Articles and News

New York, NY—The jewelry industry may not be able to stop synthetic diamonds from becoming a significant product category, but GIA has just launched a new service to ensure they won’t be passed off as naturals to unsuspecting buyers. GIA joins a host of other industry organizations addressing the rapid increase of synthetic diamonds into the marketplace. In addition to the launch of its new melee analysis service, GIA recently published the “Research & News” article “Large Blue and Colorless HPHT Synthetic Diamonds.” In May 2016, GIA’s Hong Kong laboratory examined five large HPHT synthetic diamonds grown by New Diamond Technology (NDT) in St. Petersburg, Russia. Two of the synthetic diamonds—a 5.26 ct heart shape and a 5.27 ct emerald cut—surpassed the previous record for largest blue HPHT synthetic diamonds. The other three samples were colorless with grades equivalent to E and D: a 10.02 ct emerald cut, a 5.06 ct round cut, and a 5.05 ct heart shape diamond. Read more here. GIA also will address the topic as part of its executive briefing series at the JCK show (details below).

While larger stones almost always are sold with a certificate, the particular concern has been about the possibility of synthetic or treated diamonds being mixed into parcels of melee. Now GIA has developed a fully automated system to rapidly and accurately analyze and sort round D-to-Z melee-size diamonds. 

The pilot for the GIA Melee Analysis Service will launch this month at GIA’s laboratory in New York. Current clients wishing to participate in the pilot should contact their client service representative. The service will be offered at all GIA locations, with the rollout beginning in the third quarter of 2016.

“This system, which incorporates proven instrumentation, standards and processes used in GIA laboratories, will give the industry and consumers confidence in the characteristics, including color, of these most prevalent stones,” said Tom Moses, GIA’s executive vice president and chief laboratory and research officer. 

The GIA Melee Analysis Service will separate natural, untreated diamonds from both simulants and potentially synthetic or treated diamonds, and sort the screened diamonds by color range. Clients also can specify a size range for their parcel.

The system applies GIA’s decades of research into, and examination of, treated and synthetic diamonds. It will process about 1,800 stones per hour around the clock. The system can accommodate stones from 1.1 to 3.8 mm in diameter (approximately 0.005 ct to about 0.20 ct.). The cost of the service ranges from eight to 30 cents (U.S.) per stone based on diameter, with a minimum of 500 pieces in each parcel. Once sorted, the melee will be sealed in secure packaging for shipment directly to a third party—upon request and when permissible—or back to the submitting client.

GIA’s launch comes on the heels of last week’s announcement of American Gem Society Laboratories’ Natural Diamond Verification Service to identify natural from synthetic diamonds. AGS’s service also will identify whether a diamond has been HPHT treated. And Rapaport will sponsor a Town Hall meeting to discuss synthetics on Monday, June 6 in the Banyan Room at Mandalay Bay.

Separately, GIA is presenting free 20-minute briefings from its experts on key industry issues during the JCK Show. The briefings will take place at its booth, L99, from Friday, June 3 through Sunday, June 5. Here is the schedule:

• Colored Stone Challenges in the GIA Laboratory, Friday, June 3, 11 a.m., with Shane McClure, global director, colored stone services 
• Hit the Branding Jackpot: Free Tools to Raise Your Marketing Game, Friday, June 3, 2 p.m. and Saturday, June 4, 3 p.m., with Kristin Mahan, manager, public relations; Shayne Ebrahimi, manager, social media; and Tali Nay, manager, retailer support program
• Auction Insights: Mega Diamonds Shatter Records, Friday, June 3, 3 p.m. and Sunday, June 5, 3 p.m., with Russell Shor, senior industry analyst 
• The Latest on Synthetic Diamonds, Saturday, June 4, 11 a.m. and Sunday, June 5, 1 p.m., with James Shigley, Ph.D., distinguished research fellow
• Lifehack Gem and Jewelry Photography with Your Smartphone, Saturday, June 4, 2 p.m. and Sunday, June 5, 11 a.m., with Robert Weldon, manager, photography and visual communications 
• New at the GIA Laboratory, Saturday, June 4, 4 p.m. and Sunday, June 5, 2 p.m., with Phillip Yantzer, vice president of laboratory services 
• Unmasking the Mystery Stones of the GIA Gem Quiz, Sunday, June 5, 4 p.m., with Terri Ottaway, GIA Museum curator; and McKenzie Santimer, manager, museum exhibits