PodcastsApr 15, 2026
Episode 4: The Natural Diamond DilemmaSally Morrison and Mark Klein discuss De Beers’ first beacon in 16 years and the mistake the industry made with lab-grown diamonds.
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Protecting Your Sparkle: Why Screening Has Become Essential
While no reputable jeweler would knowingly sell lab-grown stones as natural, it's a growing possibility.
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As symbols of love and commitment, few things are more cherished than diamonds. Natural diamonds are revered as timeless miracles of nature. Lab-grown diamonds are affordable, man-made marvels. Each product has its own separate appeal.
The word “separate” is paramount here: Whether you sell natural diamonds (ND), lab-grown diamonds (LGD), or both, inadvertent mixing by experts can threaten one’s sparkling reputation.
While no reputable jeweler would knowingly sell lab-grown stones as natural, we all must face the growing possibility in our stores. LGD have permeated every major trading center. Small stones find their way into ND melee parcels. Larger stones are traded between consumers online, acquired by pawn shops with no testing, and even are purchased over-the-counter by professionals who are unequipped to detect them.
The Elephants in the Room
Two issues make this undisclosed mixing a growing danger. The first is confusion about detection. An alarming number of pros continue to mistakenly believe that inexpensive diamond testers will distinguish ND from LGD. Common electronic testers can misidentify HPHT-grown stones as Moissanite (learn why that happens here). Inexperienced jewelers mistakenly believe such basic testers will identify all lab-grown stones the same way. Which is patently false. Thermal testers make no distinction whatsoever and electronic testers frequently conclude ND and LGD are identical. These instruments are not useful and can be damaging to one’s reputation.
The second issue is the high cost and limited reliability of useful detection technology. There are UV-based testers designed to help separate LGD from ND, but they can cost thousands of dollars and are not 100 percent conclusive, particularly on mounted goods. In most cases, experienced human judgment is also required, which is why the guidance states that these instruments are not a substitute for laboratory screening.
Professionals who proactively invest in the latest detection technology are to be commended. However, precautions should not stop in the back office, particularly for goods that have changed hands.
Protect Yourself
Like any industry, ours will always have its share of bad actors hoping to profit from the ignorance and mistakes of others. Headlines are made when large stones, submitted to grading institutes for natural diamond reports, are revealed to be lab-grown. Some incidents have been extremely sophisticated, using lab-grown stones created to have measurements and inclusions that closely match a pre-existing ND report.
Grading institutes are well-equipped to avoid such scams, but most retail jewelers are not. Independents regularly are burned when making purchases that they learn later were misrepresented. For that matter, fraud is not always malicious. Some people don’t inform their fiancé that they’re proposing with a lab-grown stone. Years later, should they seek the value of what they always presumed to be a natural diamond, the jeweler across the counter may have to deliver bad news. If the piece was labeled natural at take-in, based on word alone, things could even get messy legally.
Call IGI for Support
IGI offers affordable, advanced gemstone screening for both loose and mounted goods. Through advanced spectrometric analysis IGI can quickly and decisively assess and identify any item, whether parcels of breakout melee, items bought over-the-counter, purchased from estate sales, or purchased from another retailer. IGI’s locations in New York and Los Angeles have made these services cost-effective with fast turnround, including options for same-day results.
IGI also can issue a grading report confirming all aspects of any piece of jewelry. From small credit-card sizes to half, and full-page documents, any piece of jewelry can be supported factually by an IGI report verifying its authenticity.
Top Reasons to Protect Yourself
- Guarantee authenticity and trust
- Avoid legal and ethical risks
- Boost consumer confidence
- Increase the item’s value
- Give your client an insurance-ready document
As the diamond industry evolves, it is more important than ever for professionals to ensure the authenticity of the items they sell. Third-party certification is designed to help jewelers protect their reputation, avoid legal and ethical pitfalls, increase the value of their products, and build trust with their customers.
In a world where lab-grown diamonds are becoming more common, a jewelry grading report is not just a piece of paper. It’s a testament to a jeweler’s commitment to honesty and quality. This added layer of assurance helps build stronger customer relationships, encouraging repeat business and positive word-of-mouth.
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