Element Six, a synthetic diamond manufacturer and member of the De Beers group of companies, planted their shovels in tthe Oregon soil to mark the symbolic commencement of construction on their $94 million manufacturing facility for laboratory-grown gems, produced exclusively for De Beers’ new fashion-jewelry brand, Lightbox Jewelry. The new brand will offer consumers laboratory-grown diamonds in high quality designs for casual, everyday occasions at lower prices than existing synthetic offerings.

Last week, the United States' Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in favor of allowing states to collect sales tax from online retailers even when a retailer has no physical presence in that state, sending shock waves and uncertainty across the retail landscape. States argued they were losing out on billions of dollars worth of online sales taxes annually as a result of the precedent set by  a 1992 court decision, Quill Corp vs. North Dakota; the new Wayfair v.

In the context of the KP Intersessional taking place this week, which has brought the diamond world to Antwerp, the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation, represented by the Deputy Minister of Finance of the Russian Federation Aleksey Vladimirovich Moiseev, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with HRD Antwerp for the establishment of an HRD Antwerp diamond grading lab in Moscow.

This morning, the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC), together with its research center the Scientific and Technological Research Center for Diamonds (WTOCD), unveiled a revolutionary technology that fully automates and accelerates the diamond polishing process: Fenix. This technology fundamentally transforms that process that has not changed since Lodewijck Van Bercken, a 15th-century jeweler and diamond cutter in Antwerp, in 1456 discovered that diamond could be polished with diamond. Watch the preview video here.

Sarine Technologies, which provides high-tech equipment and services to the diamond industry, announced yesterday that it is opening its second Sarine Technology Laboratory in Mumbai, India, as scheduled, which will offer services to the key Indian polishing centre, commencing immediately. The Laboratory, one of the leaders in the development, manufacture and sale of precision technology products for the evaluation, planning, processing, finishing, grading and trading of diamonds and gems, offers reports on a broad range of a polished diamond's parameters. 

PJSC Severalmaz, a Russian diamond mining company and subsidiary of ALROSA, has tested unmanned aerial vehicles - a quadcopter and an airplane - for mine surveying of land objects of Lomonosov Mining and Processing Division. According to ALROSA, preliminary estimates show that the use of unmanned technologies provides high survey accuracy, increases the speed and safety of work. Using a Geoscan 401 Geodesy quadcopter and Geoscan 101 Geodesy aircraft, Severalmaz surveyed the open-pit mine, dump, ore storages and other bulked land objects.

D1 Mint Limited, the creator of the diamond-backed crypto asset D1 Coin, has signed its first purchase agreement to buy 1,500 investment-grade diamonds, valued at approximately $20 million, from diamond cutting and polishing company KGK Diamonds.

The world's most recognized diamond grading institution, GIA (Gemological Institute of America) is launching a pilot program together with leading jewerly retailer, Chow Tai Fook which will use blockchain technology to deliver secure, digital diamond grading reports to consumers for the first time.

Carats.io, an Israeli blockchain startup in partnership with the Israel Diamond Exchange, has raised $1.6 million in its first funding round led by Net Capital Ventures, an Israeli venture capital fund, the organization stated in a press release. Carats.io says it is issuing the first digital coin backed by diamonds. The coin, CARAT, which is 100% redeemable for diamonds is currently in presale. The company reports that they are registering large subscriptions for the token through the company website.

In what it is hailing as an industry first, De Beers Group yesterday announced it has successfully tracked 100 high-value diamonds along the value chain during the pilot of its industry blockchain platform, tracking a diamond’s journey digitally from mine to retail. An immutable and secure digital trail was created for a selection of rough diamonds mined by De Beers as they moved from the mine to cutter and polisher, then through to a jeweller. The platform, called Tracr, is expected to launch later this year and will be open to the industry.

The Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC), together with Junction Innovation this past weekend organized a three-day and two-night hackathon, the first of its kind called Hack4Diamonds. The teams gathered on Friday evening to get hacking, and applied their innovative & tech-oriented methodolgy to the diamond trade with the intention to consider specific issues and eventually arrive at a wokable plan to address it.

IBM and a consortium of gold and diamond industry leaders have launched the first cross-industry initiative to use blockchain to trace the provenance of finished pieces of jewelry across the supply chain for increased transparency, the multinational technology company announced last week. Asahi Refining (precious metals refiner), Helzberg Diamonds (U.S.

Everledger today announced the collaborative launch of the Diamond Risk Platform with the Diamond Durability Laboratory (DDL), the only gemological laboratory that focuses on diamond damage and evaluating any type diamond for potential damage, in a move that will dramatically shift the risk assessment reporting of diamond damage into an innovative realm, the company said in a statement. With development commencing in 2016 and completed in Q1 2018, the Diamond Risk Platform creates, manages and stores DDL’s leading comprehensive risk assessment

ALROSA has introduced its long anticipated commercial detector for identifying natural and synthetic polished diamonds - the ALROSA Diamond Inspector, first introduced in 2016. The Company expects that its relatively low price ($9,900) and high accuracy will allow the detector to be in demand in Russia as well as abroad. "It will help fight unscrupulous suppliers who mix synthetic stones grown in the laboratory with diamonds of natural origin", the companys says.

Dharmanandan Diamonds (DDPL), a Mumbai-based manufacturer, has partnered with technology company Everledger to place its diamond-tracking data onto the technology company's diamond blockchain platform, which it launched in 2015. The "Diamond Time-Lapse Protocol" integrates Dharmanandan's Diamond Time-Lapse initiative, which tracks a stone’s journey from rough to retail, onto its proprietary diamond traceability blockchain platform to set a diamond's provenance into (digital) stone.

Sarine Technologies Ltd, one of the leading diamond industry technology developers, announced significant declines in its financial figures in 2017, with total profits falling 68% to US$5.76 million and revenues down by 19% to US$58.6 million.

WD Lab Grown Diamonds, based in Maryland in the US, has announced the creation a 6-carat round laboratory-grown diamond, which it says, "now stands as the world's only known lab-made CVD diamond of its size and shape." The company says the large synthetic diamond, made using Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) technology, was "grown in just a few months, as opposed to the millions of years it takes to form a diamond in nature." The company's facility, located just outside Washington, DC, produces synthetic diamonds for the jewelry market as well f

De Beers Group today announced it is progressing development of the first blockchain technology initiative to span the diamond value chain and provide a single, tamper-proof and permanent digital record for every diamond registered on the platform. The initiative will underpin confidence in diamonds and the diamond industry by ensuring that all registered diamonds are conflict-free and natural, while also enhancing efficiency across the sector, the company said in a statement.

Israeli diamond tech group Sarine Technologies is opening its first gemological laboratory this February in Ramat Gan, Israel, with plans to follow with the opening of a lab in India, planned for May. The company says it will utilize its, "breakthrough artificial-intelligence based technological solutions for the automated, accurate, consistent, digital, and objective grading of a polished diamond's Clarity and Colour." The services offered will include authentication whether a polished diamond is a simulant, natural or synthetic, treated or not, as well as the grading of its 4Cs.

Diamond tracker and blockchain startup Everledger has partnered with Gübelin Gem Lab to create the Provenance Proof Blockchain for colored gemstones, reports International Business Times. Gübelin Gem Lab is a renowned gemological laboratory and creator of the Provenance Proof initiative, for which the Gübelin Gem Lab is developing technologies to further drive transparency in the gemstone industry.

Galatea Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sarine Technologies Ltd, is taking legal action against a manufacturer in Surat, India, for their allegedly fraudulent use of Sarine's Galaxy® inclusion mapping technology and systems, the company said in a statement. Galatea claims the company has been practising deliberate under-reporting of rough stone weights and underpayment of amounts owed to Galatea for the scanning of the rough stones. 

