The International Institute of Diamond Grading & Research (IIDGR) said the Automated Melee Screening (AMS) instrument is now being dispatched to De Beers’ Sightholders across the globe.
The Antwerp-based IIDGR was established by De Beers to provide a premium service and proprietary equipment to the diamond industry.
It said in a statement emailed to Rough & Polished that the first installation and training sessions “successfully” took place at the end of June with Tasaki and Rosy Blue in Japan.
It said the focus had now shifted to installing the AMS in Sightholder facilities across key diamond trading hubs such as Antwerp, Mumbai, Hong Kong and Tel Aviv.
“This is a phased roll out with IIDGR technicians working in parallel in different locations to ensure timely yet comprehensive installation and training,” said IIDGR.
“The AMS is the result of several years of development, exhaustive testing and production. De Beers is committed to sustaining trust in diamonds, supporting Sightholders and the wider diamond industry which employs more than 1 million people globally.”
The AMS screens near-colourless and colourless round brilliant diamonds from 0.20cts down to 0.01ct to determine whether they are natural or not.
The instrument does not screen for treated natural diamonds and was fully automated.
It takes up to 500cts at any one time and larger parcels may be split across multiple machines.
Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished
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