FOCUS 焦点 12 | JNA July/August 2025 hybrid option combines natural diamonds and lab-grown diamonds (LGDs), providing the trade with cost-effective alternatives to expensive master sets that are difficult to source. According to Stuller Inc Director of Gemstone Procurement Guy Borenstein, the global availability of essential tools for accurate colour grading has declined significantly due to rising costs and limited supply. This shortage has affected gemmological laboratories, diamond dealers, retailers and appraisers, while impacting consumers who depend on jewellery professionals for expert guidance and accurate grading. Available from Stuller by end-2025, the Certified Hybrid Diamond Master Sets will comprise seven stones. E-F-G are LGDs while H-I-J-K are natural diamonds. Borenstein said, “Combining natural and lab-grown diamonds in a single set offers two primary advantages: Greater access to specific colour grades and a significant decrease in cost. All stones will be supplied by Stuller, and the LGDs will primarily be High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT) stones to avoid undesired tints.” According to Stuller, more than 200 professionals from around the world – including gemmologists, appraisers, gemmological educators, retailers, jewellers and manufacturers – have expressed strong interest in the hybrid master sets, with the list continuing to grow steadily as awareness spreads. India-based Diamtech Research Centre Pvt Ltd (DRC), for its part, is simplifying the processing of small diamonds. Its new Dia Measure machine fully automates the measurement, counting, sorting and visual inspection of loose round diamonds, especially of small sizes from 0.90mm to 4.00mm, with micron-level accuracy up to three decimal places (0.005 MM). Diamtech Research Centre Pvt Ltd CEO Hardik Patel said the machine eliminates key pain points such as manual counting mistakes, inconsistent size profiles, invisible breakage, oval stones in a round batch and time-consuming handling. The machine detects chipped culets, girdles and shape deviations before final packaging; processes up to 5,500 diamonds per hour, sorted into 10 profiles; and does not require calibration or cleaning. Developed over a 26-month period, Dia Measure costs US$25,000, with ROI typically achievable in 12 to 18 months, thanks to significant savings in labour, time, and stone damage, said Patel. “We have had strong interest from current clients who have long expressed the need for automation in diamond measuring and counting,” he continued. “Demand is particularly robust from high-volume jewellery manufacturing firms, diamond melee assortment houses and watch manufacturers.” Patel revealed that DRC aims to launch fully automated diamond bagging technology by late 2025. Its GEMID Diamond Fingerprint Technology will also soon allow verification even after the diamond has been mounted in single stone studded jewellery. “This breakthrough is especially useful for retailers with buyback or exchange programmes. When a customer walks in with a jewellery piece, GEMID’s compact desktop unit will instantly identify and match the diamonds to their original registration data – without needing to remove the stones or send them to a workshop. It is a game-changing tool to detect swaps or fraud in seconds and build long-term trust with customers,” he remarked. On the retail front De Beers is bringing diamond verification to the retail level too. DiamondProof, which distinguishes natural diamonds from LGDs and diamond simulants, is now available in select retail stores of early adopter customers in the US and India. According to David Johnson, vice president for Corporate Communications of De Beers Group, DiamondProof’s first production run was relatively limited but will be ramped up based on demand. Stuller is the US sales distributor for the retail-facing device. “What sets DiamondProof apart from other instruments is the fact that it has been specifically designed to be used on the retail counter to support consumer confidence at Scan of an amethyst ring with an Experloop microchip 植入Experloop微芯片的紫水晶戒指扫描图 Dia Measure automated measurement and sorting machine for small diamonds from Diamtech Research Centre Pvt Ltd (DRC) 科技公司Diamtech Research Centre Pvt Ltd (DRC)的Dia Measure 自动测量和分选机，适用于小型钻石
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