Diamond Verification Program Broadens Scope

RAPAPORT... The Natural Diamond Council (NDC) has expanded its Assure verification program to include diamond-set jewelry.The new version of the project, called the Assure Program 2.0, can identify whether both open- and closed-back mounted stones are natural or lab-grown, the NDC said Monday. The organization has also added a second independent testing laboratory, located at the University of Antwerp, Belgium. That facility will operate alongside the original US lab in Canton, Massachusetts; both will use identical samples and testing procedures. The new lab will double Assure's testing capacity and create a more geographically diverse landscape for submissions, the NDC noted. NDC has also updated its sample of natural diamonds, synthetics and simulants, which it has curated to reflect goods circulating in the market, it explained. The group added individual stones that it anticipates may present a problem in the future, and that pose some of the greatest challenges to diamond-verification instruments."By enhancing and improving the Assure program, we are taking even greater strides in protecting consumer confidence," said Raluca Anghel, head of external affairs and industry relations at the NDC. "Everyone is responsible for correctly disclosing the nature of the product they are selling, but to facilitate this, we need robust diamond-verification instruments that are rigorously tested."The Diamond Producers Association (DPA), which rebranded as the NDC last year, launched the Assure program in 2019 in cooperation with Signet Jewelers and De Beers. In March of that year, it tested the ability of 18 scanners from 11 manufacturers to identify natural diamonds, synthetics and simulants from a mixed batch.Image: Melee diamonds being analyzed in a De Beers SYNTHdetect diamond verification machine. (Ben Perry/Armoury Films/De Beers)