AuctionsMay 16, 2024
Christie’s Holds 2 Sales Despite CyberattackThough its website has been down for a week, Christie’s proceeded with its jewelry and watch auctions on May 13-14, bringing in nearly $80 million.
GradingJan 28, 2014
De Beers’ melee screener to go in Antwerp lab
De Beers is now in the manufacturing stage with its melee screener and will lease it to interested sightholders in the second quarter before placing the device in a grading and research facility it operates in Antwerp, making it open to the trade more generally.
De Beers’ Automated Melee Screening Device scans stones between one point and 0.20 carats in size and automatically sorts them into one of five bins: pass, refer, refer Type II, non-diamond and purge.
London--De Beers is now in the manufacturing stage with its melee screener and will lease it to interested sightholders in the second quarter before placing the device in a grading and research facility it operates in Antwerp, making it open to the trade more generally.
The machine, officially dubbed the Automated Melee Screening Device, or AMS, screens near-colorless or colorless diamonds as small as one point and up to 0.20 carats to determine if they are natural, De Beers said.
Unlike the screening device for synthetic and high-pressure, high-temperature- (HPHT) treated diamonds introduced this week by the Gemological Institute of America that tests one stone at a time, De Beers’ device can take up to 500 carats of melee at once and automatically feeds the stones, table-down, into a measurement station.
Following testing, the diamonds are automatically dispensed into one of five bins:
-- Pass: The stone is not a synthetic or a simulant. Trials have indicated pass rates of 95 to 99 percent for natural melee;
-- Refer: A rare result, this indicates that more testing is needed;
-- Refer Type II: The stone has a low concentration of nitrogen and further testing is required, as it may be synthetic;
-- Non-diamond: The stone is a simulant or synthetic; and
-- Purge: This bin is for when the user needs to empty out the machine because, for example, they placed the wrong packet of diamonds into the device.
Because the machine feeds and sorts stones automatically it can be left unattended, and one person can operate multiple machines at a time.
However, unlike the GIA, De Beers won’t be leasing its device at no cost in exchange for data, or selling it to the general trade, at least not right now.
De Beers said it will offer three-year leases on the device, which was developed by De Beers Technologies UK, to sightholders through the International Institute of Diamond Grading & Research (IIDGR) in Antwerp for $25,000 a year. De Beers declined to say which sightholders would be leasing the machines.
Founded in 2008, the IIDGR is part of the De Beers Group of Companies and is a grading and research center that offers a range of diamond grading services and specializes in developing verification instruments.
In addition to leasing the machines to sightholders, De Beers will install multiple melee screening devices at the IIDGR later
Editors' Picks
Sponsored by
this year. The cost of the screening service is yet to be determined and while the details are still being worked out, it will be available to the general trade, De Beers said.
When asked if De Beers plans to sell the device to the trade, a spokeswoman for the diamond miner and marketer said the “initial plan” is to lease the device to sightholders, which are the “current priority at the moment.”
De Beers tested the device last year in a pilot program at the IIDGR. A number of the devices also were deployed to diamond centers worldwide, to measure the impact of different environmental conditions on the machine’s performance, De Beers said.
After receiving what it describes as “strong expressions of interest from many sightholders,” De Beers opted to begin manufacturing the melee screener.
De Beers’ release of information about its automated melee screener comes on the heels of the GIA’s official announcement on Monday that it had developed the DiamondCheck, a screening device for the detection of lab-grown as well as HPHT-treated diamonds as small as one point in size.
The GIA is leasing the machines to diamond bourses around the world at no cost in exchange for data about the stones that get screened. Through GIA Instruments, it is also selling the DiamondCheck to the wider trade for $23,900.
The bourses currently slated to receive a DiamondCheck are in New York, Mumbai, Dubai, South Africa, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Shanghai and Tel Aviv.
Absent from this initial list is the bourse in Antwerp, one of the world’s main trading hubs, though the GIA said Antwerp, along with other diamond centers, likely will receive a DiamondCheck later in the first quarter.
More on Grading
The Latest
AuctionsMay 16, 2024
Sotheby’s Withdraws 101-Carat Yellow Diamond from AuctionDespite the absence of “The Allnatt,” Sotheby’s Geneva jewelry auction totaled $34 million, with 90 percent of lots sold.
ColumnistsMay 16, 2024
The PR Adviser: What the Designer Should’ve DoneLilian Raji gives advice to designers on how to make the most of great publicity opportunities.
Brought to you by
Record Gold Prices Have Consumers Undeterred. Here’s Why.Despite the rising prices, consumers continue to seek out the precious metal.
