Diamond Detection Keeps Advancing, And DCLA Has used the Technology for Decades

 

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.

De Beers SynthDetect™ 2

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.

GIA Alert: CVD Rough Made to Mimic Natural Diamond

 

A 6.87 ct CVD-grown synthetic diamond Photo by Danny Bowler.

The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) has issued an important warning after examining a 6.87-carat, near-colourless CVD laboratory-grown diamond that had been deliberately fashioned to resemble a natural rough diamond crystal.

The unusual stone was submitted to GIA as a rough diamond and initially displayed a shape remarkably similar to the familiar octahedral form associated with natural diamond crystals. However, advanced laboratory testing revealed that its origin was very different.

The finding is detailed in the latest issue of Gems & Gemology and highlights an emerging challenge for the diamond industry: laboratory-grown diamonds can be deliberately fashioned to imitate the appearance of natural rough diamonds before they ever reach the cutting stage.

A CVD Diamond Designed to Look Natural

CVD, or Chemical Vapour Deposition, is one of the two principal technologies used to produce laboratory-grown diamonds. Unlike natural diamonds, which form deep within the Earth’s mantle over geological timescales, CVD diamonds are grown in controlled laboratory environments from a carbon-rich gas.

The GIA researchers believe this particular stone represents the first known example, to their knowledge, of a CVD laboratory-grown diamond being deliberately shaped into the approximate form of a natural rough diamond crystal.

The significance is not simply that the material was laboratory-grown. It is the deliberate attempt to make the synthetic material visually resemble natural rough.

According to the researchers, there appears to be little practical reason to produce a CVD diamond in this form other than an attempt at deception.

Advanced Testing Revealed Its True Origin

While its external appearance suggested a natural crystal, sophisticated laboratory analysis told a different story.

GIA used Raman spectroscopy, a powerful analytical technique capable of identifying the molecular and structural characteristics of diamond material.

The testing confirmed that the stone was CVD-grown diamond, rather than a natural diamond crystal.

This demonstrates why visual examination alone cannot always establish the origin of a rough diamond.

Natural diamond crystals can exhibit characteristic crystal forms, surface features and growth patterns. However, a laboratory-grown diamond can potentially be cut, shaped or modified to imitate some of those characteristics.

It Wasn’t Actually a True Octahedron

Closer examination also revealed that the stone was not a genuine natural octahedral crystal.

Only one pair of opposite faces was parallel, while the surfaces did not correspond to the crystallographic planes normally associated with natural diamond crystals.

In other words, the stone had been fashioned to create the impression of a natural crystal rather than actually possessing the crystallographic geometry of one.

For an experienced diamond professional, such inconsistencies may provide important clues. But the case demonstrates how sophisticated the presentation of laboratory-grown material can become.

Why Producing This Stone Would Be Difficult

Interestingly, manufacturing a CVD diamond in this form is not a simple or efficient process.

CVD diamonds are generally grown as larger blocks or plates of material. Producing a rough-looking crystal from that material requires additional cutting and shaping.

The GIA researchers noted that attempting to create a finished diamond from a CVD block while maintaining the required crystal structure would be difficult and wasteful.

A significant amount of material would be lost in the process, and the eventual polished diamond would be considerably smaller than one cut directly from the original as-grown CVD block.

That makes the decision to create a crystal-shaped CVD diamond particularly significant.

From a commercial perspective, it would make little sense to sacrifice valuable CVD material simply to create a rough crystal appearance unless there were another objective.

A Warning for the Rough Diamond Trade

The discovery is particularly relevant to the rough diamond market, where the first assessment of a stone can be based heavily on its external appearance, crystal morphology and surface characteristics.

For generations, experienced diamond buyers have learned to recognise natural crystal forms and the features associated with different types of rough.

But laboratory-grown technology is evolving rapidly.

The GIA case demonstrates that the industry cannot assume that a convincing natural-looking crystal is necessarily natural.

Appearance is not proof of origin.

This is an important distinction for dealers, manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and consumers alike.

Could This Lead to New Rough-Diamond Screening Technology?

Perhaps the most significant aspect of the GIA report is that the researchers believe the industry could respond if stones of this type become more common.

They suggest that an immediate screening solution for rough diamonds could potentially be developed by adapting existing instruments currently used to screen polished diamonds.

This could become increasingly important as laboratory-grown diamond production expands and techniques for disguising laboratory-grown material become more sophisticated.

The diamond industry already relies on a combination of spectroscopy, fluorescence, photoluminescence and other advanced analytical technologies to separate natural diamonds from laboratory-grown diamonds.

The challenge now is ensuring that these technologies remain effective before a diamond reaches the polishing stage.

What This Means for the Diamond Industry

The GIA discovery is a reminder that the distinction between natural and laboratory-grown diamonds is not simply a matter of appearance.

A laboratory-grown diamond can possess the same basic chemical composition and crystal structure as a natural diamond. The crucial difference is origin.

As laboratory-grown diamond manufacturing becomes more sophisticated, the industry must continue to develop reliable methods for establishing that origin.

For professional diamond buyers, this reinforces the importance of purchasing rough and polished diamonds through reputable channels and using appropriate laboratory testing when the provenance or origin of a stone is in question.

For consumers, it reinforces another important principle:

If the origin matters, test the stone.

A diamond may look natural.

It may have been deliberately shaped to look natural.

It may even convince an experienced eye at first examination.

But sophisticated laboratory analysis can reveal what the eye cannot.

The Bigger Picture

The GIA case should not be interpreted as evidence that every unusual rough diamond is suspicious, nor does it suggest that CVD technology itself is a problem.

