TECHNOLOGY
June 2017 | jewelleryfocus.co.uk
Tom Moses. Copyright GIA
‘‘
To lessen the
threat of the
practice to the
whole industry,
the GIA has
made sure
that the device
is relatively
affordable to
most in the
sector
‘‘
the stone, there was a possibility
that similar stones could create
future challenges for “colourless
and near-colourless diamonds”
as methods of creating them
improve.
However, the GIA said it
remains assured of the capability
of equipment it has produced
to weed out such specimens,
and when asked if the new
device could keep up with such
progression, Moses suggested
that the institute was “confident
in [its] ability to definitively detect
all synthetic diamonds,” despite a
recent “increase in the production
and quality” of them.
Although the GIA says it has
not seen such a stone before
and was shocked at its make-
up, the discovery of the ‘hybrid’
gem may provide some sort
of comfort to jewellers as the
institute was able to detect its
inauthenticity as well as alert
the industry of its existence.
While Moses acknowledges
that synthetic diamonds have
their place in the industry as
long as they are disclosed, the
innovative
development
of
creating them could possibly
mean a higher number of man-
made stones passing through the
trade as natural.
To lessen the threat of the
practice to the whole industry, the
GIA has made sure that the device
is relatively affordable to most in
the sector. Moses says: “When
it goes on sale later this year it
will be priced to be accessible to
the trade - likely in the range of
$4,000-5,000 (£3,000-3,800).”
While this may seem costly for
smaller businesses and start-ups,
Moses insists the benefits will be
invaluable: “[It will] help give the
trade greater confidence in the
characteristics of the diamonds
they buy and sell.”
It is also significantly cheaper
than current testers on the
market which can go for as
much as $55,000 (£42,300).
Synthetic diamonds, when sold
legitimately,
cost
anywhere
between 20–50% less than
natural ones so the potential
overspend to jewellers when
buying falsely marketed ones
can greatly outweigh the amount
spent on the new equipment.
Retailers and manufacturers
should not expect this to be an
alternative to GIA testing however
- Moses notes it will be “less
complete” than sending a gem in
for examination at a professional
lab. Instead, it seems more likely
that the device will act to confirm
or deny suspicions and determine
a stone’s inauthenticity without a
full run down of its make-up.
But for most retailers and
manufacturers, to simply know
that a diamond is not completely
natural may be all the information
that they need and they can then
send it off for further testing if
desired. It can also make it easier
and help alleviate concerns about
smaller diamonds (0.30 carats or
less) which the GIA reports as
being less likely to be submitted
for testing.
Those who work in the
industry will not be the only
ones who benefit from the use of
the equipment, as the GIA says
the knock-on effect of using the
device will lead to the protection
of consumers and a preservation
of their trust in gems and
jewellery.
“Exhaustive testing” has gone
into the development of device;
the GIA creates its own synthetic
gems and examines millions of
diamonds per year to better its
techniques at spotting them.
The knowledge that precedes the
device is comprised of decades
of examination, and considering
researchers Frost and Sullivan
predict that the production
of synthetic diamonds would
“probably jump to 2 million carats
in 2018 and 20 million carats by
2026”, the need for an effective
means of testing to reduce the
trading of undisclosed stones will
c ontinue to grow. Moses says that
ultimately, “to ensure the public
trust in gems and jewellery” is the
GIA’s mission.
As
synthetic
diamonds
continue to threaten the integrity
of manufacturers and jewellers
and harm the consumer, the GIA
simply wants the device to serve
the diamond industry for the
greater good. Moses says its hope
is to “ensure that all synthetic
diamonds – and all diamond
treatments – are fully disclosed
at every step of the supply chain
all the way to the ultimate
consumer.”
With the tester due to be
released later this year, there is
every chance that as long as the
organisation works to develop its
product at the same speed that
synthetic manufacturers develop
theirs, it has the potential to
drastically reduce the proliferation
of undisclosed treatments.
JEWELLERY FOCUS
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