SourcingMay 16, 2024
Lucapa to Shed Stake in Lesotho Diamond Mine The mining company wants to divest its 70 percent holding in the Mothae Diamond Mine in an effort to streamline its portfolio.
Weekly QuizMay 16, 2024
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these seven questions.
ColumnistsMay 15, 2024
Squirrel Spotting: Why Retailers Struggle to Fire BrandsWhy do so many jewelers keep lines that are not selling? Peter Smith thinks the answer lies in these two behavioral principles.
AuctionsMay 15, 2024
Red Diamond Breaks Records at Phillips GenevaThe “Argyle Phoenix” sold for more than $4 million at the auction house’s second jewels sale.
Brought to you by
From Registration to Return: 10 Tips to Protect You Before, During and After a TradeshowTradeshow risks are real. Get tips to protect yourself before, during and after and gain safety and security awareness for your business.
Events & AwardsMay 15, 2024
See Who’s in JA’s 2024 ‘20 Under 40’ ClassThe annual list recognizes young professionals making an impact in jewelry retail.
IndependentsMay 15, 2024
David Mann Jewelers in Upstate NY to Close After 35 YearsOwner David Mann is heading into retirement.
FinancialsMay 15, 2024
Brilliant Earth’s Sales Fall Flat in Q1 While overall sales were sluggish, the retailer said its non-bridal fine jewelry was a popular choice for Valentine’s Day.
SourcingMay 14, 2024
Anglo American Confirms It Is Looking to Sell De Beers The mining giant also wants to offload its platinum business as part of an overhaul designed to “unlock significant value.”
AuctionsMay 14, 2024
2 Huge Yellow Diamonds Are Heading to AuctionChristie's is selling one of the diamonds, moving forward with its Geneva jewelry auction despite the cyberattack that took down its website.
MajorsMay 14, 2024
Platinum Born Taps ‘Born Leaders’ for New CampaignThe ad aims to position platinum jewelry as ideal for everyday wear.
Lab-GrownMay 13, 2024
Lab-Grown Diamond Brand Lightbox Cuts Prices by 25 to 40%The move follows a price-drop test run in Q4 and comes with the addition of a “quality assurance card” from GIA for some loose diamonds.
TechnologyMay 13, 2024
Christie’s Website Brought Down by Hackers, Watch Auction Postponed The site has been down since Thursday evening, just ahead of its spring auctions.
AuctionsMay 13, 2024
Madeleine Albright’s Jewelry, Pins a White-Glove Sale at Freeman’s | HindmanThe late former U.S. Secretary’s collection went for quadruple the sale’s pre-sale estimate.
IndependentsMay 13, 2024
Zachary’s Jewelers Names Mother’s Day Jewelry Contest WinnersThree fifth graders’ winning designs were turned into custom jewelry pieces in time for Mother’s Day.
IndependentsMay 10, 2024
Frank Adams Jewelers Names New CEOKimberly Adams Russell is taking over the role from her father, David Adams, marking the third generation to hold the title.
CollectionsMay 10, 2024
Piece of the Week: Carina Hardy’s ‘Birth of Venus’ NecklaceAs a token of womanhood, this necklace depicts when Venus was born from the sea.
MajorsMay 09, 2024
Watches of Switzerland Pays $130M for Roberto Coin Inc.The deal gives the retailer control over the distribution of Roberto Coin jewelry in the U.S., Canada, Caribbean, and Central America.
TrendsMay 09, 2024
Amanda’s Style File: Shine Bright, Moms Show your mother some love with a piece of fine jewelry.
IndependentsMay 09, 2024
Kyle Edward Fine Jewelry to Close Salisbury StoreThe company’s Easton location will remain open.
MajorsMay 09, 2024
JBT Elects New ChairmanBrian D. Fleming of Carla Corporation was elected to serve a one-year term in the role.
Supplier BulletinMay 08, 2024
Fusing Past and Present at the Las Vegas Antique Jewelry & Watch ShowSponsored by the Las Vegas Antique Jewelry and Watch Show
EditorsMay 07, 2024
Q&A: Author Vikki Tobak on the ‘Ice-Cold’ ExhibitionTobak, author of “Ice Cold: A Hip-Hop Jewelry History,” shares how the exhibition came to be, and the pieces people may be surprised to see.
EditorsMay 07, 2024
10 On-Theme Looks from the 2024 Met GalaStars adorned themselves in emeralds, platinum, and myriad bird motifs, writes Associate Editor Natalie Francisco.
