GIA to Start Making Lab-grown Diamonds

The GIA will begin producing synthetic diamonds next year in order to gain a greater understanding of the properties of such stones and improve identification capabilities.

Gemological Institute of America (GIA) executive vice president and chief laboratory and research officer Tom Moses announced the development during International Diamond Week, which was held in Israel from 30 August to 3 September.

According to IDEX Online News, Moses indicated to delegates that lab-grown stones had become a permanent part of the diamond industry, and that the facility would help the grading laboratory keep abreast of technological developments in the synthetic sector.

Moses emphasised that the key to ensuring natural diamonds were not undermined by their synthetic counterparts was "identification and disclosure".

GIA spokesperson Stephen Morisseau confirmed to Jeweller that the international grading laboratory would begin producing synthetic diamonds for research purposes at an existing facility in New Jersey.

"This new capability at our existing research and engineering facility is part of GIA's ongoing research into synthetic diamonds – research that began when man-made diamonds were first developed 60 years ago," Morisseau stated.

He explained that the research findings would allow the GIA to develop a "fundamental understanding" of the material's properties, as well as to improve and expand the laboratory's identification capabilities.

Production at the GIA facility is expected to begin in January 2016, with the information gained from the experiments to be disseminated through the GIA's education programs, publications and at industry conferences.

In other synthetic diamond news, India-based Gemological Science International (GSI) recently introduced new technology at its Surat laboratory that is able to batch test melee-sized diamonds.

GSI CEO Mark Gershburg said previous testing methods had been "time consuming and inefficient" and that the new service offered a solution at a time when the "infiltration of synthetics into the melee trade has become a legitimate concern to the industry".

Gershburg added that there were plans to expand the service to the GSI Mumbai branch.

In addition to India, GSI has offices in the US, Israel, Belgium and Botswana.