International Institute of Diamond Grading & Research

Diamond specialists De Beers has rolled out a new machine to prove the authenticity of diamonds to ward off the threat of synthetic stones masquerading as real ones. At an event in Hong Kong, the International Institute of Diamond Grading & Research (IIDGR), part of the De Beers diamond group that parent Anglo American has said is central to its operations, launched new equipment that can screen thousands of tiny diamonds, known as melee.The devices, which screen diamonds 10 times faster than the previous model, are sold to jewellers across the world as De Beers seeks to set industry-wide standards and prevent anyone passing off a laboratory-grown stone as natural. It could in theory be easy to conceal small synthetic stones in a melee.Jonathan Kendall, president of IIDGR, said synthetic stones were still only a small percentage of global diamond production, but De Beers needed to be ahead of any reputational threat. "We are making sure we cover any future issue that may arise, "Kendall told Reuters by phone. "Confidence is everything in the diamond sector."