DPA Puts Synthetics Detectors to the Test

RAPAPORT... A synthetics detector costing less than $7,000 has emerged asone of only three machines with a 100% accuracy score in a recent industry-widestudy. Yehuda's Sherlock Holmes, priced at $6,495, correctlyidentified all synthetic diamonds in a "deliberately challenging" sample,according to a report the Diamond Producers Association (DPA) and SignetJewelers released Tuesday. De Beers' DiamondView, which costs $35,000, also scored fullmarks. So did Presidium's Synthetic Diamond Screener II, which sells for $599, butthat machine wrongly tagged 15.5% of natural diamonds as lab-created.DiamondView didn't mislabel any, while Sherlock Holmes was wrong for 2.5% of mined stones. Two other De Beers products, SYNTHdetect ($17,000) andDiamondSure ($18,200), accurately referred all lab-growns for further testing,as did the Gemological Institute of America's (GIA) iD100 ($4,995) and HRDAntwerp's M-Screen+ ($63,000). Those machines are designed to refer syntheticsrather than detect them conclusively, according to the study, known as the AssureProgram. The DPA and Signet tested the ability of 18 machines from 11manufacturers to identify natural diamonds, synthetics and simulants from amixed batch, the two organizations said. They assessed the machines'performances against a standard developed by UL, a third-party testing agency, aswell as a technical committee comprising scientists and academics fromgemological institutions, including the GIA and De Beers' InternationalInstitute of Diamond Grading & Research. Testing took place at UL'slaboratories in Canton, Massachusetts. The DPA has published the full results in a directory on its website. "Through the Assure program, we will support the diamondtrade, from independent jewelry retailers to large diamond manufacturers, tomake informed decisions on how to ensure that undisclosed laboratory-growndiamonds do not enter their natural-diamond supply chain," said DPA CEOJean-Marc Lieberherr. The Assure program will update its directory asmanufacturers submit new instruments, it said.Image: A selection of detection machines that underwent testing. (Diamond Producers Association)