Diversified mining conglomerate Rio Tinto will expand its fleet of autonomous haul trucks at its world-class iron ore operations in the Pilbara by more than 50 percent by 2019 after signing agreements with leading manufacturers Caterpillar Inc. and Komatsu Ltd. to convert traditional trucks to autonomous vehicles, the company announced today. A total of 29 Komatsu haul trucks will be retrofitted with Autonomous Haulage System (AHS) technology starting next year.

The Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC), representing the largest diamond trade hub worldwide, and diamond mining company De Beers today announced at the KP Plenary in Brisbane that they are discussing a potential collaboration in De Beers’ recently announced blockchain platform. De Beers Group CEO Bruce Cleaver said that in recognition of the crucial issue of confidence in the diamond industry and the changing expectations across the value chain, the company has been investing in a platform to create, "the first traceability platform to span the entire diamond value chain ...

Merlin Diamonds is getting ready to process its first kimberlite ore through its new Tomra X-Ray Transmission (XRT) machine at its Merlin Diamond Mine in the Northern Territory, designed to enable the recovery of larger diamonds. Merlin announced on December 1 that the Tomra X-Ray Transmission Machine had been delivered to the mine site and would be commissioned in December. In addition to larger diamonds, the machine is also expected to recover more low luminescing diamonds than previously possible.

Recognizing the crucial issue of confidence in the diamond industry and the changing expectations across the value chain, De Beers Group CEO Bruce Cleaver today announced the company has been investing in a blockchain platform to create, "the first traceability platform to span the entire diamond value chain". Consumer expectations regarding the level of confidence "that a diamond has been responsibly sourced, confidence in its value and confidence that it is the real thing", is obviously on the rise.

Boosting confidence in the diamond trade by overcoming the last great hurdle of guaranteed provenance is no small task, but the daunting scale of the job at hand has not deterred Leanne Kemp, CEO and founder of British tech start-up Everledger. Combining the blockchain technology underpinning Bitcoin with HD photography and specialized applications, the company records 40 metadata points to create a unique thumbprint of each stone.

HRD Antwerp, Europe’s leading authority in diamond certification, released its new D-Scope+ at the Hong Kong Jewellery and Gem Fair. “The D-Scope has been the indispensable analysis tool for all types of diamonds and gemstones since 2001. Our research and development team has worked very hard to further optimize every aspect of our microscope to create the D-Scope+. With this tool we now offer not only the best, but also the most innovative diamond analysis experience on the market”, said Michel Janssens, CEO of HRD Antwerp.

Sarine Technologies has announced it is, "expanding its services, adding 4Cs grading and diamond identification to its Sarine Profile Report." Using proprietary tools including its automated clarity, color, cut and light performance grading technologies along with advanced synthetic diamond and treatment detection methods, Sarine claims it will be able to, "deliver an unmatched level of accurate, repeatable and automated diamond grading with less subjectivity and far fewer human errors.

Chow Tai Fook launched CHOW TAI FOOK T MARK, a new jewelry brand with diamonds exclusively from their ‘T Mark’ collection. Each stone is inscribed with the brands patented technology enabling customers to track the stones journey from sourcing - processing, cutting, polishing, authentication, design - to production.

Sarine, a developer of technologies for the diamond industry, stated in a press release that two Indian suspects were arrested in Tel Aviv on suspicion of attempted theft of Sarine's Intellectual Property. The two were arrested during a meeting in which US$100,000 in cash was handed over as advance payment against an agreed US$1,000,000 to be paid in exchange for Sarine’s GalaxyTM system schematics, list of parts and vendors thereof and software source code. 

Last week, a leading diamond grading and certification lab HRD Antwerp detected two large topaz stones fashioned to imitate rough diamonds in an apparent attempt to fool a trader. "Two large, near-colourless rough stones weighing 50.08 and 38.18 ct were submitted to our research department to determine their quality," HRD's statement reads. "The results indicated that the gemstones, believed to be diamonds, were actually topaz.

