#Baselworld GIA GemFest Basel Features DeBeers and GIA Talks on Synthetic Diamonds!

GIA and DeBeers Speak on Synthetic Diamonds

GIA GemFest Basel is March 22

Dr. Wuyi Wang, director of research
and development for GIA. Image © GIA.

Leading research scientists from GIA (Gemological Institute of America) and De Beers Technologies UK will speak on the topic of synthetic diamonds during GIA GemFest Basel 2015 on Sunday, March 22 at the Congress Center Basel in Switzerland. Tom Moses, executive vice president and chief laboratory and research officer for GIA, will moderate the discussion with Dr. Simon Lawson, head of technologies UK for De Beers and Dr. Wuyi Wang, director of research and development for GIA. The free event will commence at 5 p.m. (17:00) in the Montreal Auditorium, with a reception to follow.

The technology for creating synthetic diamond has improved significantly over the last decade and, as a result, gem-quality synthetic diamonds have appeared in greater quantities and received wider media exposure. Reports of synthetics being presented as natural, however, have raised concerns within the industry. GIA and De Beers have applied years of research to identifying these laboratory-grown diamonds, resulting in devices and methods that effectively distinguish them from natural diamonds – from the smallest melee to stones of significant size. GIA’s Wang and De Beers’ Lawson will speak at GemFest Basel about the latest research on synthetic diamonds and their identification, and how GIA and De Beers are working to meet the on-going challenges posed by potential non-disclosure. A question and answer session will immediately follow the moderated discussion.

Dr. Simon Lawson, head of technologies
UK for De Beers. Image courtesy of De Beers.

Lawson has 20 years of experience with De Beers researching the growth and characterization of synthetic diamonds. He has held a key role at De Beers since 1995 in the strategy and development of the various De Beers verification instruments used to identify synthetic and treated diamonds. Prior to joining De Beers, Lawson was awarded a Royal Society Fellowship and spent four years at the National Institute for Research in Inorganic Materials in Japan. He holds a doctorate in optical spectroscopy of diamond from King’s College in London and a Bachelor of Science degree in physics.

Wang joined GIA in 2000 and has more than 20 years of expertise in diamond geochemistry and the treatments of diamond and other gem material. He holds a doctorate in geology from the University of Tsukuba in Japan and a bachelor’s degree in geology from Beijing University in China. He is widely published in gemological and geological journals, and is recognized with numerous honors including the AGS Richard T. Liddicoat Journalism Award and Dr. Edward J. Gübelin Most Valuable Article Award from Gems & Gemology.

GemFest Basel 2015 is a free event that will be held at 5 p.m. (17:00) on Sunday, March 22 at Congress Center Basel in the Montreal Auditorium. A reception will immediately follow the panel at 6 p.m. (18:00). Registration is now available.

About the De Beers Group of Companies

De Beers is a member of the Anglo American group. Established in 1888, De Beers is the world’s leading diamond company with unrivalled expertise in the exploration, mining and marketing of diamonds. Together with its joint venture partners, De Beers employs more than 20,000 people (directly and as contractors) across the diamond pipeline, and is the world’s largest diamond producer by value, with mining operations in Botswana, Canada, Namibia and South Africa. As part of the company’s operating philosophy, the people of De Beers are committed to Living up to Diamonds by making a lasting contribution to the communities in which they live and work, and transforming natural resources into shared national wealth. For further information about De Beers visit www.debeersgroup.com. 

About GIA
An independent nonprofit organization, GIA (Gemological Institute of America), established in 1931, is recognized as the world’s foremost authority in gemology. GIA invented the famous 4Cs of Color, Clarity, Cut, and Carat Weight in the early 1950s and in 1953, created the International Diamond Grading System™ which, today, is recognized by virtually every professional jeweler in the world. Through research, education, gemological laboratory services, and instrument development, the Institute is dedicated to ensuring the public trust in gems and jewelry by upholding the highest standards of integrity, academics, science, and professionalism. Visitwww.gia.edu.