Question 1

Is there a free trial?

Accepted Answer

Yes! All plans include a 14-day free trial. No credit card is required to start. You get full access to all features in your chosen plan during the trial period.

Question 2

How do I get started with GemColony?

Accepted Answer

Sign up at gemcolony.com, complete the quick setup wizard (takes about 5 minutes), and you can immediately start adding inventory. We also recommend checking out the Getting Started guide and video tutorials in the Resources section.

Question 3

Can I import my existing inventory?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. GemColony supports bulk import via an Excel template. Download the template from Inventory → Bulk Import, fill in your data, and upload it. Our import supports all 20+ gemstone attributes.

Question 4

Do I need technical knowledge to use GemColony?

Accepted Answer

No. GemColony is designed for gem dealers, not software engineers. The interface is intuitive, and we provide step-by-step onboarding, video tutorials, and a comprehensive knowledge base to help you get up to speed quickly.

Question 5

Is there a mobile app?

Accepted Answer

GemColony is a responsive web application that works well on mobile browsers. A dedicated mobile app for iOS and Android is on our roadmap for later this year.

Question 6

Can I switch plans at any time?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You can upgrade or downgrade your plan at any time from your account settings. Upgrades take effect immediately (prorated), and downgrades take effect at the start of the next billing cycle.

Question 7

What happens if I exceed my gemstone or customer limit?

Accepted Answer

You'll receive a notification when you're approaching your plan limit. You can upgrade at any time to increase your limits. We won't delete your data or lock you out — you'll just need to upgrade to add more items.

Question 8

Do you offer discounts for annual billing?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Annual plans are available at a discounted rate. Contact us at sales@gemcolony.com for annual pricing. We also offer special rates for startups and small dealers.

Question 9

What payment methods do you accept?

Accepted Answer

We accept all major credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express), and bank transfers for annual Enterprise plans. All payments are processed securely via Stripe.

Question 10

Can I cancel at any time?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You can cancel your subscription at any time from your account settings. Your subscription remains active until the end of the current billing period, after which it will not renew. Your data is retained for 90 days after cancellation for export.

Question 11

Do you offer refunds?

Accepted Answer

We do not offer refunds for partial billing periods. If you cancel, you retain access until the end of the period you've paid for. For exceptional circumstances, please contact billing@gemcolony.com.

Question 12

What's included in the Laboratory / Lapidary module?

Accepted Answer

The lab module provides full workflow management for gemstone processing — create jobs, track stages (rough, sawing, preforming, cutting, polishing), monitor weight loss at each stage, assign staff, record quality and treatment decisions, and view performance analytics. Available on Professional and Enterprise plans.

Question 13

How does AI Gemstone Photo Analysis work?

Accepted Answer

Upload one or more photos of a gemstone and our AI model analyzes characteristics including type, variety, origin, clarity, color, treatment, phenomena, fluorescence, and suggested cut style. Results can be imported directly to your inventory with one click. Available on Professional and Enterprise plans.

Question 14

What are Provenance Certificates?

Accepted Answer

GemColony lets you design and issue branded digital certificates for your gemstones. Certificates include gemstone attributes, origin information, your business branding, and a QR code for client verification. Available on Professional and Enterprise plans.

Question 15

Can I manage multiple store locations?

Accepted Answer

Yes. GemColony supports unlimited locations on all plans. You can track inventory per location, transfer stock between locations, and manage team access at the location level.

Question 16

Does GemColony support memos and consignments?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You can create memo slips for items sent on approval to clients, track outstanding memos, set memo expiry dates, and convert confirmed items to sales or return unsold items — all with a full audit trail.

Question 17

Can I generate custom reports?

Accepted Answer

GemColony includes a range of built-in reports (sales, inventory, finance, lab performance). Advanced custom reporting with date range selection and export is available on Professional and Enterprise plans.

Question 18

Is my data secure?

Accepted Answer

Yes. GemColony uses multi-tenant architecture where each business operates in a completely isolated workspace. All data is encrypted in transit (TLS) and at rest (AES-256). Authentication is powered by industry-standard identity services with full activity logging.

Question 19

Can other GemColony customers see my data?

Accepted Answer

No. Every business account is completely isolated. Your inventory, customers, transactions, and all other business data are only accessible to you and your team members.

Question 20

Can I export my data?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You can export your inventory, customer records, sales history, and financial data to Excel/CSV at any time from within the platform. We believe your data is yours.

Question 21

What happens to my data if I cancel?

Accepted Answer

After cancellation, your account is deactivated and your data is retained for 90 days, during which you can export everything. After 90 days, data is permanently and irreversibly deleted from our systems.

Question 22

Is GemColony GDPR compliant?

Accepted Answer

Yes. GemColony is built with privacy by design. We comply with GDPR and other applicable data protection laws. See our Privacy Policy for full details on how we handle personal data.

Question 23

What browsers does GemColony support?

Accepted Answer

GemColony works on all modern browsers including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. We recommend keeping your browser up to date for the best experience.

Question 24

Does GemColony work offline?

Accepted Answer

GemColony is a cloud-based platform and requires an internet connection. Offline support is not currently available, but we're exploring options for future releases.

Question 25

Can I integrate GemColony with other tools?

Accepted Answer

GemColony integrates with payment processors, email services, and scheduling tools. A full public API and Zapier/webhook integration is available on Enterprise plans for custom integrations with your existing tools.

Question 26

Is there an API available?

Accepted Answer

Yes. A RESTful API is available on the Enterprise plan, enabling you to sync GemColony data with your own systems, websites, or third-party platforms. API documentation is available upon request.

Question 27

What is your uptime guarantee?

Accepted Answer

We target 99.9% uptime for all plans. GemColony is hosted on highly available cloud infrastructure with automatic failover. We publish service status updates at status.gemcolony.com.

Gemstone ERP: Frequently Asked Questions

Getting Started