Sarine Technologies introduced the latest version of its rough planning software tool, Advisor^TM 7.0, which has the capability to fully atomize the rough planning process. This version includes several new and enhanced features designed to enable diamond manufacturers to, “further streamline the planning process and optimize the polished yield”.

The Israel Diamond Exchange (IDE) is opening the Diamond Tech Innovation Center, "a technological incubator for Israeli and international diamond-related start-ups" in the initial stages of development. The driving ideas behind this initiative is to promote "new technologies for diamonds in the broadest sense, reaching beyond gems and jewelry." This includes the use of diamonds in industrial platforms, robotics, semi-conductors, medical technologies, space technology, as well as software, finance, and B2B and B2C marketing platforms.

Singapore Diamond Investment Exchange (SDiX), the world's first commodity exchange in physically settled diamonds, has announced a partnership with Kynetix, a physical commodity digitisation expert, and Everledger, supplier of blockchain and distributed ledger infrastructure, to complete the first part of a Proof-Of-Concept of a blockchain-based authentication and secure record-keeping service for trading diamonds on a global commodity exchange. The technology is designed to enable holders of diamonds wi

The JCK show in Las Vegas serves as the ideal platform for the International Institute of Diamond Grading & Research (IIDGR), part of the De Beers Group of Companies, to unveil SYNTHdetect, the first synthetic screening device in the industry to test multiple stones in set jewelry at once. The screener is able to do so without the need for a probe and has the industry’s lowest referral rate at around 0.05%.
 

The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) launched a new service which tracks the origin of a selection of polished diamonds, which offers retailers a new method of being able to uncover a stone’s history. Since the project is only two years in development, GIA's M2M™ (Mine to Market) program is restricted and is not yet able to provide a complete solution to determining a diamond’s provenance. “If you just gave me any polished diamond, I can’t tell you what mine it came from,” says Matt Crimmin, GIA’s vice president of laboratory operations. 

The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) has made an alarming discovery, namely, a natural white diamond covered by a thin (80 microns, or 0.003 inches) synthetic layer that colors it blue – and has warned that more such composites might be on the market. The 0.33-carat stone is a composite of CVD synthetic Type IIb diamond overgrowth on a natural Type Ia diamond.

The International Institute of Diamond Grading & Research (IIDGR), part of De Beers Group, today announced the launch of a world-first Synthetic Diamond Detection training course. It is the first in a series of education services to be rolled out during 2017, according to a press release. The two-day lab-based course will be unveiled in the U.S. towards the end of the JCK Jewelry show in Las Vegas on 8 and 9 June, and in India at the IIDGR Facility in Surat on 15 and 16 May.

In April 2017, a symposium called, “Synthetic Diamonds: Are Watchmaking and Jewelry in Danger?” was held in Geneva, specifically to address the issue of synthetic diamonds in the domain of watchmaking and how it is possible to differentiate natural from lab-grown stones.

Some interesting industry developments took shape at last week's Diamond Detection Expo and Symposium sponsored by India's Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC).

With 850 million active users monthly, western luxury brands have been quick to embrace China’s “most important platform for luxury brands”, WeChat. Local and international brands have realised the potential of the platform to make them key players in China’s $103 billion jewelry market. Western companies have used it for flash sales as well as marketing and customer interaction. While these flash events have spurred sales, China’s online sales remain limited, says Antoine Pin, managing director of Bulgari in greater China.

Gübelin Gem Lab introduced the “Emerald Paternity Test”, a technology developed for tracing the origin of emeralds to their exact mine. They were able to do this by using nanotechnology to mark stones with an invisible imprint that is accessible at any stage of the supply chain. The technology is a “true game-changer for the colored-gemstone industry,” said the Switzerland-based laboratory.

