Gemological labs wary of losing business, consumer confidence

Surat: Some of the world’s leading gemological laboratories are rattled after a Hong Kong-based diamond technology company argued that certain diamond detection devices fail to spot the laboratory-grown diamonds created using high pressure-high temperature (HPHT).
In a trade alert last week to jewellers and diamond traders, Diamond Services argued that the treatment, generally used to alter the colour of a stone, can mask the phosphorescence effect when diamonds created using HPHT undergo scanning at room temperature.

Research conducted by Diamond Services revealed that once an HPHT-grown synthetic diamond is subjected to irradiation, it no longer will phosphoresce at room temperature, meaning that it is unlikely to be screened out by many of the popularly used detection devices available today in the industry.

The gemological laboratories, including De Beers Group’s International Institute of Diamond Grading and Research (IIDGR) and Gemological Institute of America (GIA), have been selling millions of dollars worth of synthetic diamond detection equipment in the world, including Surat and Mumbai, every year. These gemological laboratories had launched a range of diamond detector machines worth thousands of dollars.

Industry sources said each and every client of De Beers has all the ranges of diamond detection machines to test diamond lots. Even jewellery retailers, who are working under the brand ‘Forevermark’, too, have to purchase the equipment to test jewellery articles studded with diamonds.
The Hong-Kong based company’s revelation has rattled the gemological laboratories as this may create a negative impact on their business prospects as well on consumers of diamond jewellery.
In its statement to TOI, IIDGR said its synthetic diamond instruments are effective at screening HPHT synthetic material, which has been irradiated and is tested at room temperature. Any business using these devices can have full confidence that any such material will be detected without the need to undertake tests at different temperatures.
Diamond analyst Aniruddha Lidbide said, “After the mixing of synthetic diamonds with natural diamonds were first detected in 2014-15, leading gemological laboratories launched diamond detection machines. The price of each machines is exorbitant, but the trade is forced to use them to gain consumer confidence. The revelation by Hong Kong-based company could hit business of the gemological laboratories.”
by via Surat News, Latest Surat News Headlines & Live Updates - Times of India