. We act as venue and custodian, not as principal.

Seeing a stone

Before buying, a member may book a CGEMX inspection, for a fee that is credited back if they buy that stone, or view it at the CGEMX viewing facility at no charge. A paid inspection that we cancel is refunded.

Ratings

After a completed sale, the buyer and the seller may each rate the other from one to five stars. There are no written reviews. A rating is shown once both have rated, or 30 days after the sale.

Messages

Members may ask a seller about a stone through CGEMX’s anonymous chat. Sharing a phone number, email address, website, social or messaging account, or proposing to deal outside CGEMX, is not allowed. Messages are checked automatically, and may be reviewed by an automated assistant and by our staff. A message that breaks the rule is not delivered; repeated attempts pause the chat and are reviewed by staff.

Fees and commission

Commission is 3.95% of the sale price, paid by the seller on a completed sale, together with the card processing fee on that sale. Buyers pay the price shown and no commission. It is the same rate for every account. There are no negotiated rates, volume tiers or preferential terms, and no listing fee, subscription or membership charge of any kind.

Storage and insurance are included at no cost for as long as a stone remains listed and available. A stone withdrawn from sale or left dormant beyond ninety days is charged storage at 0.5% of its declared value per year. Intake, verification and collection in Bangkok are free. Transfers between facilities and insured courier movements are charged at cost and quoted before despatch.

Commission arises only on a completed sale. If a stone does not sell, nothing is owed: no commission, no storage, no insurance, no intake fee.

Account balance

From launch, proceeds from a completed sale credit to an account balance held with CGEMX rather than settling to your bank on every trade. A balance may be spent on further purchases through the exchange or withdrawn to your registered bank account at any time. There is no lock-in and no notice period.

Client funds are held separately from CGEMX’s own money. A balance is a claim on those segregated funds and is not a deposit, does not earn interest, and is not a banking service. Balances become available only once CGEMX holds the payment institution licence required to hold client money in Singapore; until then, sales settle directly between the parties through escrow.

Capital

Any lending facility described on this site is in development. Nothing published constitutes an offer of credit, a commitment to lend, or financial advice.

Compliance

We carry out identity and anti-money-laundering checks on all members. Members are responsible for their own compliance with export, import, customs and sanctions requirements.

Limits of our role

We are a custodian and a venue. We do not value stones for members, do not guarantee that a listed stone will sell, and do not provide investment advice. Market figures published are indicative references compiled from public sources.

Privacy

We collect the information needed to verify your identity and business, operate your account, and meet our legal obligations. We do not sell member data. The amount of an individual offer is visible to the seller of that stone and to no one else; other visitors see only how much interest a stone has, in broad bands.

Contact

Questions about these terms should go through our contact page.