Diamond industry stakeholders talked about the rise of lab-grown diamonds as well as automated diamond manufacturing techniques, among other pertinent topics, at the recently concluded Dubai Diamond Conference. 

Nearly 400 delegates from across the globe attended the event at the Almas Conference Centre, according to the Dubai Multi-Commodities Center or DMCC, Dubai’s authority on trade, enterprise and commodities. High on the agenda were “disruptions” in the diamond sector.

Industry leaders discussed increased automation and technological advancements in the diamond manufacturing sector. According to DMCC, panellists agreed that this trend is likely to continue and that diamond companies need to stay ahead of the curve by adapting to these developments. 

Dialogues also delved on lab-grown diamonds, with speakers acknowledging that technology being used to create lab-grown diamonds continue to improve, making it highly cost-effective “at a time when costs of mining are increasing.” 

Other major events also took place on the sidelines of the conference, including the unveiling of the world’s largest D-colour diamond ever certified by the Gemological Institute of America, DMCC said. Nemesis International, a Dubai-based diamond trading company, said the diamond came from the rough, “The Constellation,” which weighs 812.77 carats and was purchased at the record price of US$63 million. 

Synova, a Swiss provider of advanced laser cutting systems, meanwhile launched an automatic cutting and shaping solution for diamond manufacturers – the DaVinci Diamond Factory. The system covers virtually every step of the rough-to-polished process, substantially decreasing production time by combining several manufacturing processes into one machine. 

The Dubai Diamond Award, the inaugural edition of an awards programme initiated by DMCC, was also presented to Dorothee Gizenga, in recognition of her significant contribution to the development of the global diamond industry. Gizenga is the founding executive director of the Diamond Development Initiative (DDI) and was recently appointed as regional director to lead DDI’s expansion in Africa.