Laboratory-grown diamonds are a legitimate category of diamond material and can be accurately identified when appropriate testing is undertaken.

The concern arises when laboratory-grown material is intentionally presented in a manner designed to create the impression that it is natural.

That is where the industry’s established systems of disclosure, screening, verification and independent grading become critical.

As technology advances on both sides of the industry, the race between diamond-growing technology and diamond-identification technology is likely to continue.

The 6.87-carat CVD crystal examined by GIA may be an unusual case today. But it provides a valuable warning about what could become a more significant challenge tomorrow.

For the modern diamond industry, the lesson is clear: a natural-looking rough crystal is not necessarily a natural diamond. Advanced scientific testing remains the ultimate safeguard.

Lab Growns – without the High Pressure or Temperature

Researchers at the University of Tokyo say they’ve found a way to make tiny diamonds without the need for high temperature or high pressure conditions – unlike current lab grown technology.

They use electron beams to break and remake bonds in adamantane (C10H16), a carbon molecule in which atoms are arranged in a pattern very similar to the atomic structure of diamond.

The process takes tens of seconds under transmission electron microscopy conditions in a vacuum (low-pressure chamber)

A team led by Professor Eiichi Nakamura, of the Department of Chemistry, has published its findings in the journal Science, in an article entitled Rapid, low-temperature nanodiamond formation by electron-beam activation of adamantane C-H bonds.

It explains how the controlled electron irradiation of adamantane produces defect-free nanodiamonds.

The breakthrough process is aimed at creating tiny diamonds for high-tech industries, scientific research, and medical fields, rather than larger gem-quality stones.

It works through gradual assembly of diamond lattice from adamantane molecules under prolonged electron irradiation, which naturally limits the size to nanodiamonds currently.

Larger diamond growth would require controlling fusion of these nanocrystals and sustained lattice perfection over much longer times and at a larger scale.

Gem quality lab growns are created either using High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT) or Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD), which uses high temperatures and low pressure.

Source: DCLA

De Beers Scores Partial CVD Patent Victory

 A court has awarded a limited victory to De Beers’ synthetic-diamond production unit in a patent dispute with Singapore-based grower IIa Technologies.

IIa infringed an Element Six patent related to diamond material that’s usable for lab-grown diamond jewelry and industrial applications, according to a High Court of Singapore judgment Friday. However, another Element Six patent for post-growth color treatment is invalid, judge Valerie Thean also ruled.

“We will continue to be vigilant for any other potential infringement of our [intellectual-property] rights around the globe,” Element Six CEO Walter Hühn said in a statement Friday. “We will defend our rights vigorously — just as any company would — because protecting our ability to get a full return on our investment in [research and development] is vital to our future.”

UK-based Element Six produces synthetic diamonds for De Beers’ lab-grown jewelry brand, Lightbox, and supplies diamond material for industrial and technological uses. The patent it successfully defended, SG 872, was relevant to optical applications such as infrared spectroscopy and high-power laser optics, as well as to the creation of stones for jewelry, De Beers explained.

IIa, which grows CVD goods for distributor and sister company Pure Grown Diamonds (PGD), must stop making, using, importing or maintaining possession of products that infringe patent SG 872, Thean ordered. She also called for the cancellation of Element Six’s patent SG 508, which relates to the annealing of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) diamonds.

“IIa Technologies has developed its proprietary process in the last 15 years, and is proud of the work we have done to bring lab-grown diamonds to the world,” Vishal Mehta, IIa’s CEO, said in a separate statement. “The current judgment will be considered in its entirety, and then the company will take necessary steps to protect its interests.”

The lawsuit, which Element Six filed in 2016, comes amid heightened patent-related legal activity in the synthetic-diamond sector. Last month, WD Lab Grown Diamonds sued six companies — including IIa and PGD — accusing them of infringing its patents for synthesis and treatment.

Source: DCLA

De Beers Scores Partial CVD Patent Victory

 A court has awarded a limited victory to De Beers’ synthetic-diamond production unit in a patent dispute with Singapore-based grower IIa Technologies.

IIa infringed an Element Six patent related to diamond material that’s usable for lab-grown diamond jewelry and industrial applications, according to a High Court of Singapore judgment Friday. However, another Element Six patent for post-growth color treatment is invalid, judge Valerie Thean also ruled.

“We will continue to be vigilant for any other potential infringement of our [intellectual-property] rights around the globe,” Element Six CEO Walter Hühn said in a statement Friday. “We will defend our rights vigorously — just as any company would — because protecting our ability to get a full return on our investment in [research and development] is vital to our future.”

UK-based Element Six produces synthetic diamonds for De Beers’ lab-grown jewelry brand, Lightbox, and supplies diamond material for industrial and technological uses. The patent it successfully defended, SG 872, was relevant to optical applications such as infrared spectroscopy and high-power laser optics, as well as to the creation of stones for jewelry, De Beers explained.

IIa, which grows CVD goods for distributor and sister company Pure Grown Diamonds (PGD), must stop making, using, importing or maintaining possession of products that infringe patent SG 872, Thean ordered. She also called for the cancellation of Element Six’s patent SG 508, which relates to the annealing of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) diamonds.

“IIa Technologies has developed its proprietary process in the last 15 years, and is proud of the work we have done to bring lab-grown diamonds to the world,” Vishal Mehta, IIa’s CEO, said in a separate statement. “The current judgment will be considered in its entirety, and then the company will take necessary steps to protect its interests.”

The lawsuit, which Element Six filed in 2016, comes amid heightened patent-related legal activity in the synthetic-diamond sector. Last month, WD Lab Grown Diamonds sued six companies — including IIa and PGD — accusing them of infringing its patents for synthesis and treatment.

Source: DCLA