Leading GIA Gemologist to Discuss DiamondCheck System
GIA’s next Gemstone Gathering is March 26 in Bangkok
BANGKOK – March 25, 2014 – In early 2014, GIA (Gemological Institute of America) announced the development of the GIA DiamondCheck™, a device that accurately identifies colorless natural, untreated diamonds in the D-to-N range and refers diamonds that are potentially synthetic or treated for further examination. Kenneth Scarratt, GIA’s managing director of Southeast Asia and director of the GIA laboratory in Bangkok, will discuss the device and how it is used during GIA’s next Gemstone Gathering in Bangkok on March 26.The DiamondCheck system is based on the same technology and processes used in GIA’s laboratories. In addition to identifying colorless natural, untreated diamonds and referring for further analysis stones that may be treated or synthetic, it also identifies material that is not diamond but does not specify the material such as cubic zirconia or moissanite. Drawing on GIA’s decades of research in the identification of synthetic and treated diamonds, the system consists of a commercially-available spectroscopic instrument operating with GIA-developed software for automatic data interpretation. As part of its public benefit mission, GIA, working with the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB), has made the DiamondCheck available at no cost to several diamond bourses around the world.
Scarratt is considered one of the world’s top gemologists with more than 30 years of experience, including nine with GIA. He has extensive expertise in the identification of a broad range of gem materials and detection of treatments, and is a leading authority on natural pearls. He has authored or co-authored articles in many gemological journals worldwide, and has co-authored two books: The Crown Jewels and The Pearl & the Dragon.
GIA’s Gemstone Gathering, a free event, begins at 6 p.m. on March 26 in the “Crowne Room 1-3” on the 21st floor of the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Lumpini Park in Bangkok.