Singapore’s Sarine Technologies announced that former CEO of De Beers Diamond Trading Company (DTC) Varda Shine is to join the Board of Directors as an independent director. Shine’s position is subject to approval at Sarine’s annual general meeting to be held on April 25. 

Signet Jewelers, as part of its effort to support and reinforce its Responsible Sourcing Protocol for Diamonds (D-SRSP), has been working on a project with product-testing firm United Laboratories and the Diamond Producers Association to create a facility for testing synthetic diamond screening equipment, writes Rapaport News.** The intention is to create an industry standard for such equipment so that, "su

The U.S. Department of Justice, through its District of Minnesota U.S. Attorney's Office, has announced a federal indictment charging former Scio Diamond Technology Corporation (Scio Diamond) Board of Directors Chairman, Edward S. Adams, with "orchestrating an elaborate fraud scheme to embezzle millions of dollars of investors' funds." The indictment alleges the activity happened between 2006 and 2013. Adams was indicted Wednesday in U.S.

Sarin India, the Indian subsidiary of diamond processing equipment maker and services provider Sarine Technologies, has consolidated its Surat operations in a brand new, wholly-owned, hi-tech facility, the “Sarin House”. The new facility covers 55,000 square feet (5,100 sq.m.) over six floors, housing approximately 400 staff members.

Jewelers around the world have come to realize the mostly untapped potential of the millennial audience, and technology is the most important tool they have at their disposal, writes Martha C. White for JCK.

The Hong Kong Trade Fair serves as the ideal platform for The International Institute of Diamond Grading & Research (IIDGR), part of The De Beers Group of Companies, to unveil its next generation of automated melee screening instruments. The AMS2 will provide diamantaires with a more efficient diamond verification technology solution for melee-sized diamonds. The screener is especially appealing since it also more cost-effective, US$45,000 cheaper than the first generation AMS.

Joseph Lipton, inventor and CEO of VULT - a digital diamond exchange platform seeking to turn diamonds into a true tangible asset class - presented his cutting-edge ideas about the future of global wealth at a very special TEDxFultonStreet Salon about “Things You Can’t Have” with other thought leaders in NYC.

In 2013, Kristall Smolensk diamonds, a Russia-based major polished diamond manufacturer, unveiled a replica of the Great Imperial Crown (it was on display at the Antwerp Diamond Trade Fair in January).

Two professional jewelers are seeking to fill a market need by launching an app for the industry, Jewellery Trader, which gives members of the trade a new tool for sourcing and showcasing jewelry, watches and antiques. It also enables traders to advertise items for sale to consumers. The Jewellery Trader app was designed in an effort to provide an “innovative, cost effective selling tool in an easy to use and manage platform”.

Sarine Technologies, a major player in precision technology products for the planning, processing, evaluation and measurement of diamonds and gems, has appointed David Block as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective 1 May 2017. He will succeed Uzi Levami, who decided to step down due to his age (65) and for personal reasons. Levami will continue serving as an Executive Director of Sarine, as well as a Director of all of its subsidiaries.

Avi Krawitz of Rapaport News sat down with Joseph Kuzi, CEO of EGL Asia and director of Diamond Services, a Hong-Kong based synthetics testing facility, to talk about the phenomenon of undisclosed synthetic diamonds. He heard that the technology behind and production of synthetic diamonds is increasing rapidly, and just because we do not hear about every instance where undisclosed mixing of synthetic and natural diamonds is discovered, does not mean it is not widespread.

Sarine Technologies Ltd, a global leader in the development, manufacture and sale of precision technology products for planning, processing, evaluating and measuring diamonds and gems, reports that it has delivered a record 24 Galaxy-family inclusion mapping systems in Q4 2016, bringing the total number of 2016 deliveries to 84 systems (previous record year saw 48 deliveries). This figure also tops their former quarterly record of 22 systems sold in Q3 2016. The majority of machines sold were of the Meteor variety for small stones (0.25 to 0.89 carat).