Diamond Industry Cautious Over Synthetic Diamonds

Diamond industry cautious over synthetic diamonds

JOHANNESBURG, April 18 (Xinhua) — South African diamond industry Wednesday reacted with caution to claims that synthetic diamonds manufactured by U.S. company Apollo Diamond can escape detection.

The Antwerp World Diamond Center reported in its Antwerp Facets that the claims came from analyst Chaim Even Zohar.

Center research director Yves Kerremans said he looked forward to examining any recently produced synthetic stones claimed to be undetectable.

Screening instruments were available to help separate genuine diamonds from stones that needed further investigation in a diamond laboratory to identify their origin.

Usually only a small fraction of the stones were selected for additional tests.

“We have invested a great deal in research on synthetics and continue to expand our know-how,” Kerremans said.

“The identification of synthetic diamonds at the center poses no problem,” he added.

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