The International Gemological Institute (IGI), the world’s largest independent laboratory for testing and grading gemstones and fine jewelry, in a latest press release, has offered free limited-time screenings of up to 100 diamonds, to all members of the Diamond Manufacturers & Importers Association (DMIA) and the New York Diamond Dealers Club (DDC), at their New York state-of-the-art laboratory. This is in response to recent concerns in the diamond industry and trade, regarding the possible mixing of synthetic diamonds with natural diamond parcels.
The IGI hopes that the free service it offers, while benefitting the diamond industry as a whole, would also allow IGI to collect crucial and reliable data that will help determine the extent and prevalence of this unethical practice.
IGI’s president and CEO, Jerry Ehrenwald said, “IGI continuously emphasizes education and transparency, which ultimately increases consumer confidence. We hope members of the trade will take advantage of this free offering in a collective effort to help resolve the issue.”
The IGI offers reliable and well-established synthetic identification services to its clients, using advanced state-of-the-art equipment, including the De Beers’ DiamondSure and DiamondView machines, in assisting synthetic determinations.
The IGI requests prospective clients and customers, to please contact David Weinstein at david@igi-usa.com or call 212.753.7100 (extension 3326), for more information, and/or to make a diamond screening appointment at IGI’s new state-of-the-art New York laboratory situated at the French Building, 551, Fifth Ave. New York. You can also visit www.igiworldwide.com for more information.
IGI established in 1975, with offices around the world in most of the main diamond processing, manufacturing and dealer cities, has received ISO accreditation in many countries. IGI is accepted as a standard of excellence for industry professionals and consumers around the globe, and a certificate from the IGI is considered as the all-important 5th-C (Confidence) for diamonds that no one could do without in the competitive international field of diamond trading.