Undisclosed Green Synthetics Raise GIA Eyebrows

Twenty five undisclosed lab grown diamonds have turned up at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) including several with a rare greenish color.

The GIA’s lab in Carlsbad, California, recently received the stones weighing from 0.46 to 0.52 carats for grading reports. They all proved to have been created using High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT), GIA senior research scientist Sally Eaton Magaña explained in a lab note published in the Spring 2019 issue of Gems & Gemology, the institute’s quarterly scientific journal.

While nine of the stones were colorless or near-colorless, eight had faint yellow green color, seven were faint green, and one was very light green. The coloring resulted from a high concentration of nickel, an impurity that’s common in HPHT, but rarely in large enough amounts to affect the color, Eaton Magaña explained. (In diamonds at large, nickel can cause a green hue.) GIA gemologists previously reported on a fancy deep yellowish green HPHT diamond in 2017, with nickel also the cause in that case.

“As laboratory grown diamond manufacturers continue to experiment with their recipes and the process further evolves, we will likely see greater quantities and a wider variety of color ranges,” Eaton Magaña wrote. The occasion also gave a rare opportunity to analyze a large dataset of similar but unusually colored HPHT diamonds, she noted.

The Spring edition of Gems & Gemology also reported on a natural diamond with a synthetic layer the second such case the GIA had seen in about two years.

Source: DCLA

Undisclosed Green Synthetics Raise GIA Eyebrows

Twenty five undisclosed lab grown diamonds have turned up at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) including several with a rare greenish color.

The GIA’s lab in Carlsbad, California, recently received the stones weighing from 0.46 to 0.52 carats for grading reports. They all proved to have been created using High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT), GIA senior research scientist Sally Eaton Magaña explained in a lab note published in the Spring 2019 issue of Gems & Gemology, the institute’s quarterly scientific journal.

While nine of the stones were colorless or near-colorless, eight had faint yellow green color, seven were faint green, and one was very light green. The coloring resulted from a high concentration of nickel, an impurity that’s common in HPHT, but rarely in large enough amounts to affect the color, Eaton Magaña explained. (In diamonds at large, nickel can cause a green hue.) GIA gemologists previously reported on a fancy deep yellowish green HPHT diamond in 2017, with nickel also the cause in that case.

“As laboratory grown diamond manufacturers continue to experiment with their recipes and the process further evolves, we will likely see greater quantities and a wider variety of color ranges,” Eaton Magaña wrote. The occasion also gave a rare opportunity to analyze a large dataset of similar but unusually colored HPHT diamonds, she noted.

The Spring edition of Gems & Gemology also reported on a natural diamond with a synthetic layer the second such case the GIA had seen in about two years.

Source: DCLA

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FirstGold platform gives the smart investor the ultimate way to save in Real bullion which is 100% physical gold and silver stored in your physical account.
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Lucapa recovers first +100 carat diamond from Mothae

Lucapa Diamond Company has recovered its first+100 carat diamond for its Mothae mine in Lesotho.

The stone is a gem-quality 126 carat diamond and is the largest diamond recovered since commercial mining operations commenced in January 2019.

The diamond is also the sixth +50 carat diamond recovered since Lucapa commenced its pre-production bulk sampling programme at Mothae in 2018.

It comes shortly after Lucapa and its partners recovered a 130 carat gem-quality diamond from the company’s high-value Lulo alluvial mine in Angola.

Lesotho Minister of Mining, the Honourable Keketso Sello, said the recovery of the 126 carat diamond represented another milestone for Lesotho’s highly-prospective diamond sector.

“Lesotho is very proud of its international reputation as a producer of large and high-quality diamonds and this latest recovery from our newest mine, Mothae, continues to demonstrate our nation’s great potential,” said minister Sello.

Lucapa MD Stephen Wetherall said the 126 carat diamond was further proof of the large stone and high-value nature of the Mothae kimberlite resource, which is located within 5 km of Letseng, the world’s highest US$ per carat kimberlite diamond mine.

“We are delighted to have recovered our first +100 carat stone so early in our commercial mining

campaign at Mothae, along with other rare Type IIa and fancy coloured gems, and look forward to

unlocking the true value of this mine over the next decade and beyond,” Wetherall concluded.

