Podcast: The Forgotten Art of Detection

RAPAPORT… With Covid-19 and the Ukraine war dominating recent headlines, it’s easy to forget that undisclosed synthetics once ranked among the diamond world’s biggest threats. But while the number of cases may have dropped, the threat of fraudsters mixing lab-grown in parcels of natural remains, notes Trevor Poulter, product group manager for identification and classification of polished diamonds at De Beers Ignite.

In this episode of the Rapaport Diamond Podcast, host Avi Krawitz, senior analyst at Rapaport, discusses with Poulter developments in the synthetics market and detection technology.

Listen to the podcast here:

Discussion points:

00:40 – Introduction
01:37 – Why nondisclosure of synthetics is not getting the headlines it used to.
04:55 – How the challenge of detection has changed in the last decade.
08:15 – Trevor outlines what is driving detection systems forward.
09:19 – Avi asks whose responsibility it is to ensure the authenticity of the diamonds in the pipeline.
12:50 – The positive impact of reaching a critical mass of detection equipment.
14:25 – Staying ahead of the curve of lab-grown production technology.
16:27 – Trevor explains the referral process in checking for undisclosed lab-grown.
17:28 – What are the challenges in detecting lab-grown in set jewelry?
18:40 – Trevor presents the biggest challenge in detection technology.

This episode of the Rapaport Diamond Podcast is sponsored by De Beers Group Ignite: Pioneering a new diamond world through innovation.