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It’s a fact that while it can be difficult to tell a lab-grown and natural polished diamond apart without specialized equipment, the rough versions look quite distinct.
While rough produced by high pressure, high temperature (HPHT) does somewhat resemble the type produced by Mother Nature—though it grows in a different shape—chemical vapor deposition (CVD) rough has a distinct, almost otherworldly look, as it’s typically formed in uniform cubes.
An article in the most recent Gems & Gemology describes “the first instance, to the authors’ knowledge, of a synthetic diamond grown by chemical vapor deposition being deliberately fashioned into the approximate shape of a rough natural diamond crystal.” You can see a picture of it here.
The authors of the story—four De Beers scientists: Nick Davies, Sema Firat, David Fisher, and Thoufieq Shaik—note that refashioning the 6.87 ct near-colorless crystal that way would result in far less yield. Therefore, the “only motivation for such an action appears to be a deliberate attempt at deceit,” they say.
The story concludes:
There is currently no evidence of any widespread switching of synthetic for natural diamonds in the rough diamond pipeline, but overreliance on practices such as assessing the “heft” of a stone would obviously not allow reliable screening for synthetic diamonds ….
Should synthetic diamonds fashioned in this way become more prevalent, an immediate screening solution for rough diamonds could be implemented through adaptation of existing screening instruments for polished diamonds.
Fossil Group names two North American managing directors
Fossil Group has appointed Marc S. Tenebruso as vice president of retail for North America, and Patrick Hlavaty, vice president of wholesale for North America, it announced on LinkedIn.
Tenebruso comes from Nike; Hlavaty, from Casio America.
Maurice Lacroix appoints new managing director
Joel Chabanne has been named managing director of watch brand Maurice Lacroix, according to WatchPro and an earlier report in Swiss newspaper RFJ.
He takes over from Stéphane Waser, who announced he was stepping down last month after 12 years heading the brand. He comes from luxury retailer DKSH Guam.
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Podcast drop: The Jewelry District with Doug Meadows
For JCK’s Jewelry District podcast, Victoria Gomelsky and I speak with Doug Meadows, owner of David Douglas Diamonds & Jewelry in Marietta, Ga. Readers of some of the past dialogues in this newsletter may be particularly interested in the discussion on selling Sierra Leone diamonds 26 minutes in.
Your view on … Zales’ new leader
C.F. wrote on LinkedIn regarding Jamie Cygielman, the new president of Zales, who comes from Mattel:
I’ve worked for Signet. I saw people come in from managing other retail industries. It’s not always a home run. Jewelry retail is a steep learning curve … Accepting that you don’t know this industry seems to be a key characteristic in those that succeed. I wish her well!
Today’s jewelry links cover Allison-Kaufman, Natural Diamond Council, Chopard, Saks Global, Smyth Jewelers, WATCHO Jewellers, Walmart, Pandora, Edahn Golan, Hasu Dholakiya, Stephanie Vilheym, and Elizabeth Ross Brewer
Company news
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Allison-Kaufman wins RJO Vendor of the Year for finished goods for 11th consecutive year (Centurion)
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Pandora spending $465,000 on makeover for Houston airport store (Houston Chronicle)
Diamond news
- Edahn Golan calls for India to champion natural diamond demand (GJEPC)