Source: DCLA

Lucapa recovers first +100 carat diamond from Mothae

Lucapa Diamond Company has recovered its first+100 carat diamond for its Mothae mine in Lesotho.

The stone is a gem-quality 126 carat diamond and is the largest diamond recovered since commercial mining operations commenced in January 2019.

The diamond is also the sixth +50 carat diamond recovered since Lucapa commenced its pre-production bulk sampling programme at Mothae in 2018.

It comes shortly after Lucapa and its partners recovered a 130 carat gem-quality diamond from the company’s high-value Lulo alluvial mine in Angola.

Lesotho Minister of Mining, the Honourable Keketso Sello, said the recovery of the 126 carat diamond represented another milestone for Lesotho’s highly-prospective diamond sector.

“Lesotho is very proud of its international reputation as a producer of large and high-quality diamonds and this latest recovery from our newest mine, Mothae, continues to demonstrate our nation’s great potential,” said minister Sello.

Lucapa MD Stephen Wetherall said the 126 carat diamond was further proof of the large stone and high-value nature of the Mothae kimberlite resource, which is located within 5 km of Letseng, the world’s highest US$ per carat kimberlite diamond mine.

“We are delighted to have recovered our first +100 carat stone so early in our commercial mining

campaign at Mothae, along with other rare Type IIa and fancy coloured gems, and look forward to

unlocking the true value of this mine over the next decade and beyond,” Wetherall concluded.

Source: DCLA

RapNet to Vote on Synthetics

RAPAPORT PRESS RELEASE, May 22, 2019, Las Vegas … RapNet, the world’s largest diamond trading network with daily listings of over $7.4 billion, will be voting on whether it should provide diamond listing and pricing services for synthetic diamonds. Voting will be limited to registered RapNet members who log in to RapNet.com and will take place from Sunday May 26 through Friday May 31, 2019. The results of the vote will be announced at the Rapaport Breakfast on Sunday June 2, 2019, at the JCK jewelry show in Las Vegas, Nevada. The keynote address at the breakfast entitled “Synthetic Ethics” will be presented by Martin Rapaport. The Rapaport Breakfast is open to the jewelry trade and media. Registration and information is available here. The breakfast and additional Rapaport “Ethical Sourcing” and “Appraiser” Town Hall Meetings will be broadcast live on Facebook here. The issue of synthetic diamonds is hotly debated in the diamond and jewelry trade. Recent decisions by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have removed the word natural from the definition of a diamond. The FTC believes that diamonds need not be natural to be described as diamonds, although they require disclosure when a diamond is “man-made” or “laboratory-created.” Martin Rapaport has published an important article about the issue entitled “Synthetic Ethics” that can be reviewed here. The vote will provide RapNet and the jewelry industry with important input as to the role of synthetic diamonds in the diamond trade. The final decision regarding the matter will be made by the RapNet management team. “Synthetic diamonds present significant challenges and opportunities to the diamond trade. The role of natural diamonds is threatened as synthetic diamonds offer consumers lower prices and provide retailers with higher profit margins. The problem with synthetic diamonds is that they are not a store of value as they have no natural scarcity and can be manufactured with unlimited supply. Their prices are expected to decline over the long term as their cost of manufacturing falls. The diamond trade must decide if they want to trade in long-term integrity for short-term profits,” said Martin Rapaport, Chairman of the Rapaport Group. About the Rapaport Group: The Rapaport Group is a global provider of added value services that support the development of ethical, transparent, competitive and efficient diamond and jewelry markets. Established in 1978, the Rapaport Price List is the primary source of diamond price and market information. Group activities include Rapaport Information Services, Rapaport Magazine, Rapaport Research Report and Diamonds.net website; RapNet – the world’s largest diamond trading network; Rapaport Auction and Trading Services specializing in recycled diamonds and jewelry. Rapaport Laboratory Services providing GIA gemological services in India, and Israel. The Group supports over 20,000 clients in 121 countries and has offices in New York, Las Vegas, Antwerp, Ramat Gan, Mumbai, Surat, Dubai and Hong Kong. Additional information is available at www.rapaport.com.