What an independent assay certifies, and what it does not.

An assay certificate is a narrow document. It says what a named laboratory found, on a stated date, using a stated method. Read as anything broader than that, it will let you down.

The certificate records purity and weight for one specific item, identified by a tag number that stays with it. It is evidence about that item at that moment, not a warranty about the item forever.

What it actually covers

Purity to the tolerance printed on the certificate, weight, the method used, the laboratory that ran it, and the date. That is enough to schedule insurance, satisfy an executor, and settle a dispute with a counterparty.

“An assay is a finding on a date. Anything stronger than that is a claim we will not make.”

Vault operations · GoldenCor

It does not cover provenance, it does not authenticate a mint mark or a collectible premium, and it says nothing at all about what the item is worth.

When to have something assayed again

If a seal has been broken, if the item has left custody and come back, or if a counterparty needs a current finding. We issue a new certificate rather than amending the old one, and both stay on the record.

“Two certificates and a seal log tell a better story than one certificate with an edit.”

Records team · GoldenCor

Re-assay is arranged through the vault desk and quoted per item before it is booked.