The Diamond Producers Association (DPA), an organization that brings together seven of the world’s leading diamond companies, whose objective is to maintain and enhance consumer demand and confidence in diamonds, by promoting the integrity and reputation of diamonds and the diamond industry, has announced that it is planning to scrutinize all synthetic diamond detectors available in the market to help the industry’s stakeholders to make an appropriate choice to suit their requirements.

Jean Marc Lieberherr, Chief Executive Officer of DPA

In this context the DPA is planning to set up an independent laboratory that will test all diamond screening devices presently sold in the market and publish the results of such tests for the benefit of the trade. DPA is intending to put together a committee of representatives from all major industry organizations by the end of March 2017, in order to assess the scope of this program.

Jean-Marc Lieberherr, chief executive officer of the DPA has said that this program is a DPA initiative in response to a long felt need that all stakeholders in the trade had recognized. He further said that the DPA is planning to carry out this important task in a concerted and efficient manner without any duplication of work.

According to a market research conducted by Surat-based DRC Techno, which also produces three different screening machines, there are at least five different companies or laboratories producing various devices for screening diamonds, but the number of actual products available in the market is more than double that figure. Such devices vary in respect of their ease of use and the size of diamnds that can be tested. The purchase price of these devices vary from US$4,000 to US$350,000. The research has also found that some of these devices have their limitations. While some devices detected only Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD) syntheticc diamonds or only High Pressure, High Temperature (HPHT) synthetic diamonds, some could detect both categories of synthetic diamonds, Apart from this according to Sutariya Vipul, president of DRC Techno, these machines are not foolproof.

According to DPA’s CEO the proposed lab will not rank any equipment or make any recommendations but will carry out an objective and robust testing, so that diamond companies will be informed about the pros and cons of each device available in the market, that will facilitate them to make an informed choice about what is most suited for their business.