Founded by De Beers Group in 2008, the International Institute of Diamond Grading & Research (IIDGR) has been working closely on diamond technology and science and offering services in various aspects including diamond testing, grading and education. Carrying out their sole mission, which is to bring accuracy, knowledge and expertise to the trade, the institute has launched new instrument and education courses recently, and shared its development focus in 2018 with Hong Kong Jewellery.
SYNTHdetect
Claimed as the industry’s first synthetic screening device for set jewellery, SYNTHdetect was pre-launched in the JCK show this June and started delivery in September 2017. The device is backed by IIDGR’s patented luminescence technology. As a result of its unique approach of detecting whether diamonds are natural, rather than seeking to identify synthetic characteristics, it can rapidly and simultaneously screen stoneswith a competitive low referral rate – 0.05 percent (many synthetic testing devices in the market have referral rates approaching 10 percent), according to the institute.
A semi-automated device, SYNTHdetect can screen both loose stones of all sizes and a wide range of jewellery, targeted at diamantaires, jewellery manufacturers and retailers. Jamie Clark, commercial director of IIDGR said an instrument for identifying synthetics set in jewellery was long-awaited in the industry. “Traders are really wowed by SYNTHdetect.”The jewellery compartment on SYNTHdetect can contain large pieces of jewellery and is detachable. “We are currently developing a larger jewellery compartment for high jewellery pieces like large Indian wedding diamond jewellery,” he revealed.
IIDGR classifies SYNTHdetect into its second generation range of synthetic detection instruments, together with PhosView and AMS2 that were unveiled in 2016 and in March 2017, respectively. While the first-generation devices work on Type II diamond identification with representative machines like DiamondView and DiamondSure, the second-generation instruments meet other new requirements, said Jamie Clark. For instance, AMS2 is designed for testing smaller, fancy-cut loose stones in higher speed with reduced referral rate. And PhosView is an ultra-low-cost device developed to answer the need from Indian diamond industry for a small, portable and cost-effective machine testing HPHT synthetics specifically.
Clark explained that IIDGR looks for crucial gaps in the market, provides suitable equipment to plug those gaps, and updates and improves them. “It’s not just about selling an instrument and getting that revenue on balance sheet, it’s all about trade confidence,” he added.
Education
Jamie Clark noted that IIDGR will continue their focus on developing instruments that boost trading and consumer confidence, building more grading partnerships in Asia, and most importantly, further enhancing education services in 2018. “We think our education services are filling a void,” he stated. As the institute’s newly-extended services, the education programmes bring De Beers’ expertise and experience over decades in every single part of the diamond pipeline to the students, and help industry practitioners enhance their businesses.
According to Jodine Perrin, director of Education and Training, IIDGR, the institute has launched three courses in 2017 on synthetic diamond detection, diamond foundation and polished diamond grading. The first one is a one-day lab-based course, conducted by technical educators from De Beers’ technology and research team. By letting students use latest instruments and test high-quality samples, the course provides a deep dive into the subject. The second oneis an entry-level online course designed for retail staff or industry new-comers, and the third course offers more technical details about polished diamonds.
Perrin said feedbacks from their partners show that continuous professional development is increasingly important to remain at the leading edge in today’s market climate. Some large retailers who are passionate about the quality of their products and services want to make sure their staff are trained to meet customers’ constant changing needs.
Different from other recognised industry institutes that offer education courses, IIDGR’s education courses are all about promoting diamonds and enhancing the understanding of diamonds in general. “The whole concept of what we do is that with different services we created, companies can look all of them and pick the right one to suit their business needs.” Jodine Perrin concluded. “It is in our best interest for them to succeed. The more the diamond industry succeeds, the more we as a company are benefited. It is mutual beneficial.”
← Back