New De Beers Initiative to Help India Detect Undisclosed Synthetic Diamonds

The De Beers Group of Companies has revealed a new initiative aimed at supporting India in better detecting undisclosed synthetic diamonds.

In October 2015, De Beers' International Institute of Diamond Grading & Research (IIDGR) will officially launch a new low cost, high volume synthetic melee screening and referrals testing service on the continent.

Melee diamonds is a term used to describe small diamonds with weights ranging from as low as 0.001 carats (1000th/carat) to 0.18 carats.

"Our investments in the development of innovative diamond technologies enable us to support the industry in addressing some of its major challenges," says Jonathan Kendall, President of IIDGR.

"We have renowned expertise in the application of diamond technology and India is the world's largest centre for diamond cutting and polishing. Launching a new low-cost, high volume service in India for screening synthetic melee and testing referrals will support both trade and consumer confidence as more businesses will be able to use our technology to provide greater assurance to their customers."

IIDGR will showcase its range of proprietary diamond technology at the Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre from 18 to 22 September 2015, with technical research experts on hand to demonstrate the instruments.