Helga Pombal: Angola's Stardiam finds solution to the threat posed by lab-grown diamonds

Stardiam manager of production Helga Pombal told Rough&Polished's Mathew Nyaungwa on the sidelines of the Angola International Diamond Conference that lab-grown diamonds are creating a parallel market for more accessible stones, combined with lower...

Today

Ellah Muchemwa: ADPA to launch Africa's first diamond mining standard next year

The African Diamond Producers Association (ADPA), which is based in Luanda, Angola, and represents the interests of mainly African diamond producers and those with the potential to produce diamonds, will next year launch the Sustainable Development...

04 november 2024

Dmitry Fedorov: I want our jewelry to be displayed at a museum in the future

Dmitry Fedorov is the founder of the eponymous jewelry house. His main focus is the creation of Orthodox-inspired premium luxury jewelry of high artistic merit. He told Rough&Polished about his journey in the jewelry industry, about choosing the ‘Orthodox...

28 october 2024

Responsible business practices ‘no longer optional’, says WDC President Feriel Zerouki

The president of the World Diamond Council takes time out of her busy schedule to tell Rough&Polished readers about the critical work of the WDC. Zerouki, the first female present of the body, which includes all the important industry organizations among...

14 october 2024

James Campbell: Botswana Diamonds optimistic as it enters uncharted territory of using AI for mineral exploration

London-listed Botswana Diamonds has expressed optimism about the company’s use of artificial intelligence (AI) to scan the exploration database in Botswana to look for new mineralised deposits. Company managing director James Campbell told Rough...

07 october 2024

LMHC unifies gems colour descriptions and new treatment issues

04 december 2018
During the 29th meeting of the Laboratory Manual Harmonisation Committee (LMHC) held in in Lucerne, Switzerland, on November 14 and 15, 2018, the committee members made progress on the harmonisation of wording on laboratory reports and the reporting of new treatments, says a press note from LMHC.
The world leading laboratories, such as the Central Gem Laboratory (CGL), CISGEM Laboratory, DSEF German Gem Lab, Gübelin Gem Lab, GIA Gem Laboratory, the Gem and Jewelry Institute of Thailand (GIT) and the Swiss Gemmological Institute SSEF took part in the meeting.

news_04122018_LMHC.png
Image credit: LMHC


"We are very pleased to see that all laboratories represented at LMHC are constructively working together for a harmonisation on issues that are important for the trade and consumers," said Dr Lore Kiefert, host of LMHC, summarising the achievements made during the meeting in Lucerne.
The participants of the event agreed to amend the “infosheet #4”. In the modified version the term “padparadscha”, which describes an orange-pink sapphire, is not applicable if the colour of the stone is unstable and shifts to pink when exposed to a colour stability test. The LMHC members also approved new infosheets about organic fissure-filling in any gemstone and about hydrophane opal.
At the meeting the issues of new gem treatment methods were raised, such as low-temperature heating of corundum and sapphire heat treatment, which is often mistaken for High Pressure-High Temperature, HPHT. The new heat treatment method does not require any specification in the lab reports as it is one of heating techniques.
Moreover, committee members discussed the launch of the project on harmonisation of the use of colour descriptions and colour trade terms at the various LMHC laboratories.

Victoria Quiri, Correspondent of the European Bureau, Rough&Polished, Strasbourg