The technology used to identify laboratory-grown diamonds continues to advance, with De Beers Group announcing its next-generation SynthDetect™ 2 desktop diamond screening instrument.
For DCLA, however, the challenge of distinguishing natural diamonds from laboratory-grown diamonds is not new.
DCLA has been at the forefront of diamond detection and disclosure for more than two decades, recognising well before laboratory-grown diamonds became a mainstream commercial product that advances in diamond-growing technology would create a major challenge for the jewellery industry.
The next generation of diamond screening
De Beers says its new SynthDetect™ 2 builds on its earlier SynthDetect and SynthDetect XL instruments, introduced in 2017 and 2018.
According to De Beers, the new system is designed to make screening faster, more automated and easier to integrate into the day-to-day operations of diamond manufacturers, laboratories and retailers.
One of the most significant changes is speed. De Beers says a full tray scan that previously took approximately 30 minutes can now be completed in less than five minutes.
The instrument is designed to screen loose diamonds as well as a wide range of jewellery, including rings, earrings, necklaces, pendants, bracelets and bangles. De Beers states that SynthDetect 2 can screen diamonds from 0.001 to 10 carats in the D–J colour range.
The company says automated results, reporting and software updates are intended to further reduce operator input and improve screening efficiency.
De Beers currently lists SynthDetect 2 as being available from Q1 2027.
DCLA recognised the challenge long before it became mainstream
While new screening technology continues to improve, the underlying problem has been known for many years.
DCLA identified the potential impact of synthetic diamond technology on the Australian diamond industry as early as 2002, when the laboratory warned about advances in technologies such as CVD and HPHT and their potential to produce gem-quality laboratory-grown diamonds that could not be reliably distinguished from natural diamonds by ordinary visual examination.
That early recognition is particularly relevant today.
Laboratory-grown diamonds are real diamonds. They have essentially the same chemical composition and crystal structure as natural diamonds and can look virtually identical to the unaided eye.
The distinction is therefore not something that can reliably be established simply by looking at a stone.
DCLA has previously explained that sophisticated gemmological equipment is required to identify the characteristics associated with different diamond growth processes.
DCLA: Lab-Grown Diamonds — A Structural Disruption to the Traditional Diamond Industry
DCLA: What Is a Lab-Grown Diamond?
Detection has always been part of DCLA’s laboratory process
DCLA’s approach has never been based simply on whether a stone “tests as a diamond”.
That distinction is important.
A basic diamond tester can establish that a stone behaves like diamond. It does not necessarily establish whether that diamond was formed naturally or grown in a laboratory.
DCLA’s laboratory uses advanced analytical technology, combined with experienced gemmological examination, to investigate diamond origin, treatments and other characteristics.
DCLA’s published laboratory process states that diamonds are screened for known treatments and tested to establish whether they are natural or man-made, with grading conducted according to International Diamond Council standards.
The laboratory also uses technologies including DiamondView™ fluorescence imaging, which can reveal growth structures and fluorescence patterns that are not visible under normal lighting.
DCLA Technology & Grading Process
DCLA Our Laboratory and Advanced Diamond Testing Technology
Why the technology race matters
The development of instruments such as SynthDetect 2 demonstrates how quickly diamond-screening technology is evolving alongside diamond-growing technology.
As laboratory-grown diamond production has become more sophisticated, identification technology has had to become more sophisticated as well.
This is not simply a question of identifying whether a stone is “real”.
A laboratory-grown diamond is diamond. The critical question is whether its origin has been correctly identified and disclosed.
That distinction becomes particularly important when diamonds are bought, sold, traded, insured, certified or resold.
DCLA has encountered cases where advanced testing has uncovered synthetic diamonds presented in circumstances where their identity or origin was in question.
In one case documented by DCLA, an HPHT-grown synthetic diamond had been fraudulently inscribed with a report number intended to correspond to a natural diamond. Advanced testing identified differences in the stone’s characteristics and growth origin.
DCLA: Synthetic Diamond Fraudulently Inscribed to Match Natural Diamond Report
More recently, DCLA has also highlighted the risk of certificate swapping, where a genuine certificate may be presented with a different diamond from the one originally examined.
DCLA: Consumer Alert — Certificate Swapping Fraud
Screening is not the same as certification
Modern screening instruments are becoming faster and more accessible to the trade, and that is an important development.
However, screening and independent laboratory certification perform different functions.
A screening instrument can help a business rapidly identify stones requiring further examination.
A professional laboratory can go further by independently examining and documenting the characteristics of the individual diamond.
At DCLA, every diamond submitted for certification is examined by accredited gemmologists in the Sydney laboratory, with advanced instrumentation used alongside traditional gemmological examination.
DCLA — Independent Diamond Certification Laboratory
DCLA’s philosophy has remained consistent
The equipment may change.
The technology may become faster.
The screening process may become increasingly automated.
But the fundamental principle remains the same:
Know what the diamond is.
DCLA has consistently advocated transparency, independent testing and accurate disclosure as laboratory-grown diamond technology has evolved.
From recognising the potential impact of synthetic diamonds more than two decades ago, to using advanced detection technology today, DCLA’s role has been to help the Australian jewellery industry and consumers understand what technology can — and cannot — tell them.
As diamond-growing technology continues to advance, diamond detection technology will continue to evolve with it.
For consumers and the trade, that makes independent verification more important than ever.
A diamond may look natural. A basic tester may say “diamond”. But when origin matters, sophisticated testing and independent documentation provide the evidence.
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