De Beers unveils new diamond verification tool for retail businesses

De Beers unveiled its newest diamond verification instrument last week at the JCK trade show in Las Vegas, which will bring its leading synthetic diamond detection technology to the retail counter for the first time and support consumer confidence by detecting the differences between natural diamonds and lab-grown diamonds (LGDs).

It said the device rapidly screens both loose diamonds and diamonds set in jewellery and has a zero per cent ‘false positive rate’, meaning it will never pass an LGD as a natural diamond.

“Buying a diamond is one of the most emotionally significant purchases a person will make so it’s essential that consumers have assurance that their purchase is authentic and represents the value they expect,” said chief executive of De Beers Brands, Sandrine Conseiller.
“With many consumers being unaware that every LGD can be readily and reliably detected due to growth structures that are different from natural diamonds, we hope this new device will be a valuable tool for retailers to help their customers make informed purchase decisions.
“As the retail prices between natural diamonds and LGDs continue to diverge, it’s increasingly important that consumers can be confident in the integrity of their natural diamond purchase.”

The latest tool follows the launch of another diamond verification instrument, AMS Micro, last February.
The device offers rapid, automated screening of large volumes of the smallest melee diamonds.
De Beers said the first batch of devices will be ready for distribution later this year.

Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished