Progress on some fronts

Undisclosed synthetic diamonds is another issue the industry, and in particular, gemmologists, need to get a handle on. In an article I wrote on the subject in the December 2011 issue of Jewellery Business, one of the key issues I touched upon made headlines throughout the trade in 2012—a large number of .30-point lab-grown diamonds without identifying laser inscriptions were discovered at two IGI laboratories. Although these labs were well-equipped and able to identify the stones, I can confidently say many more undisclosed stones have made their way into the stream carrying diamond reports from laboratories without the expertise to make these types of identification. To complicate matters, the per-stone manufacturing cost of synthetics is decreasing to the point where it is cost-effective to produce man-made diamonds as small as one point.

Over the last couple of years, there has been a concerted effort on the part of gemmological labs to build a simple methodology of identifying synthetics, as well as companies producing machines with which to flag potential lab-grown stones. Where does this leave the jewellery industry as a whole? How can a business strengthen and protect its brand from unknowingly misrepresenting a synthetic as a natural diamond? The answer lies in the people with which you deal and in the insistence on asking questions, such as are the diamonds offered for sale graded by GIA or a comparable laboratory that has experience in identifying synthetics? Are the businesses you deal with knowledgeable about synthetics and have they made efforts in investing and protecting their brand from misrepresentation?

Even though legitimate synthetic diamond manufacturers have still not yet found their stride in selling their product to a global audience, they continue to rely on marketing schemes that highlight lab-growns as eco-friendly, non-conflict, and exact in every way to their natural counterpart except in price. While this line of reasoning has not yet resonated with consumers on a large scale, I believe they will become very aware in the next decade of the carbon footprint the diamond industry leaves behind and be open to accepting the alternative to what has been a norm for the last 100 years. At that time, the natural diamond industry may have to work toward marketing their product beyond simply romanticizing the billions of years it takes to create them.

Progress is only made by asking tough questions and working toward concrete solutions. However, given the complexity of the jewellery industry and opposing goals, finding answers is not always easy. Doing nothing, however, is not an option.

Hemdeep Patel is head of marketing and product development of Toronto-based HKD Diamond Laboratories Canada, an advanced gemstone and diamond laboratory with locations in Bangkok, Thailand, and Mumbai, India. He also leads Creative CADworks, a 3D CAD jewellery design and production firm. Holding a B.Sc. in physics and astronomy, Patel is a third-generation member of the jewellery industry, a graduate gemmologist, and vice-president of the Ontario chapter of the GIA alumni association. Patel can be contacted via e-mail at hemdeep@hkdlab.ca or sales@creativecadworks.ca.